I've gotten enough questions about yesterdays post to warrant what will be a futile attempt at summarizing the drama between Coach O'leary and the Orlando Sentinel. My guess is that over the season this might become a national story (I don't think O'leary is close to backing down). I'll do my best but I'm sure I won't get it 100% (It would require me taking way to much time to write what will already be a longer than normal post). If anyone has any corrections or responses, which I'm sure someone will, comment below :)

Quick and dirty background

Basically, a UCF player died tragically during a team workout. The Sentinel, doing it's job as a media outlet, started looking into it. Keith Tribble, the AD, made some remarks downplaying the workout based on the information that he had. That information wasn't really accurate, and then the school had to back off of those statements. UCF made a mistake with this and admitted as much.

Sentinel starts writing articles saying that the player died from over intensive workouts (O'leary worked him to death, etc). Out of however many on the record depositions there were about the incident (I think I heard there are about 80), the Sentinel chose to use 4 anonymous sources that didn't match up with anything else. The comments didn't really match up to what else was known about the situation, but hey.. that's how anonymous comments work. They're either completely accurate, or you know, completely made up. You have to decide whether or not you trust the media. When it comes to the sentinel, lots of folks don't. I've been at enough events and then read about them in the paper to know that they like to completely fabricate things for fill sometimes. It's a dying business and they have papers to sell, I guess.

Anyhow, relatively soon after that the Sentinel writes an article interviewing UCF's old QB, who was a product of the Mike K era and never got along with O'leary. It's at this point most UCF fans feel the Sentinel turned sensationalist on the issue (keep in mind, a young man died. Not something to write sensational articles over). Basically, the tone of the article was that the old QB got yelled at a lot, proving that O'leary is a jerk (or, you know, a football coach, for anyone who's ever played a team sport), and that he is responsible for killing Ereck because of it. I think the line was something like "But Moffett has a life to continue living, Ereck Plancher doesn't." Something really offensive and over the line like that. For me, that's when my opinion turned against the Sentinel. If a football coach wasn't a hardass, he'd be an awful football coach. Trying to roll him under the bus in a sensationalist fluff piece, before the autopsy was even finished, crosses an ethical/moral line.

NOTE: I was going to link to this article, but can't find it on Google or orlandosentinel.com. The title was "Motivation different than Intimidation" and it was an interview with Steven Moffett written on April 12, 2008. The Sentinel, at the time, appeared to be deleting comments from the article. Now, the entire article is gone. Absolutely classless to launch an attack against UCF and remove any record of your own guilt. Most of the comments are still online here, read the reactions, (and sadly, ignore the childish trolls)

UPDATE TO NOTE: Danny pointed out that it hasn't been removed, it's been moved to the paid only archive which happens after 30 days. That's my bad. I had forgotten people were still trying to make money that way. ;) So much for capitalizing the long tail. 'Joey' posted a copy of the article below, if anyone from the Sentinel sees this as a copyright violation, let me know and I'll remove it.

Anyway, fast forward with more articles and opinions written that are anti-UCF on the subject (one saying UCF stiffed EP's family on the funeral bill, which isn't true). Basically their general sentiment was that UCF's silence on the matter means guilt (it doesn't, it means a legal team is telling you not to talk.).

Next thing you know the autopsy is released confirming sickle cell, which for the most part clears the school of liability, and makes the Sentinel look pretty stupid for jumping the gun.

Fast forward a little and there's a press conference with O'leary. A Sentinel reporter asks a relatively mundane question, O'leary tells them he's not going to answer any questions for the Sentinel until they clarify some errors that they made in previous articles on the subject. Sentinel has said in the past that they would if UCF/O'leary pointed out what those errors are. UCF/O'leary say that there was a 90 minute interview with the Sentinel already concerning these details and that it went unreported. My guess is that a legal team is telling UCF/O'leary not to offer up anything more. Again, that's not a sign of guilt, that's the sign of a good legal team.

The day after O'leary denied the Sentinel, something like 4 out of 5 articles on the front page of the sports section are anti-UCF. This is more coverage than the Sentinel has ever given their local 50,000 student university. The paper is attacking UCF for not informing Ereck's family of his sickle cell trait (which, under privacy laws, would have been illegal for them to do. Ereck was over 18.) The paper insists that it was controversial "matt drills" that killed Ereck (something the school denies were taking place when he collapsed), and the paper insists that O'leary is guilty of not taking proper precautions because of Ereck's 'condition'.

