The Champs and 2010

Just a week ago, the Florida Gators once again won the college football national championship. It was a tense game, much more so than any of their three other championship game appearances. Florida was blown out by Nebraska in 1995, but won easily against FSU in 1996 and Ohio State in 2007. A couple of things really stood out from the game

Sam Bradford is the next Gino Toretta. I can't take credit for saying that. One of my friends made that claim while we were eating lunch on game day. Now given this guy is from Texas and is a huge Longhorn fan... But I think he has a point. Maybe saying Bradford is the next Matt Leinart would be just as accurate. He has really benefited from having amazing talent around him. He is not used to facing any pressure from a pass rush and he is used to throwing to receivers who dominate defensive backs. He faced pressure against Florida, but most of all, his receivers could not dominate Florida's DBs. He threw two picks, but neither were bad throws on his part. However his receivers were far from wide open and Florida's DBs made great plays. Toretta and Leinart suffered from the same "problem" and never adjusted in the NFL.

Urban Meyer is a great coach. The Gators were shaky in the first half. Maybe it was nerves, maybe it was rust, who knows. Their gameplan was sound, but it took two improbably defensive stands to keep the game tied going into halftime. Who knows what happens if the game would have been 21-7 in favor OU at half? Meyer showed his ability to communicate and motivate his players. They didn't come out in the second half and drastically change their gameplan. But they did execute much better.

Florida is really going to miss Percy Harvin. Does Florida win either of its two recent championships without Percy Harvin? I really don't know how things will turn out for him in the NFL. People talk about how Tebow isn't a traditional QB, but Harvin isn't a traditional WR. He was most productive at running the football in the BCS championship. He clearly can't be a RB in the NFL, but his height will be an issue at WR. A lot of people have described him as a "slot receiver" in the NFL, but do you really want him going over the middle and taking big hits? Anyways, he's always been a ticking bomb in his college career. Every time he touches the ball, there is a big play ready to happen. This year he averaged 1 TD for every 6.5 touches of the ball. He did this playing against the best defenses in the country. The only other recent college player who was as electrifying was Reggie Bush. Like Bush, it seems unlikely that Harvin's pro career can be anywhere close to his college career.

Speaking of players going pro... Obviously I was thrilled that Tebow is staying. I did not think he would leave, though. I was thrilled that Brandon Spikes is staying for his senior year. Honestly I don't know why. Everything I had seen indicated that Spikes would be a first round pick. Given his position (LB), it is hard to imagine him improving his pro stock. Whatever. With Spikes back, Florida is returning all of its defense. That's right, a defense that held the highest scoring team ever (OU) to 14 points will return all of its starters next year. Next year is going to be fun.

Going to other teams, I was absolutely shocked that Sam Bradford is returning. A lot of folks had him as the #1 pick overall and everybody had him as a top 10 lock. So why come back? There's no way their offense can be better than it was this year. A lot of things have to go you way to have a historical season. If throws in a couple of stinkers next year, then he could easily drop in the 2010 draft. And then there's "I" word, especially given his lean stature. Similarly I can't belive their TE Gresham is going back either. Maybe these guys think they have something to prove...

One player not going back is Mark Sanchez. I was pretty surprised to see Pete Carroll rip into Sanchez for leaving early for the NFL. You have to wonder if Bradford staying influenced this, as Sanchez may be the second QB taken now behind Georgia's Matthew Stafford. I am very happy to see Stafford go, as I think he will be great in the NFL. Plus he A.J. Green is an NFL caliber receiver, and the prospect of Green and Stafford was just scary. Green had a great year last year as a true freshman.

The Heisman and System QBs

There has been a lot of talk about "system" QBs. People point out Andre Ware or Texas Tech as examples of how systems can lead to inflated numbers. Sure they can. But the real issue is level of competition, not systems. That's why Texas Tech puts up big offensive numbers. That's why Hawaii does, too. A low level of competition will always cast extra scrutiny on star players.

Nobody complained about Tommie Frazier winning the Heisman. Clearly he was in a "system" albeit one where he ran the ball much more than he threw. It didn't matter. Nebraska played and beat the best out there. It takes a great player to perform at such a high level against tough competition.

June Jones and others have also made a point about the NFL potential of players being a factor in Heisman voting. That is just ridiculous. If NFL talent was relevant at all, then Peyton Manning should have won three Heismans. There has never been a more sure-fire future Pro Bowl quarterback coming out of college, but he did not win the Heisman and for good reason.

There have been many Heisman winners to have no little or no NFL success, particularly quarterbacks: Ware, Frazier, Charlie Ward, Danny Wuerffel, Jason White just to name a few. There is nothing wrong with this. It's part of the beauty of college athletics that it's not just the most physically gifted individuals who have the most success.

So sorry June Jones. Maybe your boy will be good in the NFL, who knows? Nobody runs your "pro" offense there, so I don't know how much his experience in Hawaii will help. Whatever the case, Hawaii has not played against formidable competition at all. You can't claim to be the best without playing against at other good teams. That is why Hawaii's undefeated season will not get them a shot at a national title game, and that's why Colt Brennan could throw 100 TDs and not win the Heisman.

As a side note, there was one thing that made me really happy when I read about June Jones's disparaging comments about Tim Tebow. I learned that Hawaii opens its season next year at The Swamp. Talk about sweet justice! Hawaii is going to torn up by Georgia in a few weeks, so that will demonstrate how meaningless their perfect season is... But it will be even more demonstrated next August. And before anyone brings up Boise State from last  year, try to actually remember that game. They had every break in the world, and still had to gamble on a trick play to be able to win that game. If that game was played nine more times, how many times do you think Boise State would win? Let's be honest here, maybe once?