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Weekly Top 25 Picks – Week 1

Yeah, football started on Thursday, but our weekly picks are posted each Friday, and they include all the remaining games for those ranked in the Coaches Poll.  Trey and I will alternate weekly on the Top and Bottom of the Rankings (with the exception a few games crossing over) That’s about all the information you need, so let’s get to it. Home Teams in CAPS Selections in Bold 1. ALABAMA -38 vs San Jose State – There will be a Spartan team winning this weekend, but it won’t be happening in Tuscaloosa. Nick Saban rubs his own statue, a lot. 3. Boise St -2.5 vs 10. Virginia Tech (FedEx Field) – The nation is split. Those clamoring for a small time school to crash the BCS party knows that is the Potato heads win this game, they have an easy road to an undefeated season. Anyway, punch their ticket for the Poinsettia Bowl. Va Tech will be the undefeated team that is on the outside looking in come Bowl season. 4. FLORIDA -35 vs Miami (OH) – The Gators b... (read more)

How long will WR Frankie Hammond sit?

We know these facts: 1. Florida WR Frankie Hammond will not play against Miami (Ohio) on Saturday, 2. He is not injured. When's the next time we'll see this again? (Getty Images) Meyer does not announce suspensions, but this one is obvious. He was even asked a question that labeled it a suspension and did not object. Hammond was arrested for DUI in June and Gators coach Urban Meyer kicked him off the team and off scholarship as punishment. Hammond was allowed to earn his way back onto the roster as a walk-on. Follow on Twitter: @PBPjasonlieserMeyer already said Hammond is paying the fall semester out of his own pocket and probably the spring, too. But when will he play again? Is it possible Meyer will suspend him for next week’s game against South Florida, too? “There’s a chance,” Meyer said. “It’s week-to-week. “The good news about that is Frankie’s doing everything we asked, which you imagine he would.”MeyerHammond Every report about Hammond since h... (read more)

90210 College Football Casting Call

Being that yesterday's date was 09-02-10 or better known as 90210, I became inspired to pay tribute to the kids of West Beverly High in a little college football break down. Now I only used to the original kids because frankly, it never sat well with me that Kelly from Saved by the Bell jumped ship and joined the cast. (Come on, you know every time she kissed a dude after making the move you thought, oh man Zach would so kick his tail if he wasn't knee deep in hanging out with Bob Golic in college.)Ok, sorry for that slight 90's sidetrack. Here are your college football teams for 90210 as they sit around a table at the Peach Pit planning West Beverly's Senior Prom. Dylan - He's good, fairly likable by most guys and, thanks to reinventing of sideburns, a complete heartthrob for the ladies. The problem is he is a little wild, a little erratic, and, to be honest, you just know he isn't going to show up for some major event, blowing it off for some random motor c... (read more)

Will the Alouettes Leak without Calvillo?

Chris Leak will get his first career CFL start on Friday night as the Alouettes will host the 1 and 7 B.C. Lions at Molson Stadium. Leak made his debut 2 weeks ago after Calvillo went down against the Bluebombers. Leak completed 10 out of his 15 passes for a total of 99 yards and 1 interception. Those are not bad stats for someone coming into the game unexpectedly when the morale of the team was low because of Calvillo’s injury. I was wondering if Jim Popp would give Leak the opportunity to start Friday’s game or would he try to secure another QB via trade as he did in 2007 when he traded for Jason Maas when AC went down via injury. The fact that the Als are facing the not so challenging BC Lions was to the advantage of Leak. His performance on Friday will either reassure the GM and all of Alouettes fans or make them worry. I am pretty confident that Leak will get the job done. He has had previous big game experience as Leak is a former NCAA National Champ with the Flor... (read more)

Urban Meyer says Jon Bostic probably starting at MLB, other notes

All that’s left for Florida before Saturday’s game against Miami (Ohio) is a walk-through. After Thursday’s practice, Gators coach Urban Meyer made his final media appearance before the game. Here are some notes from what he said: – Palm Beach Central product Jon Bostic will “probably” start at middle linebacker, alongside SLB A.J. Jones and WLB Brandon Hicks. No word on a second starting CB. – WR Stephen Alli (groin) will play on special teams. – WR Frankie Hammond will not play. Hammond was arrested for DUI over the summer. Meyer rarely announces suspensions, but when asked specifically if Hammond’s suspension could last longer than one week, Meyer said yes. Hammond’s status will be determined on a week-to-week basis. – Meyer on the Nike Pro Combat Warfare Militia Stormtrooper uniforms: “I love Nike. I don’t like new uniforms.” – Meyer did not say if WR Solomon Patton and S Matt Elam, both of... (read more)

