The Long Snapper (4/15/10)
. There will be no mixed lineups this year, but instead the first team offense will take on the first team defense and the second teams will match up against one another. Everyone else will be subbed in accordingly. New head coach
Skip Holtz
feels this gives the team the best chance to really see where it is in terms of readiness. With months left until the 2010 season begins, this will be the last chance for quite some time to see USF in the closest thing there is to an actual game situation. Might as well pit the starters against the other starters and see who comes out on top. And to that point, see who realistically shouldn’t be considered a first teamer.
The NCAA has solved one of the bigger problems plaguing college football. Personalized messages on eye black are now banned. Forget issues with the BCS, player arrests, sketchy recruiting practices, and all those other problems; the true downfall of the sport was personalized eye black. Although he wasn’t the first, Tim Tebow’s eye black was the most famous. B.J. Daniels used to put on a message of his own. No more B.J. No more. Apparently you are one of the things wrong with college football and you must be stopped. No more religious messages, no more shout outs to the 813, no more “I LUV MOM,” no more ill-advised Michael Vick support. This is a proud day. The problem is over.
In addition to eye black, taunting has run rampant and needs to be ended. Well, that’s what the NCAA says. And if you want to taunt your opponent, you best be sure you’re already in the end zone when you do so. Beginning with the 2011 season, if a player begins taunting an opponent in any way (including high-stepping, which I’ve always seen as a beautiful, playful art form) before they reach the end zone, the spot of the ball will be determined by where they began the taunt. Basically meaning no touchdown for you. So watch yourselves premature celebrators. The NCAA will be watching you. Celebrate too soon and you may have nothing to celebrate about.
Trying to find a good place to spend your hard-earned money? How about here? Gator Tailgating, who I have to give a giant chomp-inspired salute to, is taking donations to make the above billboard possible. Their goal is to have it up throughout the 2010 season just outside of Tallahassee. Some may think this is over the line, but I think it’s high comedy. What good is it if you can’t poke fun at your rivals? This is part of what makes the Florida–FSU rivalry strong. Good-natured shenanigans. So pony up a few bucks and make the billboard possible. And let’s hope the next time you’re rolling into Gainesville for a game, you don’t see a gigantic tribute to Chris Rix staring back at you!
The List: A friendly debate recently ensued between me and another Gator fan. He didn’t have the stones to bring that debate public, so instead of commenting here, he sent me an email (and yes, Vanilla Bear, I just called you out). The debate in its simplest form was that he wouldn’t mind one-and-done guys coming joining the Florida basketball team while I felt the opposite (there was more to it than that, but that’s the basic gist). My debate centered mostly on if those one-and-done guys help their school accomplish the ultimate goal of winning it all. In most cases, they do not. Here are the two prominent examples of those that actually won championships:
1. Carmelo Anthony
2. Marvin Williams
And both of those individuals did so before the current NBA Draft eligibility rule was in place. Not sure if that impacts the debate in anyway, but it’s worth pointing out that they weren’t one-and-done because they had to be. They were because they chose to be. Basically this was all just a ploy to try and get Vanilla Bear to come out of hiding and comment for all to see.
The Sixth Man: In the end, Brandon Knight chose Kentucky. It’s not surprising, but still somewhat disheartening. Knight is an elite talent and gives the Wildcats a better chance at not losing as much ground as I may have originally predicted, but don’t expect him around for the 2011-12 season. Then again, I’m sure Kentucky fans already know that. As One Eyed Willy has said before, it must be hard cheering for a team that is constantly reloading. I’m sure the wins ease the pain, but it’s difficult to really get attached to a team that changes year after year.