Thursday, 3 a.m.
5 Observations
1. No one wishes health problems on anyone, and so I hope Urban Meyer gets over his health problems. You don't think that Meyer's brain is restricting his ability for human compassion, do you?
2. Did Houston just score again? Has a defense as bad as USF's ever been part of a 7-0 start? Maybe it's me, but I wonder if the Bulls can hold Tulane to less than 222 points?
3. I covered Bear Bryant's last years when I was a kid reporter and, frankly, the guy scared me. But I wonder what Bear would make of this
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college football playoff deal. Alabama has made all four of the playoffs that have been played, and the Tide is in fine position for a fifth. Clemson has made three, with a chance at four.
4. UCF hasn't made any, but when you can declare yourself to be the king, who needs it?
5. This is the darkest moment in the Willie Taggart era. His team just got embarrassed, and the coach called the players quitters, and a good N.C. State teams awaits. If FSU makes a bowl this year, it's further proof there are too many of them.
They Said It
"I felt there was a handful of players that didn’t play up to our standards and didn’t do the things that we expect out of them and what we want from them and how you play here at FSU.
"We addressed it internally, and we’re going to make sure that we continue to build a culture and a program the way that we want to, the way that I know how, and we’re going to make sure we have individuals in here that are going to live up to those standards. That’s going to be great teammates who are going to compete and guys that are going to put FSU first. It’s going to always be that way, and we’re not going to make any excuses about it. That’s how it’s going to be, and that’s what we expect out of our guys every time they line up to play.
"I just felt like we didn’t compete like we were competing at the beginning of the game, and when things didn’t go our way, we didn’t compete and finish plays and finish the game like we’re capable of. I think whenever you’re out there on the football field, if you’re not competing, then you’re in the wrong spot, and you shouldn’t be competing at a high level. That’s every individual. We didn’t get that out of a handful of guys."
-- FSU coach Willie Taggart
"I probably take more of the blame than anyone because I was just saying the whole week how big this game is, we have a chance to go into an unbelievable situation here against Houston and we have to play very well," Strong said Monday.
"And I probably talked it up too much. When you have a young team, it's better probably to just let them keep playing and play the way they've been playing."
-- USF coach Charlie Strong
“Missouri's record probably doesn’t indicate the type of team they are,” he said. “They’ve lost a couple games on the last play of the game. They can put up points with anybody in the country. They’ve got explosive wide receivers and probably have the best quarterback in the league. He can make any throw you want him to make and he’s got experience, he’s got poise.”
Florida coach Dan Mullen
“We all take pride in what we do. A lot of things get bantered around by people that don’t — I’m not saying they don’t know football, but they don’t know exactly what’s going on. It’s hard for people to figure things out. Obviously the quarterback position is the most visible one. That’s the one everybody wants to talk about the most. And the head coach obviously is the guy where the buck stops. I understand that and I appreciate again the fan base and how much they want us to win. That’s important.
“We love that about Miami, and we’ll never sit there and deny that that’s not a positive thing for us. And we know that if things don’t go well then everybody is going to want to know why and we’re going to have answers. So, I don’t blame them for that. Some things, we’re not going to just broadcast to everybody. And some things, we think we’re on the right track and it’s just a matter of getting it done properly.”
-- Miami coach Mark Richt
“We killed ourselves,” the head coach said. “No disrespect to them. They played hard, they won the game, but it’s just ridiculous, you know, the things we do.”
-- FAU coach Lane Kiffin
Player of the Week
A lot of people in the Eastern Time Zone don't pay much attention to Washington State. They should.
Led by star quarterback Gardner Minshew, the Cougars ralled for a 41-38 victory over Stanford last week. The Cougars were behind by two touchdowns at one point in the game.
Minshew had his seventh 300-yard passing day, hitting 40 of 50 passes for 438 yards and three touchdowns. After Stanford tied the game with 1:26 to play, Minshew led the Cougars downfield for the winning field goal.
Washington State is now 7-1 and in first place in the Pac 12 North.