10 for 2010: Florida Gators

10 things to know about Florida heading into the 2010 season.1. Anytime you have a schedule in which you could find yourself facing the defending national champions not once, but twice, it’s a tough year. Life in the SEC is never easy, but 2010 could be rougher than usual for the Gators. October 2 has been circled since about two minutes into the second half of last year’s SEC Championship Game. And if the experts are right, December 4 might be too. Florida and Alabama could meet twice. Facing a team like the Crimson Tide once is tough enough. Facing them twice, well, that’s the SEC. Only one week after that first matchup with Bama, the Gators host LSU in what is sure to be another battle for Florida. This feeling toward the schedule is nothing new though. Year after year we discuss the schedule and year after year we believe the Gators will have a difficult road ahead of them. But year after year they perform – to the tune of 48-7 over the past four years and 26-2 over th... (read more)

Florida Gators Recruiting Wish List: 5-Star Targets To Crack the Top Five

With 15 commitments to this point, Florida is putting together one of the top 2011 recruiting classes in the country, but the Gators still aren't up to their usual standards...Begin Slideshow (read more)

2010 College Football Predictions: Mythbusting 2010 Florida Gators Football

This past Sunday, we at UFR Sports participated in our Sunshine State Football Forum. The object of the show was to get input to help determine which member of the Big Three should be considered the best team coming into the season...Read the full article on Bleacher Report... (read more)

2010 College Football Predictions: Mythbusting 2010 Florida Gators Football

This past Sunday, we at UFR Sports participated in our Sunshine State Football Forum. The object of the show was to get input to help determine which member of the Big Three should be considered the best team coming into the season...Read the full article on Bleacher Report... (read more)

Florida Gators: Former LB Brandon Spikes Caught Again On Tape This Time For Sex

Brandon Spikes must learn that we live in the world of online video. After last year's World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party you would think that Spikes would know that actions caught on video could land you in hot water if it goes viral...Read the full article on Bleacher Report... (read more)

Florida Gators: Former LB Brandon Spikes Caught Again On Tape This Time For Sex

Brandon Spikes must learn that we live in the world of online video. After last year's World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party you would think that Spikes would know that actions caught on video could land you in hot water if it goes viral...Read the full article on Bleacher Report... (read more)

Florida Gators Football: Five Players Who Will Shine Against Miami (OH)

When the Florida Gators take the field against the Miami RedHawks to kick off the 2010 season Saturday, they will be missing a lot of playmakers...Begin Slideshow (read more)

Change of Plans | Mike Pouncey To Start At OT

Florida senior center Mike Pouncey, expected to be the focal point of the offensive line this season, said he may have to start the year at tackle because of the injuries the team has suffered in preseason. Tackles Matt Patchan (broken wrist) and Xavier Nixon (knee) are both still trying to get back to full speed from camp injuries. Nixon figures to miss the Sept. 4 opener after having minor surgery and Patchan still isn’t taking full contact. “I might have to play tackle the first couple of games, so we’ll see. I thought I was going to play center but I’ll do whatever I need for us to win games and if it means me ending up having to play tackle that’s what it’s going to be,” Pouncey said. He added there was a “good chance” it will happen. If Pouncey moves to Read more... (read more)

What’s Next for Urban Meyer at Florida?

It has been five full seasons since Urban Meyer took over for the fired Ron Zook as the head coach of the Florida Gators in 2005 and it’s safe to say that he’s done pretty well. Meyer has two national championships, two SEC titles, a Heisman Trophy winner, 57 victories, and a 14-1 record against the “Big Three” (Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida State) during his time in Gainesville. He’s also endured numerous player arrests, accusations of cheating, and the saga surrounding his resignation-turned-leave of absence due to esophageal spasms. While Meyer’s road at Florida has been paved in gold, there’s no denying that there have been bumps and potholes along the way, but who am I kidding? No championship coach is a stranger to adversity. Speaking of tough times, Meyer is at a crossroads right now in his tenure at Florida, which was presumably finished last December when he abruptly resigned. In addition to facing endless questions about his hea... (read more)

Is 2010 Urban Meyer's Last Season As Coach Of The Florida Gators?