Now, maybe teams should take more precautions with players that have sickle cell trait. Anything to improve safety is okay by me (including getting rid of matt drills for that matter, just to be careful. My understanding is that the pros don't use them?). But not many (if any) teams do much more than whats already done, and that's probably relating to the fact that an estimated 7-10% of African Americans have sickle cell and a very small portion of them die in a workout from it (more people die from falling coconuts type of thing). These players are also informed of the trait via pre-screening and continue to play football at their own risk.

My Thoughts / Going forward

My hope is that UCF medical staff (and other universities) have learned where they can improve things to protect the lives of college players. I'd hope that the Sentinel can take an honest look at their coverage and realize that they should have waited for the autopsy to be finished before taking a position. Both parties have things to learn from this, but only UCF seems to be admitting it.

As far as Coach's stance on dealing with the paper, I think it's 100% within his right. The paper has, on multiple occasions now, suggested that he is responsible for killing one his players. Whatever happened was a tragic, unfortunate, somewhat freak occurrence that no one -- not the players, the coach, the families, the friends or even the fans -- should have to endure. "The Moffett article", as it's referred to amongst fans, proved to many of us the Sentinel's intent on sensationalizing a young man's death. They didn't lay on this criticism against FSU (Bobby Bowden *is* matt drills), UF or even USF -- all locally covered teams that have had similar occurrences. A freshman player died at UF from heat exhaustion -- something easily preventable -- back in 2001. I'm not even sure the Sentinel even mentioned it in between their "OMG UF is teh awesome!!1" articles. If they did, they certainly didn't mount a campaign against their coach.

So yeah. I gave a small amount more to the Golden Knight Club yesterday specifically in support of O'leary on this. It's not about the money, it's about the paper trail of support. At some point, O'leary is going to come under intense pressure to get this resolved. The Orlando Sentinel is the only game in town, and they're only laying off 20% at a time. They have at least a few more years left in them. When that pressure comes, it'll be nice for Keith Tribble and O'leary to point to letters, emails and donations all supporting the school on this. (and note: if UCF is found to have guilt in all this, I'll be the first in line to criticize their handling of it all.)

I also want to note that there are a lot more details to all this. Most of it can be read over in 'the dungeon', a $10 a month message board that's primarily composed of boosters and people associated with the UCF program. There's a strong sense of "what's said in the dungeon, stays in the dungeon" for obvious reasons. I've tried to keep some things vague out of respect to that, but hopefully this gives at least a little more background than what you'll read about in the Sentinel or listen to on Jim Philip's (who's uninformed opinions make for great radio but little else. Kind of like blog posts. I'm sure he'd tell you the same thing. ;).

Way to much for me to explain for this to make any sense to people outside the ucf circle, so I'll keep it brief.

If you're a UCF fan in complete awe of George O'leary's hardass stance against the Orlando Sentinel, call Kevin Miller with the Golden Knight Club and donate to show support. It doesn't need to be a lot, just a few bucks -- perhaps the money you're saving by cancelling your subscription to the Sentinel. ;)

Kevin Miller at 407-882-2871

Here's to hoping Florida Today hire's a ucf beat writer! ;)

2008 UCF FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Aug. 30 - South Carolina State
Sept. 5 (Fri.) Sept. 6th (moved for espn, yay) - USF (ESPN)
Sept. 20 - at Boston College
Sept. 27 - at UTEP
Oct. 4 - SMU
Oct. 11 - at Miami (Fla.)
Oct. 26 (Sun.) - at Tulsa (ESPN)
Nov. 2 (Sun.) - East Carolina (ESPN)
Nov. 8 - Southern Miss
Nov. 15 - at Marshall
Nov. 22 - at Memphis
Nov. 29 - UAB

Conference Games = Bold

USF, BC, Miami, Tulsa, ECU, Southern Miss are all the games that we could drop (yeah, yeah, any given saturday/etc..). That puts us anywhere from 6-6 to probably, I donno, 9-3. I'll adjust my optimism/pessimism meter after the spring game ;)

Three ESPN games for sure though. Just on odd days.

Best of luck to both! More knights in the pros the better.

And I know, I've already read the internet melodrama -- "but Kevin held a press conference!".

We've all changed our minds on something at some point in our lives. Kevin is a 21 year old college kid, not someone who signed a professional business contract (Billy D, I'm looking at you.) He's allowed to re-evaluate things -- maybe something came up family wise, maybe a couple key RB's around the country are returning (Ray Rice, for instance), or maybe he simply was able to get some more down time and had a chance to think clearly. The bowl hype had to be over the top two weeks ago.

When opportunity knocks ya gotta answer the door. Lots of people don't have the courage to leave their comfort zone but Kevin, and possibly Joe, do. I commend them for it.