Team of the Week
With a 7-1 record, Kentucky already has had a nice season. It became nicer against Missouri on Saturday night.
With no time left on the clock, quarterback Terry Wilson hit tight end C.J. Conrad, lifting the Wildcats to a 15-14 victory.
Kentucky trailed 14-3 in the fourth quarter, but Lynn Bowden returned a punt for 67 yards to get the Wildcats on the board. On what would have been the game-ending play, Missouri was called for pass interference.
Heisman Leaders
Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
Kyler Murray, Oklahoma
Gardner Minshew, Washington State
D'Eriq King, Houston
Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State
Computer Rankings
Colley Billingsley Sagarin A&H Wolfe Massey
Florida 10 9 15 9 8 8
UCF 9 12 29 11 12 12
USF 27 35 75 34 23 56
Miami 45 50 25 46 43 38
FSU 72 67 56 69 70 54
FIU 58 57 99 84 66 84
FAU 93 80 107 93 92 98
Florida's Leading Passers
11. Milton, UCF 299.5
24. Barnett, USF 259.1
29. Francois, FSU 254.9
41. Morgan, FIU 221.0
64. Robinson, FAU 205.6
Florida's Leading Rushers
5. Cronkrite, USF 133.3
15. Singletary, FAU 104.6
55. Ford, USF 77.0
65. Homer, Miami 71.1
104. Killins, UCF 61.3
Florida's Leading Receivers
36. Davis, UCF 82.2
45. Durante, FAU. 79.8
70. St. Felix, USF 69.1
76. Murray, FSU 67.0
91. Worton, FIU. 62.4
Florida's Leading Sackers
7. Burns, FSU 9
12. Polite, Florida 7
47. Garvin, Miami. 5.5
63. Jackson, Miami 5.0
63. Quarterman, Miami 5.0
Bowl Projections (USA Today)
Peach UCF vs. LSU
Fiesta Florida vs. Penn State
Music City Miami vs. Auburn
Quick Lane FSU vs. Purdue
Gasparilla Georgia Tech vs. FIU
Cure USF vs. Louisiana-Monroe
Skins
(Total Wins by Teams Beaten)
Florida 25
UCF 20
USF 19
Miami 17
FSU 15
FIU 13
FAU 9
Best Ever (Southern California)
1. O.J. Simpson
2. Marcus Allen
3. Anthony Munoz
4. Troy Polamalu
5. Reggie Bush
Random List
(Best Rivalry Trophies
1. Floyd (the Pig) of Rosedale
2. Victory Bell
3. Old Oaken Bucket
4. Paul Bunyon Trophy
5. Golden Egg
College Football Playoff Rankings
1. Alabama, 8-0
2. Clemson, 8-0
3. LSU, 7-1
4. Notre Dame, 8-0
5. Michigan, 7-1
State Schedule
Temple at UCF (Thursday)
FSU at N.C. State
Tulane at USF
Missouri at Florida
Duke at Miami
FAU at FIU
National Games of Note
Alabama at LSU
Georgia at Kentucky
Penn State at Michigan
West Virginia at Texas
Stanford at Washington
5 Closing Thoughts
1. I know the world is in love with Lincoln Riley, but if I were an NFL team, I'd want to talk to Chris Peterson of Washington, too.
2. So why did Maryland reinstate coach D.J. Durkin on Tuesday only to fire him on Wednesday? I guess justice, like Maryland, does move with the speed of a turtle.
3. Like every other team, recruiting will dictate the future for Florida. But the Gators have the feel of an over-achiever this year. After all, the Gators have six wins with the 71st-ranked quarterback, the 130th-ranked running back and the 305th-ranked receiver. Those are the team leaders.
4. I tease all the UCF fans for their zeal, but you really should play a few big-time opponents if you want to be asked to the big dance.
5. I know Nick Saban is in the hunt for coach of the year. He always is. I'd have to give it to Dabo Swinney this season, however. The guy swapped quarterbacks, and he's still in the top two teams.
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