Big Ten backer doing the Gator Chomp

I was pleasantly surprised while watching ESPN's College Gameday this morning. Kirk Herbstreit actually picked the Florida Gators to beat LSU.

I have nothing against Herbie, Lee Corso, and the "sane" guy who runs the show, but none of them have ever been Gator fans. Herbie always picks the Big Ten, and Lee is a Seminole nut.

So, Herbie's upset special is the Gators knocking off the #1 team in the country. If the Gators can pull it off, they will be right back in the National Championship picture.

I am pulling for the Gators to run the table, and for Auburn to win their side of the SEC. Then we can get revenge on the Tigers in the SEC Championship, before beating USC (or South Florida???) for the National Championship.

Superman and The Flash lead the way for the Florida Gators

1096 passing yards and a 10 to 1 TD to Interception ratio with seven rushing TDs.
491 total yards and four touchdowns.




The 2007 Florida Gators are led by none other than "Superman" Tim Tebow and "The Flash" Percy Harvin.

The performances in the first four games of the season of Florida Gators QB Tim Tebow and WR Percy Harvin have been nothing short of heroic.

Just call this team the Justice League of College Football. Their mission: to protect the National Championship and make sure it stays out of the hands of College Football's villains (more on that later).



Superman and The Flash aren't alone. Rounding out the JLCF is Batman (Senior Safety and Superman's roommate Tony Joiner) and the Martian Manhunter (or QB hunter, DE Derrick Harvey). Both are relentless in the defense of the Gators' National Championship.






And just who are college football's villains aiming to topple the Mighty Florida Gators (sorry, even I can't keep my tongue in cheek long enough to refer to them as the JLCF through out the whole article)?


The Joker: Les Miles and LSU
Yes, they are a formidable opponent. They've looked unstoppable in their first four games this season. But Les Miles calling out USC and the "weak" PAC-10 deserves to be called the Joker of college football.

Doomsday: USC
The Trojans are scary good, and they stand over the college football landscape looking invulnerable. Popular opinion is that they are the best, and if/when they play the Gators for the National Championship, it will take more than just Superman to beat them.

Lex Luthor: Oklahoma and Bob Stoops
Just when you think Lex Luthor has been subdued, here comes Bob Stoops and Oklahoma. Stoops, like Luthor, is shrewd and has lots of weapons at his disposal. Never count him out.

Brainiac: Steve Spurrier
The Gamecocks are virtually out of the National Championship picture, but they are still in the hunt for the SEC Crown. The Ol' Ball Coach would love nothing more than to knock out his former team when the Gators come visiting in November.











The Penguin: Bobby Bowden
"Ahh listen here, see. We gonna throw that daggum ball, see." The Penguin was always so lame, and that is what Bobby Bowden and the Seminoles have become. He make look scary, but Batman always wins.

2007 College Football Elimination Rankings

The 2007 College Football Elimination Rankings are a new attempt to figure out who deserves to be the NCAA Division IA (or Football Bowl Subdivision) National Champions.

All teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision start the season on equal footing, in Group B. As the season progresses, teams will move up or down based on performance. Teams in Group A are the cream of the crop, National Championship contenders. Teams in Group C are on the verge of elimination. Once a team is eliminated, they cannot return to the rankings.

I will follow a few basic rules with these rankings. As mentioned above, all teams start in Group B. Any loss automatically moves a team down. When a team loses its second game of the season, they automatically are eliminated, regardless of which group they are in. Teams move up based on performance and, to some extend, strength of schedule.




Last Update: 9/28/07

Group A:
LSU (4-0)
Oklahoma (4-0)
Florida (4-0)
California (4-0)
Ohio State (4-0)
Oregon (4-0)
Boston College (4-0)

Group B:
Arizona State
Cincinnati
Clemson
Connecticut
Hawaii
Kansas
Kentucky
Michigan State
Missouri
Purdue
Rutgers
South Florida
Texas
USC
Wisconsin

Group C:
Houston
Virginia
Baylor
New Mexico
Illinois
Kansas State
Mississippi State
Florida State
Boise State
Miami
Florida Atlantic
Bowling Green
Vanderbilt
Virginia Tech
Georgia
UCF
UCLA
Wyoming
Nebraska
Texas A&M
Tulsa
Indiana
Air Force
South Carolina
Penn State
Texas Tech
Alabama
West Virginia

Eliminated:
Middle Tennessee, Colorado State, Utah State, North Texas, Toledo, Western Michigan, Syracuse, San Jose State, Iowa State, Nevada, Michigan, Northern Illinois, Louisiana-Monroe, North Carolina, Troy, UAB, Florida International, Wake Forest, Louisiana-Lafayette, Duke, Marshall, NC State, Temple, Notre Dame, TCU, Oklahoma State, Akron, Miami (OH), Central Michigan, Auburn, Buffalo, Minnesota, Rice, Tennessee, Army, East Carolina, Louisiana Tech, Mississippi, SMU, Fresno State, Tulane, BYU, UNLV, San Diego State, Arizona, Idaho, Colorado, Eastern Michigan, Utah, Navy, UTEP, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Kent State, Ball State, Ohio, Maryland, Northwestern, Memphis, Arkansas, New Mexico State, Pitt, Arkansas State, Washington State, Iowa, Oregon State, Stanford, Washington,Southern Miss

The Florida Gators are the best team in the country

One thing was apparent to me after watching the Florida Gators 59-20 victory over the Tennessee Volunteers: the Gators are the best team in the country. The Gators are practically unstoppable on offense and their bend-but-don't-break defense has a lot of young playmakers.

On offense, QB Tim Tebow has shown that his passing skills are just as good as his running skills. He has thrown for 835 yards and eight touchdowns in the first three games of the season.

As good as Tebow has been, the real star of the Florida offense is sophomore WR Percy Harvin. Harvin is a threat to go the distance every time he touches the ball. Coach Urban Meyer does a great job of finding ways to get the ball to this young star. Harvin had 195 yards rushing and receiving against the Vols.

Not to be overlooked on offense are WRs Cornelius Ingram, Riley Cooper, Jarred Fayson and Andre Caldwell, who missed the Tennessee game with a knee injury. RB/Returner Brandon Jacobs is another scoring threat and usually sets the Gators' offense up with good field position.

The Gators defense is not too bad either. The three players that jump out to me are DE Derrick Harvey, LB Brandon Spikes, and S Tony Joiner. The Gators defense is loaded with freshmen and sophomore players who will make a name for themselves as the season comes along. Watch out for guys like DBs Markihe Anderson, Jerimy Finch, and Major Wright.

The one concern about the Gators' defense is the lack of a significant pass rush. The Gators lost four defensive linemen to the NFL, and the guys in the middle have yet to step up. To the Gators' credit, the defense bends, but rarely breaks. The Gators allowed the Vols to gain 298 yards of total offense, but forced three turnovers and only allowed the Vols' offense to score 13 points.

It is still too early to crown a national champion, but the Gators are right there with USC, LSU, and Oklahoma in the discussion. The Gators will have to travel to LSU on October 6th. If they can get the victory there, and possibly again in the SEC Championship game, then they should be playing for a repeat championship in January.