Go get that paper and make UCF proud.

Just getting back from Memphis after attending what will undoubtedly be the most boring bowl game of the year for most folks. If you are not a UCF fan or a MSU fan, you probably fell asleep by the third quarter. We had a group of ten though and managed to have a great time regardless of the score/play.

On the game
We knew going in that Kyle Israel was going to have to play well for us to be able to put it away. Turns out, that was highly prophetic. MSU played almost as poorly, but reigned it in when it mattered most. Congrats to Croom on their turn around this season. 10-3 was the final score, with MSU scoring a touchdown off an interception late in the 4th quarter. That's right. We spent 95% of the game tied at 3-3. Fascinating.

On Kyle's play
Kyle has had a pretty solid senior year. He's a great kid and a hell of a student athlete. I'm thankful for what he has done at UCF and I think he will make a fine ambassador for the program.

However...

This may have been one of the worst first half performances I've ever witnessed (I've already blocked the USF game from my memory). Kyle typically makes great decisions (60% completion rate prior to Saturday), but for whatever reason he tends to get overly excited when facing a 'name' opponent. Telegraphing his throws, missing open receivers all over, passing into tight coverage and over/under throwing balls. This kind of thing plagued us the majority of the game. Three interceptions, two of them being completely poor decisions and completely inexcusable. (That last one was just a great defensive play by MSU. I think he got hit right when he released and it was pretty tight coverage.) One dimensional play isn't going to win a bowl game.

Here's what MSU's Derek Pegues had to say about his interceptions after the game;

He just threw it right to me both times, and I was lucky to catch the ball.

My thoughts exactly.

If I were in GOL's shoes, I would have put in Greco for at least one series after that second interception just to mix it up and see what happens. On the other hand, Bowl games are rewards, and Kyle deserves to play his last game.. It's just... man... I guess the backup QB is always the most popular.

On Torres missing two FG's
He has been automatic all year. People are allowed a bad game. It's unfortunate that his happened to be Saturday night, but he's not to blame for this one. Plus, the momentum argument is simply to hypothetical for me. No doubt the misses hurt though.

On 24k
The SEC homers are trying to play it up as Kevin being shut down. Limited, sure, but If hanging 120 on one of the best rushing defenses in the country is being shutdown, especially with 9 in the box and zero concern for the passing game, then Kevin is truly one hell of a back (keep in mind, McFadden ran for 88 on MSU). I'm not sure what game they were watching but in mine I saw a running back get hit in the backfield and still get positive yardage more often than not. He had a fumble that from our vantage point looked like either a strip or a bad hand off, I couldn't tell but I'm sure the DVR will hold the answer. That many carries with no pass relief and its bound to happen. We also got Kevin involved a bit more in what little passing game we had. I hope we see a lot more of it next year.

On UCF's defense
Outstanding. It helped that MSU was having a terrible offensive game, but still some of the best pass rushing I've seen from the Knights. We still can't seem to handle mobile quarterbacks well, and I think MSU would have been better served giving Dixon a few more touches in the middle. He would have had a much bigger night.

When your offense gives up 4 turnovers, and it's still 3-3 late in the fourth, the defense has done its job. We should be even stronger next year.

On cowbells
Talk about over-hyped. They weren't banned cause they are loud (they really weren't), they're banned because they're f'n stupid. It would seem that MSU fans forget to yell and instead rely on what ultimately sounds like locusts. For weeks all we heard were these jokers talking about cowbells like they were some sort of magic. 55,000 of them and I was completely unimpressed. From the hype you'd have thought my ears would have been bleeding. Not that I'm disappointed, but I'll take a 100% steel constructed stadium any day of the week. Add 20,000 to the top of Brighthouse and it's going to be deadly.

And seriously. Cowbells for bulldogs? And yeah, I know the story about the cow wandering on to the field and beating Ole Miss 80 years ago, but that only makes it seem even more sad.

On MSU fans
Most of the folks we met were mighty fine, but man. The more some of those backwoods frat types drank on Beale, the more I realized how thankful I am not to live in Mississippi. President Eisenhower pushed for the highway system specifically so people there could leave. The smart ones did, the rest started breeding. Then again, Southern Miss fans have never really seemed to bad. Maybe there's just something in the water in Hattiesburg that saves them from Mississippi's burgeoning idiocracy. Either that, or I haven't experienced enough Southern Miss fans.

On Memphis
When we got off the plane, we weren't sure if we should adjust our clocks to central time or to 1988. The sweet smell of charcoal BBQ was immediate and welcomed though and the towns support for the Memphis Tigers was great to see.

