Florida football suffers set-backs

The entire state of Florida seems to be in a downward spiral at this point. It seems like all the major programs as well as the professionals are not clicking this season.

Well, except for Jacksonville, Tampa Bay and USF.

FAU tries to continue to wake up enough fans to get into Division I. They are going to be close - real close by seasons end at their goal of 60,000+ attendance. They have had bad showings on primetime TV - ESPN2 back on Sept. 9th against Oklahoma State and their game against Louisville was not a pretty sight.

Florida State started off promising, beating UM, but has played down to their competition in losses to NC State, Virginia and even Clemson. Sure, the Seminoles have had a rash of injuries, but it never looked like they were prepared to play against those teams. As a result, they go to Gainesville looking to scrap out a win against a dejected Gator team.

Speaking of UF, the Gators haven't recovered either. Losses to Alabama, LSU, and Spurrier's Gamecocks have pushed them off the map this season. They were able to rally and beat rival Georgia in Jacksonville, which has helped make their season tolerable. But the Urban Meyer system seems to have a long way to go in Gainesville. Chris Leak may have lost some of the luster for his NFL draft status. But the Noles are coming to town...

UM has put up a worthy fight - albeit against inferior opponents. They had to face Colorado, Duke, Wake Forest, Temple, UNC and USF for a bulk of their schedule. Cane apologists will cite they had to play Virginia Tech, Florida State and Clemson on the road. And a Clemson team that beat Florida State by 3 touchdowns at that. But you can't hide for long - and Georgia Tech exposed UM for what they were: a pretender. Just like the rest of the teams in Florida this season.

Then there are the pros. Miami, after thrashing Denver in the opening game this season has taken massive steps backwards. It is almost amazing to see a team move so quickly in reverse. No one can catch, no one can throw, the only thing they can do is run - with Ricky and Ronnie, that was never a question. Even the defense is starting to look bad, giving up 22 points to the Cleveland Browns. Yes, the Cleveland Browns!

Jacksonville continues to defy expecation. Matt Jones is asserting himself as an offensive threat game by game. Jimmy Smith quietly continues on his way to a hall of fame career. Byron Leftwich continues to develop at QB - as evidenced by 2 straight 30+ point games. Maybe Fred Taylor going down was a real blessing in disguise? The Jaguar defense is one of the best in the league and that defensive line, headed by Henderson, Wiley and Stroud, continues to punish opposing team's blocking schemes.

Tampa Bay may be the biggest surprise. They lost Griese but replaced him with Simms - who started off rocky but now is starting to come into his own. They have a promising RB in Carnell "Cadillac" Williams. The defense is tight. They are on the move towards the playoffs, once again.

So, the football in this state is down for now. The market crashed this year, but the good news is that these teams are all very young. The Seminoles, the Hurricanes, even the Gators will benefit from another season of Meyer's coaching to seep in. The Dolphins are very young and Saban has that team on the right path - so much damage had been done from the Jimmy Johnson era to the Wannstedt era that it is going to take some time to undo the mess.

In the meantime, root for the Jags and Bucs. Push them on into the playoffs and let's see how far they can go.

Oh yeah, and don't forget about your USF Bulls either.

ACC matchups big

The ACC continues to present big matchups, as this weekend it sees another major battle for a division in Florida State at Boston College and an intriguing dark horse match as the Hurricanes roll into Death Valley to face Clemson.

One could be the heavyweight match to decide a division title and one representative in the ACC championship game. The other could define a season.

Imagine if the Hurricanes fall to 0-2? Will they against Clemson on the road? It would be the first time since 1977 that the Hurricanes did so. And Clemson is not to be ignored - they defeated UM last season in the Orange Bowl in front of a shocked crowd. Overtime, the scoreboard read 24-17 in favor of the Tigers, and all of a sudden the ACC was not as easy as the famously brash Hurricane faithful thought. A team lead by another Bowden, too.

As for the Noles facing the Golden Eagles, this game was being eyeballed since last year for BC. The new kids in the ACC, this has shaped up as a chance for them to steal a shot at a division title and possibly, a shot to take the ACC crown. FSU, coming off a big 62-10 win against Citadel, struggled early on and was behind 10-3 in the second quarter. Bobby Bowden was not pleased, but expressed that with this young team being what it is, if they can just go on winning while getting their QB's feet wet that would be a successful mission.

A big matchup for the Atlantic division for the ACC and another big matchup that could define a year.

Weatherford will start - but will he finish?

So it is Drew Weatherford that leads the Noles in Tallahassee against the Canes for the first game of the year. Could there be any bigger event to start off your college career?

That isn't necessarily a rhetorical question, either.

A freshman QB is going to cut his teeth in one of the fiercest rivalries in college football. At least he will do it at home and get a somewhat good-night's rest in his own bed prior to kickoff. The question that remains to be answered is, will Weatherford finish the game?

Sure, Drew has looked the best in practice. But like Allen Iverson would stress, in practice. 401 passing yards in that last scrimmage you say? Well, it still isn't the real deal, yet. So, dont get too hyped up.

Weatherford has the skills - all of which you'd expect to find in a drop back passer. He stands tall in the pocket and has a strong arm. He is young, so don't expect him to be efficient just yet, he is going to make mistakes. But yes, he earned his start by his play and that is really the only way to evaluate a player. Especially when practice performance is all you have to go on.

But I cant help but wonder what it would be like if Lee wasn't out with a sore shoulder. Lee wasn't exactly blazing eyeballs out there, to be sure. But there is something very raw and endearing about this kid. He seems mentally tough and the kind of guy that can rally a team and lead them down the field in the clutch. He may not show it in practice, but then again, it is just practice. Some players are not as good at practice as others. Michael Vick, for example, is not a guy you want going all out in practice because you don't want him injured. And sometimes, the way a practice is conducted favors a certain player's abilities more than others - especially if you are trying to create a real game feel without the threat of injury. After all, there is a season to consider.

I just get the feeling that even though Weatherford will start, we are going to get a look at Xavier Lee against UM. Such a scenario may not be good for the Noles; short of a blowout. If we do see Lee though, something about him tells me we are going to like what we see.

A lot.