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Monday, September 17, 2007
Florida could be scary good
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Five things we learned over the weekend:
1. Florida could be scary good. Last week I said in this space that LSU was the No. 1 team in the country. After watching Florida beat Tennessee 59-20 I’m not sure the Tigers are No. 1 in the SEC. This was supposed to be the year that teams could get Florida because the Gators were re-loading with good young players. But there aren’t many teams that have three dynamic offensive stars like Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin, and Brandon James—all sophomores, by the way. If that defense grows up a little more between now and Oct. 6, the Gators will give LSU all they can handle when they meet in Baton Rouge.
2. Alabama passed a big test: When I met with Nick Saban just before Alabama’s first game, he was worried about one thing more than any other. He wondered how his team would react when it finally faced some real adversity. When Arkansas rallied to take a late 38-31 lead, I thought Alabama was done because under Mike Shula, the Crimson Tide just didn’t come back late in the game. Winning the game in that fashion says a lot about how far the program has come in just three games under Saban. Having said that, I believe Georgia can win Saturday in Tuscaloosa.
3. Kentucky is going to record a major upset in the SEC: After knocking off No. 9 Louisville Saturday night in Lexington, the Wildcats have now won eight of their last nine games dating back to last season. The only loss in that stretch was to Tennessee (17-12) in a game Kentucky had several chances to win. Kentucky has SEC home games with LSU, Florida, Mississippi State, and Tennessee. The Wildcats will win at least two of those.
4. Sylvester Croom should be secure: The Mississippi State coach has now beaten Florida, Alabama, and Auburn since he got into the league. He won at Auburn with his No. 3 quarterback. Here is a team that could have doubted itself and packed it in after losing 45-0 to LSU in the opener. Now the Bulldogs are 2-1 with Jacksonville State coming to Starkville. That’s good coaching. Speculation about Croom’s future should stop now.
5. Boston College will be 7-0 when it goes to Virginia Tech: School officials weren’t really wild about the idea of starting the season with three straight ACC games. But after taking care of Georgia Tech Saturday night, the Eagles (3-0) now play Army, UMass, Bowling Green and Notre Dame before going to Blacksburg to face the Hokies on Oct. 25. I had my doubts about BC before the season but not any more. That is a good football team, folks. In case you’re wondering, Boston College goes to Clemson on Nov. 17.
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