I had been warned that Memphis is pretty ghetto. After living in not-so-nice areas of D.C, I didn't really think much of it. I should have. The city has a we'll-rob-your-ass-in-broad-day-light vibe to it. During the game, a couple people in our group had their hotel room broken into through the window and everything was taken. We went out to Silkie's and ran into a friend from DC (an MSU fan). They had some dude come flying into their table, and then somehow or another some girl hit someone they were with. It turned into a little huffy puff and they were looking to press charges. The bouncer told her that it was simply "the manner of the town" and the cops didn't seem to give a shit. Nice.

Basically, the downtown area looks like every last penny was spent on a two block area. The rest of the town looks like a pre-storm 9th ward. Evidently, the apathy towards crime and shit poor behavior is just as bad. It's sad to see a town with such strong history and culture completely accept their crime as simply, as the bouncer put it, the "manner of the town."

It's great to know that whoever wins C-USA is rewarded with such an awesome destination. I think next time we'll try staying in Nashville.

On Silkies...
The same bouncer told me that there were in fact goats there, but they were behind the tents and you couldn't get to them. I didn't see them, and therefore I do not believe that they exist. If any place wasn't worth the cover, it was this joint anyhow. Unless you're meeting someone there (like we were), don't bother.

The best bars seemed to be B.B. Kings and Pat O's. Both are chains, and both are in Orlando. That was really really disappointing. We did see an Elvis impersonator sporting a disgusting male camel toe at club 152 though. That's gotta be worth something. Just not $5 cover.

On Graceland...
Graceland was so fantastically awful and cheesy it's beyond words. The museum of jump suits is now one of my favorite places on Earth. The captions talk about how stylish they were for the time, but Kat accurately pointed out that no one else was wearing such things. They seemed to get more elaborate and eccentric with every pill Elvis popped and you can totally tell when the bedazzler was released.

I really don't mean to keep ripping on Mississippi, but I'd be neglectful if I didn't point out that the MSU fans seemed to be really really into it. It was hard to make it through the mansion with all of their photo taking. I'm pretty sure at least one of them is putting together some sort of Elvis scrapbook to sell on eBay in an attempt to pay for their trip. Sure was a classy place, eh bulldogs? Enjoy your new commemorative plate.

Trip Highlight
For me, it was the food. Ryan arranged for a get together at Central BBQ before the game. The ribs were pretty dang tasty and the pulled pork was top notch. We didn't get to Rendevous, but I'd certainly recommend Central BBQ. On Sunday, we went to Gus's for fried chicken. Probably the best I've ever had. Definitely worth the time if you find yourself in Memphis. Corky's was okay, but I enjoyed Central more.

Anyhow.. It was fun and I value the experience, warts and all. We'll see you again next year, Liberty Bowl ;)

Been crazy distracted lately and haven't had much mind to blog. Heading to Memphis Saturday morning bright and early by way of Cincinnati. Let's hope the planes aren't running late ;) Vescio and I will also be playing Zombie Nation on the flight. I'm pretty sure modern aviation can handle it. We'll find out.

Both Burnsy and Streep told me there is a bar in Memphis where you feed goats beer and they fight. I wasn't 100% sure if this really existed, or if it was some sort of terrible ploy to leave me drunk and broken hearted on bealle street. I did some googling though, and it turns out that this crazy place actually exists. So.. If you're going to be in Memphis, see you guys there after the game!

Here's a picture of the C-USA congrats billboard next to the liberty bowl. Really cool to see the conference spending some cash to pimp little ole' UCF.

Check out this run, simply incredible. This kid gets better every game:


Yikes. Not even a facemask will stop 24K.

After the run, ESPN commentator says,

"Let me tell you something.. You are witnessing one of next years Heisman frontrunners early. Right now. He's auditioning. All he's got to do is come back to the University of Central Florida, UCF, and he's going to be on everybody's Heisman list. There's no way you can deny that young man of that."

I can't describe what's taking place out in East Orlando. I know I keep writing about it, but man.. The Texas game was fun, but you could tell there wasn't that sense of ownership fans have over an on campus stadium. Each week the game day experience has gotten better and better. This past Saturday was the first game where the atmosphere truly eclipsed most other college games that I've attended. And I mean that as in, anywhere. Not just UCF. There's something to loading up 44,000+ in a giant steel drum that bounces and sways in response to crowd participation. It's like watching a game in RFK up in DC, only without the risk of hepatitis and a stolen wallet. When the school gets around to adding another 20,000 seats to that place, it's going to be simply incredible. Very good things in UCF's future.

