The Sunday Blog: The Final Week

By
Pat Dooley
-
32
2330
Florida wide receivers Van Jefferson (12) and Trevon Grimes (8) celebrate after Jefferson scored a touchdown Saturday against Florida State in Tallahassee. [Lauren Bacho/Staff Photographer]

The Sunday Blog comes at you after a great visit to Tallahassee and a better ride home. The best part was being home in time to see LSU and Texas A&M play forever.

  1. Interesting talking to Van Jefferson after the game Saturday as he was so proud of teammate Trevon Grimes. Grimes had not had the season he probably thought he would have this year with only 20 catches, but had a huge game against FSU with five catches for 118 yards. He also had to deal with his name being dragged into the Ohio State mess two weeks ago. “Tre told us not to worry about what was in the papers, just focus on our season,” Jefferson said. “I’ve seen it from him all year in practice.” Jefferson also said it was the Grimes TD in the third quarter that told him the game was over. “I looked over and they had quit hyping the game up, waving towels and stuff,” he said.
  2. I’m getting a lot of questions about who I think will be the fourth team in the College Football Playoff if the favorites win out. I think Oklahoma gets in over Ohio State because the Sooners will have avenged their only loss and Ohio State’s is a bad one. But we could still see chaos with the championship games and it’s not inconceivable both Georgia and Alabama get in again.
  3. You know how we always say it will all shake out in the end? That happened with my AP ballot. I have submitted so many that I didn’t feel good about. Today I submitted one that I am proud of. For you who may be wondering, I have UCF seventh and Florida ninth.
  4. The final four-pack of this football season, which again flew by like a cheetah on speed:

Utah vs. Washington, Friday, 8 p.m., Fox

Oklahoma vs. Texas, noon, ABC

Memphis vs. UCF, 3:30 p.m., ABC

Georgia vs, Alabama, 4 p.m., CBS

 

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32 COMMENTS

  1. I actually find myself pulling for Georgia, and I am hoping they get into the playoff and Bama is left out. Mostly, I am just bored with Bama-Clemson and want to see something different, so I would love to see the final four come down to Georgia, Clemson, Oklahoma and Notre Dame.

    Oklahoma’s defense stinks, but they can score on anyone and are fun to watch. I don’t think Notre Dame is all that good, but they bring eyeballs to screens so the committee has been praying all year they would win out. Mostly would like Oklahoma and ND because they have never been, so I am tired of the same teams all the time.

  2. UCF wins next Sat, blowing out Memphis. And they can’t get in… not fair.
    I would love to see Gators whoop Urban or UCF.
    We knew yesterday was a gimme, after hearing HBC said this years team didn’t need his play calling. Noles had worst team ever.

  3. Since Taggart helped stop the Gator flag planting yesterday, does their new sense of sportsmanship mean FSU is going to dig up their “turf cemetery”? The same institution that allowed their players to pull up other schools turf and memorialize the win in a “death to you all” symbolic manner. Hummmm? And condoned Andrews/Bowden’s attempt to break Danny’s back with late hits. I always wanted to ask Bobby Bowden how he would of felt if Danny had had a serious back injury. What goes around, comes around. If it takes them 10 years to ever have another winning season, they deserve it.

    Just hoping Bama gets to play ND, who is only a top ten team.

    • fsu has a long history of being the most disrespectful team in CFB, digging up the opponents fields for their sod cemetery, a long history of condoning cheap shots and trying to injure opposing players (remember Darnell Dockett?) They deserve no respect in return. CDM went out of his way yesterday – being too nice to these hooligans – to stop a simple flag planting on their logo (we should have planted every flag we brought). We need to keep our foot on their throats for years.

      • Don’t forget Bowden’s great Christian tradition of having his players stomp all over opposing team’s logos before away games right in front of all their fans. It went on for years until SOS called him out on in it and brought his shameful, un-sporstmanlike acts to public attention, Bowden hissing at being exposed like a vampire seeing sunlight.

        Once more, SOS teaching Fat Bobby how to behave like a decent human and not a subhuman animal.

  4. Oklahoma lost to the only Big 12 team that plays some semblance of defense, and barely beat their only out of conference opponent (Army!) with an underwhelming 22 points. Let’s see how the Big 12 championship game goes.

    I don’t see Georgia outscoring Alabama. Too many NFL 1st and 2nd round weapons.

    • Nashville the Big12 aka no defense conference has had this MO for years. They were going to bury us in 2008 and our defense stopped that”high power” offense and sent them home losers. Oklahoma has to show they can play against a defense and slug out a game. UGA may be better than some think but in the end they are not as good as Alabama.

  5. Pat: An idea for a future column: Since we had so many first year coaches in the SEC and Tallahassee, I would like to read your thoughts and reasoning on where they rank after this year’s performance…who has the toughest roads ahead, etc. IE. It appears UF, TX A&M and Miss St are “on their way up” and UT and the Holes are in dire situations. I know you best know how to put this idea to best structure. Thanks!

  6. DeWayne, Tennessee might be OK. Pruitt will recruit and they have excellent facilities. Their only problem might be Fulmer influencing offensive philosophy, or Pruitt catching Muschampitis, an excessive focus on defense to the detriment of the offense.

    The Holes are doomed. Bad coaching trumps all. See McElwain, Jim.

    • Yep, i also believe Pruitt’s hole is not as deep as Taggart’s. Fulmer is an issue! Both Taggart and Pruitt will have to explain at every home visit…”no, what you saw this season is not the way its going to be”. I don’t know where they will be able to come up with believable discussions?

  7. Where’s Gator 6? Haven’t seen him log in since before the game. Think I remember him saying he had to get some lab tests done on Black Friday. Long absence on here for him…especially after the Gators having stomped FSU.