The BCS National Championship; Petrino; a look back at the weekend
January 8th, 2007 by Will
Per usual, the weekend has flown by, and college football’s denouement is upon us. As promised, A4H! now proudly presents: The BCS National Championship – The Official A4H! Preview.
Where to start? Where the game will finish, of course. That’s right, the fourth quarter. Where yards get a little tougher. Where we separate the men from the boys. Where dreams are realized and legends born. Where [insert Madden-esque cliché of your chosing here].
If you’re expecting insight into which team has the superior depth and conditioning, whether Ohio State running back Antonio Pittman will wear down the Gators in the fourth quarter, whether Florida’s close-game experience (the Gators are 5-0 in games decided by seven points or less; Ohio State is 2-0) will pay dividends or any other form of actual analysis, utilize your scroll wheel now.
That’s not what springs to mind when A4H! thinks fourth quarter. When I think fourth quarter, Ohio State, and Florida, I think Oklahoma!. Yep, we’re talking song and dance, folks. Specifically, we’re talking fourth-quarter song and dance. Perhaps you’re wondering what in the world I’m on about (fair enough; I promised sport and I’m referencing Rogers and Hammerstein) but I’m obliged to inform the world that Ohio State and Florida have two of the greatest fourth-quarter traditions in all of college football.
Let’s start with the Buckeyes and “Hang On Sloopy,” the official rock ‘n’ roll song of Ohio. Every game, between the third and fourth quarters, the Ohio State marching band plays it’s version of The McCoys 60s rock hit. It’s a peppy, upbeat ditty that’s tremendously fun to sing along to (particularly if you’ve gotten your tailgating in).
Now to Florida. They counter with a grandiose performance of “We Are The Boys From Old Florida.” Between every third and fourth quarter, as the Florida band plays, the Gator fans sway arm-in-arm as they sing along. It’s quite the visual.
So, which is better? I’ve seen games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (you’ve got to think name donor Mr. Griffin was a little perturbed when former Gator coach Steve Spurrier christened the place ‘The Swamp’) and Ohio Stadium. “Hang On Sloopy” was more fun (but bear in mind there was no tailgating during my trip to Florida). But if you’re after pageantry, “We Are The Boys From Old Florida” crushes it. It really depends on what you want in a fourth quarter prologe. Regardless, either beats the ‘four fingers in the air’ you see at every school as the final seconds of the third quarter tick away.
With that out of the way, let’s move to the question on the tip of everyone’s tongue: Who gets A4H!’s backing? It’s close, but I’m siding with the Gators. A4H! is a Southeastern Conference guy. My Old Man’s been taking me to Commonwealth Stadium since I was four, just like my grandpa took him, except they went to Stoll Field, of course. It’s in my blood to back the SEC. It’s tribal.
But it’s still a close call for two reasons. First, I don’t particularly like Florida. Behind Tennessee, they’re my least favorite team in the SEC. This is a relatively new thing for A4H!. I was once quite an admirer of Florida. I like their colors, their mascot, their campus, and their stadium. I always found Spurrier hugely entertaining, and I loved the Zooker (simple enough: if Zook was still the Gator coach, Florida’s win streak against the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s Wildcats would not have reached 20 games). But something about Urban Meyer rubs me the wrong way, and Tim Tebow, with his first-pumping, roof-raising, always-left-running ways, is the type of player you absolutely love if he’s on your team, but really root against if he’s not. And Tebow is not wearing the Blue and White. (Or it could just be that I’m bitter about their basketball team eclipsing the Basketball Wildcats. But that’s neither here nor there.)
Second, I’ve always had a soft spot for the Buckeyes. As an SEC guy, I understand the inherent blasphemy in professing admiration for a Big Ten school. But, half of my family hails from Ohio, and almost all of them are Ohio State grads. So I’ve tried to back the Bucks when they aren’t playing Kentucky or one of my favorite SEC teams. Most famously, I had a first-row seat on the Buckeye’s bandwagon for the 2003 BCS title game against Miami and last year’s BCS shellacking of the late great Notre Dame.
That said, what ultimately puts me in Florida’s camp, if only for tonight, is their status as firm underdogs. It’s the romantic in me.
In today’s other college football news, the big story is Bobby Petrino’s decision to leave the University of Louisville for the National Football League’s Atlanta Falcons. I was assured by People Who Know These Things that Petrino – famous for turning the Ichthyornis into one of the nation’s elite teams and his penchant for playing games on any day but Saturday – would be leaving UofL within three years. But the suddenness of the move seems to have surprised everyone. (Quick aside: I bet Nick Saban wishes he had waited a week to sign with Alabama. If he had, Petrino – who signed a TEN YEAR CONTRACT just last year – would likely be the subject of all of those “Coaches are terrorists who hate America and our freedoms” columns, and not Saban.)
As I Cat fan, I’m quite pleased with Petrino’s decision. Petrino is undoubtedly a rare coaching talent, and even if Louisville Athletic Director Tom Jurich hires a good replacement, it will take some work to surpass or even reach the heights of Petrino. In other words, Jurich is a fantastic AD, but can he catch lightning in a bottle twice? Plus, you’ve got to think this will impact the draft decisions of Louisville’s talented underclassmen, particularly Baby Brian Brohm and Ron Dayne v2.0, Mike Bush.
Another question on Cat fans’ minds is how will this influence UK alumnus and Ichthyornis co-defensive coordinator Mike Cassity. Although his units are deservedly overshadowed by UofL’s offense, Cassidy’s defenses have gotten better each year, and he’s reportedly one of UofL’s best recruiters. If the Much Maligned Mike Archer bolts for Tobacco Road, A4H! says offer Cassidy a raise and bring him home. STAT!
I’ve rambled much longer than I anticipated. In closing, let’s take a quick look back at the weekend:
The Saturday Sportsday started with A4H! shelling out $15.99 to watch my beloved Liverpool get knocked right out of the FA Cup. It’s a pity Jerzy Dudek will be remembered for this game and not the 2005 Champions League final. All in all, it was worth the sixteen bucks just to listen to the Kop sing. The Reclaim the Kop campaign is off to a flying start, and the six-minute chant of “Justice for the ninety-six” was hair-raising. If only the performance of those on the pitch had matched that of those in the stands.
…
Since I bought the pay per view, I didn’t get to watch much of UK’s women’s game. I was glad to see that they fought their way back from that ugly 15-point first half, even if they fell short of a victory.
…
And due to the Seahawks/Cowboys game (what a bizarre finish, by the way, I really thought Romo was going to score after he botched the snap), I still haven’t seen a UK game in it’s entirety since the UofL game. We certainly shot the ball better, but this week the defense went AWOL. It’s tantalizing to think what this team could do if it could put together two good halves at each end of the floor. But I’m wondering if we’ll ever see it. Oh well, it’s only January. No need for that negative attitude now.
Onward and upward!
Since Beckham will only be 32 at the end of his current contract it’s probably a bit to soon but you never know.