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Urban Meyer

Urban Meyer shocked the college football world yesterday by announcing that he will step down as head coach of the Florida Gators after the Sugar Bowl on January 1^st.  What is not so shocking is the reason why.  The stress of being a head coach is causing him health problems that he can no longer ignore. 

 

Napoleon Hill said, “Great achievement is usually born of great sacrifice, and is never the result of selfishness.”  Meyer’s commitment to this principle has earned him the highest honor in the college coaching profession – two national championships.  Unfortunately, this sacrifice brought a health issues penalty that was beyond his control.

 

Give Meyer some credit for recognizing that his health is a higher priority than coaching football.  Anyone who is a competitor knows the difficulty of saying I can no longer give elite level effort.  Looking in that mirror and admitting vulnerability is painful.  Meyer’s acceptance took some time to occur, but he finally realized could not coach his way out of the problem. 

 

College football needs more Meyer’s in the profession.  He’s innovative, a teacher and a motivator.  The game will move on, but his style will be missed beyond the Florida Gators.  Hopefully he will recover and return to the sidelines one day. 

College Bowl Top Five

Seems fitting that college football bowl season is beginning today with DC getting about a foot of snow right now.  A lot of stories have been written, but here are my top five games.

Alabama vs Texas.  Hard to not love the match up against two of the most storied programs in college football history.  Texas slept walked through the regular season, barely cracking a sweat except against Texas in the Big 12 Championship game.  Bama had a few close calls, but pretty much dominated the SEC.  Tide running back Mark Ingram became the first Alabama Heisman Trophy winner last week.  Recent history suggests this favors Texas though. 

The key to the game will be Texas' offense against Bama's phenomenal defense.  Can McCoy and Co. deliver?  I think they do.  The stage is set for a great game.  Texas wins 24-21.

Oregon vs. Ohio State.  Oregon has a high powered offense led by QB Jeremiah Masoli.  Ohio State is led by a quick, opportunistic defense.  PAC 10 has dominated the Big 10 in the Rose Bowl this decade.  Ohio State has not won a big non-conference/bowl game since 2005.  Can the Buckeyes get back on track?  Can Pryor deliver on the big stage, and set up the high expectations for 2010?  The winner will likely be a top 3 preseason pick next year.  Defense wins championships, right?  Go with the Buckeyes, 27-23.

TCU vs. Boise State.  Forget the talk about this being a charity bowl game to appease the non-automatic qualifier conferences.  Forget the conspiracy talk about the BCS not matching TCU or Boise against an automatic qualifier.  The Fiesta Bowl almost always delivers fireworks, and this game will be phenomenal.  TCU wins a high scoring game, 45-37.

Arizona vs. Nebraska.  I love the Holiday Bowl.  The scoring is generally high, but not this year.  Nebraska has a great defense which will keep the scoring in the teens.  Give Mike Stoops some credit.  His first few seasons in the desert were abysmal.  He is starting to deliver.  Similar to the Rose Bowl, the winner of this game will be a high preseason pick in 2010.  The game will go down to wire.  Nebraska wins 18-17.  

FSU vs. WVU.  Bobby Bowden's last game and he's playing against the school he coached before Florida State.  Florida State lack speed and WVU has speed.  That should be the difference.  A remarkable career will end in a loss.  WVU wins 35-28.

In today's games, in the New Mexico Bowl, Fresno will soundly beat Wyoming, 42-21.  Ryan Matthews will run wild against the Cowboys.  In the St. Petersburg Bowl, Rutgers will be Central Florida 35-14.