Dissension is brewing. Regardless of what Florida head coach Urban Meyer is trying to feed the college football public, we all know something is up.The rumbling has already started about Florida’s highly rated freshman class...Read the full article on Bleacher Report... (read more)

Florida Update: Injuries, position switch and freshmen drama

It was a tumultuous week in Gainesville but thankfully the weekend is upon us.  Even more encouraging is the thought that opening kick off is only 7 days away.  Gameday cannot get here fast enough for Florida fans.  This week had its fair share of  movement and drama for the Florida faithful.  All practices have been closed to the media since the beginning of fall camp.  So any and all the information coming out of Gainesville is delivered during the official team press conferences.  When those aren’t held, rumours spread like wildfire.    On Wednesday a rumour hit the Internet message boards of several college football sites.  The word was that freshmen Dominique Easley and Ronald Powell (both 5 star D-line recruits) had had enough of the grueling camp (many senior players have said this was the most demanding camp in their time at Florida) and had cleared their lockers and were gone AWOL.  It wouldn’t have been the first freshmen to cut their losses and leave the progr... (read more)

30 Teams in 30 Days: #7 The University of Florida Gators.

The Story: Entering last season, the Gators were probably the most hyped team in the history of preseason hype. I’ll admit it, I thought we’d roll right on through to the BCS Championship game, as did most Gator fans. In the end, things didn’t quite end our way, as the Gators got destroyed by a Alabama, and I spent the night crying on the shoulder of my wife and a half drank bottle of Everclear gripped to my hand. Saint Tebow is gone. Charlie Strong is gone. Urban Meyer quit for 72 hours. The 2010 Gators are going to be interesting to say the least. The Glaring Stat: 34. Number of times Florida punted in their 14 games last fall. The Outlook: All hail Tebow! Oh wait, for the first time in four years the stories surrounding these Gators, don’t involve a Tebow outlook. (While the media is still pretty hung up on how life after Tebow will go.) John Brantley is definitely going to be under fire as the replacement for the biggest and most popular figure in Univer... (read more)

UF Closed Practice Causes Chaos After Player Mutiny

For the first time in his Florida football coaching career, Urban Meyer recently announced that he was closing practice to the media for a full season. That decision led to massive confusion the last 48 hours regarding the status of highly-touted freshman Gator football players Ronald Powell and Dominique Easley after they apparently boycotted practice Tuesday. Late Wednesday, the GAINESVILLE SUN reported: Starting quarterback John Brantley was the only UF player made available to the media Wednesday. He said he’d heard the rumor about Powell and Easley (skipping practice) earlier in the morning. When asked if he knew whether Powell and Easley had practiced Tuesday, Brantley said, “I do not. I’ve heard those rumors from people, but that’s the coaches’ deal. They take care of that behind closed doors.” So the team’s starting quarterback doesn’t know if two players weren’t at practice the day before? It took the student UNIV. ... (read more)

Pouncey to freshman: “shut up and play”

In a post practice interview, Florida’s OL Mike Pouncey, in a jokingly but spirited way, displayed his fondness of arrogant freshman. In perhaps a motivational tool, he is asking the freshman to zip their mouths and show why they were the top class when they take the field. This year’s recruiting class was arguably #1 in the nation, and with that title, there comes a bit of unwarranted cockiness. As Pouncey pointed out in his interview, all the freshman may have been high school studs a few months ago, but they “haven’t done nothin’ on Saturday.”   (read more)

Florida Gators Add Cornerback Nick Waisome

When the dust settled after a certain recruit didn’t commit to Florida on Wednesday, Gators fans found themselves more than pleasantly surprised to welcome another top prospect.South Lake (Groveland, FL) cornerback Nike Waisome was expected to pick Florida when making his announcement and he didn’t disappoint. Waisome chose the Gators over FSU and Georgia and it may have been closer than we all thought. In fact, Waisome still plans to make visits to other schools (something we fans never like to hear). He does describe himself as 100-percent committed, but he still wants to travel. Hopefully his decision will be the one that sticks. After all, Waisome likes everything Florida has to offer.In Waisome, the Gators get a 5’10”, 170 lb. cornerback given four stars by Rivals.com. Like most high school athletes, he’ll need to gain some weight before competing at the college level, but Waisome already has many of the other talents you’d desire in a lockdown CB.His speed is impressive,... (read more)