As far as the BCS debacle, well.. Told ya so, as did just about every other big football fan this year. All I can hope for is that this brings about a +1 system. I see that as at least a step towards a real life playoff. There are 7 teams right now that could make a reasonable argument for being in the NC game. Playoffs would give them all a chance (I see 8 as the magic number using rankings, 16 if a selection committee/conference champions are used). Playoffs work for every other level of football, and it'd be no different for D1a. In fact, it'd probably turn into the craziest sporting event of the year and generate more money than anything currently possible under the current bowl structure. More excitement, more money and a true national championship. Stop stalling, already.

Speaking of bowls, and back to UCF, we purchased our liberty bowl tickets and will be attending the game in Memphis, TN on December 29th against Mississippi State. If you're looking to attend, I'd buy tickets ASAP through UCF's ticket office -- 407-823-1000. MSU has reportedly sold 13,000 tickets in just under a day.

Go knights.

Thank you Marshall.

The Herds win over ECU puts UCF in the drivers seat for C-USA. *If* we can win out, we'll be hosting the C-USA championship game here in Orlando, FL at the brand new Brighthouse Networks Stadium. What a crazy way to open up the new facilities.

It's also Nov. 14th, a very emotional day for Marshall. Say a prayer for `em.

Kevin Smith is about to top 2,000 yards on the season rushing. He'll be only the 11th person to do so in college football history, and the first in the State of Florida (ever). With all the talk of McFadden, 24k has done this relatively under the radar while facing better rushing defenses (look it up, I'm not kidding or exaggerating). It's likely Kevin goes pro after this season. Take advantage of him being in Orlando and go check him out at the UTEP game Nov. 24th, or god willing, at the C-USA champ game (noon game, dec 1st I think?) Backs like this one are few and far between.

Man, yesterday was amazing. We were on campus for 12 hours tailgating and I have the sunburn to prove it. After morning mimosas with Screws and company, the parade set the stage. After the parade, there was a basketball game, then I believe a soccer game (that I didn't see), and then the marshall game. To have it all on UCF's campus, all on the north side that didn't even exist 3 years ago, was simply incredible. The administration over in east orlando has done a hell of a job, and the Knights are bowl eligible (6-3). Keep it up.

I've avoided saying much about USF since they dismantled UCF four weeks back. At three losses in a row though, I'm required. What the hell, bulls? At first, I was impressed with USF's almost-comeback last night. Then, I started reading things the fans are saying about the game. USF fans managed to piss off the entire nation with their arrogance while winning, and now they're pissing off everyone with their poor sportsmanship after losing. Learn to win, learn to lose. Can't say it's completely unexpected when The Jim is in charge over there though. Jim Leavitt has officially come off the hinges after swallowing his face with his lower lip against Rutgers. Last night, his team had 8 turnovers, the players ran out on to the field to cuss out the refs and his own players started fighting with each other on the sideline. Afterwards, he had the audacity to pin things on a possible blown call. Not to mention cry. You heard me. The man cried. At least he showed up to talk with the media this time (Which, you know, is his job, and one that he and his players have a reputation for not doing. That's going to hurt grothe's heisman hopes way more than his 4 picks.)

USF is a team that has two convincing wins this year -- UNC and UCF. Every other game has been questionable calls and turnovers. Basic statistics tells you that its going to balance out, and thats exactly whats happening. Bad calls go both ways. When you peak under the covers of the program itself, The Jim has a roster of 50% NCAA special exceptions (according to ESPN's outside the lines. It means it took lawyers to get them into school, and that Saban was right.), with most of the players being two and three star talent. That's not a likely formula to win the Big East, let alone a National Championship. What it will do though is make a competitive program with tons of off the field issues. Either you survive it and start recruiting legit kids, or it implodes and gets everyone fired. The jury is still out on what the outcome will be right now. And yeah, I get it. I'm a UCF fan. It must be jealousy. The kicker, of course, is that the entire sports world is now arriving at similar conclusions. I guess jealousy runs rampant. Stay classy, Tampa.

Ohio State over Wisconsin. I know everyone's doubting the big 10 (with reason), but OSU looks stronger each week. The biggest rivalry in the college game looms big. Michigan has been playing the way everyone expected them to play pre-app state implosion, and I believe they're playing up in the big house. Michigan had a hell of a rally yesterday over Michigan State.

Tough loss for ASU, but Oregon looks good. Real good. If I had a ballot, they'd pass LSU this week. LSU continues to play risky, and I'm wondering when it's going to bite them. And no, I don't believe that its because the SEC is "just that good." Not this year, friends.

