ESPN just announced the news today that Urban Meyer is stepping down as the head coach of the Florida Gators.  Meyer’s is quoted in the article that he has neglected his health over his 24 year coaching career and now wants to focus on family and faith.

Another big question is who will step up to replace him as coach?  With top candidates such as Dan Mullen and Charlie Strong having left the Gators recently for head coaching jobs of their own, the in-house cupboard is bare.  Jim Harbaugh wasn’t interested in Notre Dame…how about UF?  Or does a former NFL coach living in Florida (ala Jon Gruden or Tony Dungy) find interest in such a job?  Time will only tell as the Gators will need to move very thoughtfully in filling this vacancy.

In one of the worst kept secrets of the Coaching Hot Seat Season (coincides with baseball’s Hot Stove), my forensic analysis of media reports and my intuition to tie it all together comes to only one conclusion:

"Charlie, if Notre Dame got the wrong guy to go 6-5, do you call yourself an improvement at 6-6?" YYYYEEEEAAAHHHH!

Charlie Weis is out as the head coach of Notre Dame by the end of November. A regular Lt Horatio Crane I am…

I know I am not breaking any new ground here – but let’s lay out the facts before dropping names of his successor:

• Charlie Weis record is very similar to the records of predecessors who were shown the door. Weis is 35-26. Tyrone Willingham 21-15. Bob Davie 35-25. That would be acceptable at UTEP or Baylor, not Notre Dame. And also recall, George O’Leary was 0-0.
• After the Pitt game, Coach cancelled the usual Sunday press conference due to “late travel arrival” According to local beat writer Scott Novak, Sunday pressers get postponed, but never cancelled.
• His conference Monday sound like a man resigned to his forced resignation.
• Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick lets Weis know that he should return home after the Stanford matchup, rather than his usually scheduled recruiting trip through the West. You know, just to talk about the season, and the future direction of the program. The $4-to-$18 million buyout.

So who is next to lead the Fighting Irish? BoDog put odds on that, so let’s see what the wisdom of crowds says: Read the rest of this entry →

As I was working through my Index cards to identify the 25 best teams in college football, I couldn’t help but notice that there are four teams that start with O (Oregon, Oklahoma State, Ohio State, Oregon State), and the best one of the decade isn’t here (Oklahoma). Who knows, if things go well with the chick in logistics and Ohio beats Temple…

I am shaking up the Top 3 a little bit as I just couldn’t take seeing Chattanooga and North Texas on the Crimson Tide docket, yielding the edge to Texas who took on ULM and a decent Wyoming squad at altitude outside the conference. Yep, that and Colt McCoy becoming the games most victorious QB was enough for me to give the #2 spot to the Longhorns. As a former journalist, it is not without irony that I am failing the agenda-setting advantage that I have with this pulpit – most sports journalists would keep Alabama at #2 just to set the stage for the SEC Championship Game. But notice I said former…that means that (a) I am a poor storyteller hence the new line of work, or (b) I have matured enough to stand up for what is right and just and fair with no regard for the lack of popularity that could ensue.

Enough eloquence, on to the Top 25, only further enhanced by a Big Ten Team heading out and another Pac 10 team in…oh, and Stanford, it was so nice to see you, stay around longer next time…

Read the rest of this entry →

Memories/
Through the corners of my mind/
Tiny PIC-tures …/

SportsIllustrated.com has compiled this nifty collection of, um, “rare” Bowden family photos. Take a trip back to Bobby’s humble beginnings up through present day.

Not included in SI.com’s photo gallery: The startling transformation from human to TeleTubby.