NC State beat Miami.. you know what that means..... go knights!

FSU beat Boston College. I was disappointed to see their streak come to a close, but can't say that I was terribly surprised. BC's team GPA is just way to high... ;)

UConn beat Rutgers. I really though Rutgers would pull this one off. It's good to see a cinderella team still alive though.

And is it time to put Kansas in the top 5 yet?

Virginia Tech beats Georgia Tech while wearing GT uniforms. Well done!

ECU at Memphis next week. If Memphis can pull off the upset, UCF will be in the drivers seat for C-USA East with a shot at the Liberty Bowl. Not bad for a team that was 4-7 last year. Big win over Southern Miss tonight on the road for the knights. Tulsa last week, USM this week -- its amazing the things that can happen when you don't turn the ball over 5+ times.

Funny thing though, I believe the Papa John's Bowl is a Big East team vs. C-USA's #4 (off the top of my head). If UCF drops another game, and USF drops another game, we could be looking at a bowl matchup. I know, I know.. That'd be nuts after USF manhandled UCF for four quarters. The thing is, the Big East only has three bowl tie-ins. USF and the bowl committee might not have a ton of wiggle room. Of course, that means UCF is C-USA #4, and well, that would suck. Soo..

UF lost to UGA. Gotta love them dawgs.

Ohio State finally looked like a #1 team on the road against Penn State. Maybe, just maybe, we'll get some stability.

How about Matt Ryan? That's what I call a Heisman performance.

Arizona State over Cal, but it's Oregon who's looking like they're for real. Great match up ahead of us next week.

Man.. Best year of football ever.

Sweet mother pancakes.

LSU and Cal both drop off.

If you aren't convinced that a playoff system is sorely needed in college football yet, something is deeply wrong with you. Let the BCS keep their if-this-were-a-"real"-business-it'd-be-an-illegal-cartel bowl system, just don't use it to determine the national champion. Let the national champion determine the national champion. NCAA 1a football is the only sport in college that doesn't do it. Play out the bowls, take the top 8 teams, and have yourself a few more ball games.

USF throttled, and I mean, throttled UCF yesterday. We've said it all year long around these parts, stop Kevin Smith and you've stopped the 1 dimensional knights. After the 64-12 whooping, someone asked me what I feel about the series -- I feel the exact same way I felt the other day. I'll take my medicine year in and year out, I thoroughly believe that its a good thing for "Orlampa." Heck, look at the UF/FSU series -- Florida dominates it 30-19. Most of FSU's wins probably come in the last 10-15 games. It takes awhile.

And I'll go ahead and attack this now. USF fan's are rightfully upset with so many people questioning their top 5 ranking. Let me explain why people are having trouble with it though.. USF is filled with 2 and 3 star talent. A few four stars, and a five star in Alabama-drop-out Mike Ford. Teams like LSU? All four and five stars. I'm not sure there is a legit blue chip anywhere on the sidelines for USF. A team like Oklahoma is bigger, stronger and maybe faster than USF. At least, on paper. The argument is either Leavitt is just that awesome, the Big East is just that lame, or the stars are just aligning perfectly for the Bulls. Or PCP. I mean.. It worked in Miami. Also, you can't under estimate Matt "Don't Poke Me, Bro" Grothe... Who knows though, and with the way this season is going... anything seems possible.

Ohio State is on a roll. Looking at the Big10, I don't see anything in their way. Then again, every time I try to predict who will run the table, they lose. Sooo.. Whatever. This season is getting ridiculous. Go bucks?

Anyone else watch the Hawaii shootout friday night? I'm not sure beating San Jose in overtime qualifies someone for a Top 20 ranking, but man.. that kid can throw.

Louisville drops Cincy. The Cincy vs. USF game should be an interesting one.

Auburn beats Arkansas 9-7. Nine to Seven. 3+0+0+6 = 9, 0+0+0+7 = 7. I'm bored just typing it.

East Carolina beat UTEP to screw UCF out of any CUSA consolation prize. Meanwhile, Marshall's working on a perfect losing season. We are... Horrible. Middle Tennessee, a powerhouse in the south, demolished Memphis. Man, CUSA football sure is impressive... :\

Oh my god! Stanford lost!!! .....Wait.

The saying goes that if internet message boards were purely representative of a fan base, every team would have a couple of starting quarterbacks and fire their coach three times a year. I think it's fair to apply that logic to what goes on over at TheBullsPen.com and other USF hangouts when it comes to discussing the UCF/USF game.

Their most passionate fans have followed Leavitt's lead in dismissing the UCF/USF game as nothing more than an annoyance. There's no rivalry because UCF isn't in a BCS conference, USF has "passed" UCF (certainly not in entrance requirements, graduation rates, campus life or facilities.. but I digress), USF "always wins" (0-2 on the series, USF won with a late touchdown in the 4th last year). Things of that nature.

Here's the rub, USF fans.

Rivalries, specifically "natural rivalries," have very little to do with on (or off) the field actions (or in UCF's case, inaction). A natural rivalry such as this is bigger than anything you say on a message board, any line your coach wants to pitch, any blog post we write and any final score on the scoreboard. It transcends conferences and alliances because it has very little to do with actual football. That's just where we get to watch the two schools face off in any "formal" fashion.

Two similar schools, similar history, similar age in the same geography. High school friends go their separate ways, families are split between them, co-workers work next to each other in cubicles while neighbors fly different flags. There's animosity over medical schools (USF lobbied against UCF's) and BigEast membership (UCF was on the list, crossed off in favor of a more successful basketball program at USF).

The two cities themselves have a history of animosity. Tampa successfully landed an NFL franchise rendering the Citrus Bowl close to worthless while Orlando landed an NBA team. Tampa, quite frequently, seemed to be waiting in the wings for the Magic had Orlando not approved the new arena. Ask residents here what they think about Tampa, and you'll hear a story of two sister cities. One, Tampa, a rowdy, drunken promiscuous sister, and the other, Orlando, a Disney loving, family oriented type. Not exactly a friendly setup for Thanksgiving dinner. (har har).

That sister analogy parallels to the routes each football program has taken as well. Leavitt, who of course denies Saban's comments on the subject, has in fact taken many athletes of questionable character. It worked for Miami in the 80s, and it seems to be working for USF 20 years later. I read somewhere the other day (and will search for the link when I have time) that mentioned USF has had close to 45 recruits ruled ineligible for college ball over the last 4-5 years.

George O'leary, on the other hand, has probably heard enough about the word character to last a lifetime after his resume debacle. There's very little tolerance for missteps at UCF. When he arrived, he kicked off so many players UCF wasn't able to field a spring game. When the season came, he had players playing both sides of the ball to make up for the lack of personnel. He went 0-11 that year, but damn it, they had the highest GPA in the NCAA.

One school has taken a fast paced, high octane route, while the other has made a choice to build up in a traditional, conservative manner. Two conflicting views, both with their own set of advantages and disadvantages. It's hard to deny Leavitt anything when he has his program in the top 5, but maybe it's the Orlando in me -- I prefer George's way even if it means we're shooting for the Liberty Bowl.

Is USF going to find similar feelings amongst fan bases from FAU and FIU? How about Miami or Gainesville? Not likely. I'm sure they would all be great games, as all in-state games are, but it'll never have that feeling of playing the town-down-the-road. David Whitley did some quality investigative reporting proving that the feeling is indeed mutual between UCF and USF students.

All of this adds up to one conclusion -- this game needs to be played, and it needs to be played often.I'm positive that USF will dodge UCF for as long as they can once this contract ends. I'm sure they will kick and scream and piss themselves with anger if UCF ever comes up for BigEast membership. In fact, I think we'll see a completely different BCS structure before USF votes for UCF inclusion. But none of that, absolutely none of it, will affect the behavior of the fans. Fans want this game, communities want this game, players want this game and the local economy wants this game.

The only people who seem to not want this game are Leavitt and all the USF internet dorks. It's a shame that they're more concerned with winning and rankings than they are with students, fans and the communities. The economic benefit, the entertainment enjoyment and the chance to start another proud Florida tradition will suffer because of it.

Can't wait for the game tomorrow. Here's to a fun, injury free one. (cheers)

When I first saw a thread on UCF rivals instructing people to poke the other teams QB, I paid no mind. This week, with USF QB Matt Grothe, I again passed up the opportunity. But, after reading this quote on tampabay.com, I think it's time I join in the fun:

"On Facebook, they have this stupid, ridiculous thing called Poke the Opposing Team's Quarterback," said Grothe, likely prompting much, more poking in the next four days. "I've probably been poked three or four times by other schools all year. I've probably been poked about 6-million times this week."

So there you have it. Sweet, sweet acknowledgment... Poke away ;)

UPDATE: Hah! Here are a few more players (thanks to Lisa on the rivals board): George Selvie, Amarri Jackson, Carlton Mitchell, Jessie Hester, Cedric Hill

ECU stomped UCF in greenville and won by two touchdowns. It wasn't quite a "rout," which was the headline the Sentinel ran with, but it certainly was convincing. UCF had 5 turnovers in the third quarter. You can't do that on the road against a team that was a popular pre-season pick to win our division (along with USM). It's easy to look at ECU's record and write them off, but with injuries and suspensions, last night was the first real game they've had with close to everyone on the field. My guess is ECU wins out. For our sake, let's hope they lose one more and we find a way to win the rest of our conference games. My expectation for UCF at the beginning of the season was to be bowl eligible. I stand by that. Three more wins knights, four for good measure.

You know who else had 5 turnovers? USC. All is right in the world when the media darling finally drops a game. To Stanford no less. Prior to the game, Jim Harbaugh, the coach for Stanford, called this year's USC the greatest college football team of all time. Stupid fantasy time zone and their cute little conference. Maybe they've been sleeping through noon kickoffs.

Cal on the other hand, might be the real deal. After the shakeups yesterday (when they had a bye week), where do you put them? #2, #3? #1 is obvious, of course. Good teams find ways to win, and LSU did that over a young gator team. The question there is what to do with UF. Do you keep a 2 loss gator team in the top 10? Being that they were already #9, I'd say that's a giant negative. Certainly top 15 though. At least until the South Carolina game.

Ohio State over Purdue. Finally, normalcy in college football.

Illinois over Wisconsin. Sorry Greg. That Ron Zook sure can coach, though.

Did anyone actually watch the USF game? I highly doubt it and I bet the polls will reflect it. FAU had the game in hand until a couple of Big East ref's blew a call on a fumble recovery. FAU punts the ball, two USF players run into each other and fumble. FAU recovers right outside the endzone, Big Easy ref's call interference on FAU. ESPNU announcers, who I believe were borrowed from the local high school press box, acknowledge the error and then immediately go back to blowing smoke up USF's ass. Sooner or later, someone's going to expose this team. For the Big East's sake, they better hope it's not in a bowl game blowout.

Rice over Southern Miss. Memphis over Marshall. Utah over Louisville (hah!). Tennessee over the Dawgs. OK over Texas. Kansas over Kansas State. South Carolina over Kentucky. Maryland over Ga. Tech (go terps).

Wowza.

If this weekend didn't prove the complete worthlessness of polls, then nothing will. Going forward, I think we're still in for some "adjustment" with the rankings. Something just doesn't feel right, and that's based on more than simply seeing USF at #6 ;)

Go SEC teams with Tiger mascots. Gotta enjoy watching grown men cry up in the swamp over a loss to Auburn. After the ref's hit Auburn with 30 yards in false penalties during the final minutes, I was glad to see the game go to the right team. UF may very well be looking at 3/+ losses this year. Call me crazy, but FSU has the same record right now, only their one loss came from an actual ranked opponent. ;) *chomp*

USF beat the crap out of WV Friday night in front of their first ever sell out. I really do think USF is a very good team, but it's hard not to wonder if the Big East will ever decide to play someone of substance out-of-conference. It's really hard to get a sense of how good they might be when there's not a single top 10 (maybe not even a top 25) OOC opponent on anyones schedule. Everyone loves to knock the ACC, but those teams are actually playing people. You don't earn respect from an inflated ranking. You earn respect from knocking out quality OOC opponents.

ESPNU just picked up the USF/UCF game for October 13th though. If the Knights can handle ECU the way they've been playing everyone else, we may have a decent OOC barometer for the big east. Should be an interesting afternoon. Thing is, UCF didn't look all that impressive against ULL (Hold on to the ball, Knights!), and ECU just surprised Houston.

Don't look now, but the Big10 suddenly looks strong again. OSU vs Wisconsin is shaping up to be interesting.

ND still sucks.

Texas finally succumbs to their suckatude. It's only going to get harder for the longhorns. If only they could look forward to playing ND.

Oklahoma, the team that was giving me nightmares for simply looking so nasty, lost to Colorado. Thank god I'm not all that big on gambling, I would have taken OK at 97 1/2.

If Southern Miss is Conference USA's flagship, the conference is in deep trouble. Boise took `em to the woodshed.

Not college related, but how about Daunte giving it to the Dolphins? I like the `phins and all, but man, good for him. Fun to see him find a little redemption in all that mess.

Games to watch next week - LSU vs. Florida: Predicted highlight: Dorsey choke slamming Tebow, nailing him with an elbow drop and pinning him for the three count and the intercontinental title belt. ECU vs. UCF: Predicted highlight: Kevin Smith runs from the 1 yard line all the way back to Orlando. In the first quarter. ECU 17, Kevin Smith - 645 miles.