What If there was no Laptop?

One Evening. One panicked 19-year old kid. One mistake. One suspension. One transfer. A struggling (4-3) football team. A program in turmoil. A coach in stress. A nation in despair. All because of one laptop.

Anybody that says that 1 player doesn’t make or break a football team hasn’t seen players like Peyton Manning, Tim Tebow, Ray Lewis, and Chris Johnson play. Sure, it’s a team sport and you have to have solid players at every position to be competitive. But, the difference in being a (4-3) unranked team searching for answers in the brink of disaster and being a (7-0) 4th ranked team on a National Championship run can rest in 1-player. Don’t believe me? Just ask Urban Meyer and Gene Chizik. Both nationally recognized college football coaches, for Florida and Auburn respectively, have had their fortunes change because of one player… and more specifically, one laptop computer.

Cameron Jerrell Newton was a highly touted recruit out of Atlanta, Ga. Following his senior season of High School, he signed a letter of intent to play for Meyer and the Florida Gators. He was immediately tabbed as the QB of the future who would take the reigns after Tim Tebow departed. He showed flashed of his amazing athleticism and ability in a backup role in 2007. He was redshirted during the 2008 season in order to preserve eligibility, but late in the year something off the football field would change his life and the life of Gator fans everywhere. Newton was arrested for allegedly stealing another students laptop computer. When police arrived to question him, he threw that laptop out of his dorm window. Though he was never convicted, Meyer suspended Newton indefinitely. Instead of being labeled the “QB of the future” he was demoted to 3rd string and some thought he would never get out of Meyer’s doghouse. When Newton left the team in January of 2009, it didn’t create much of a blip on the radar. The Gators had just won a 2nd BCS Championship in 3 years and Tim Tebow and Brandon Spikes had just announced that they’d be returning for their Senior seasons. All was well in Gator Nation.

While Newton trudged along during his unheralded 2009 stint at Blinn Junior College in Texas, Gator nation rode the wave of continued success going 13-1 and winning the Sugar Bowl. Nobody could imagine what 2010 would bring. Dan Mullen (Florida’s former offensive coordinator and current Mississippi St. head coach) as well as Charlie Strong (former Gator Defensive coordinator and current Louisville head coach) both tried to lure Newton to their programs following his JUCO campaign, which tells you that there clearly wasn’t a character issue with the young man. But Newton, longing for the big time, decided to enroll at Auburn University and his decision couldn’t have been better.
Let’s compare 2 quarterbacks that will remain nameless for now. QB “A” has thrown for 1,266 yards, rushed for (minus) 52 yards and has 6 total TDs so far this year. QB “B” has thrown for 1,278 yards, rushed for 860 yards, and accounted for 25 TDs. More importantly, QB B’s team is undefeated and he is leading the national Heisman prediction talk through 7 weeks. I’m sure you can deduce that the QB A is Florida’s John Brantley and QB B is Cam Newton.

Its not that Brantley is a bad QB. He has a solid arm and is a decent athlete. But the fact is that he is not made for Urban Meyer’s system in ANY way. But just glance at 2 or 3 Newton highlights from this season, and its clear that not only would he have flourished in Meyer’s spread option attack, he was practically built for it. In what has become a progressively less bold statement based on Newton’s weekly exploits, it is safe to say that the Florida Gators would not only be undefeated had Newton stayed, but they would be the clear cut favorites in the SEC and on the path to a 3rd national title in 5 years. Instead, that SEC favorite distinction currently belongs to an Auburn Tigers team that limped to a 7-5 regular season record last season, with only 3 conference wins.

This Saturday, as the Gators have a bye week following the program’s first 3-game losing streak since 1988, #4 ranked Auburn’s Cam Newton takes center stage in a showdown with the Top rated defense of #6 ranked LSU. Some Gator fans, may want to tune in and watch the highly anticipated SEC West matchup. But, for Meyer, current Gator players, coaches, fans, and all of “Gator Nation” I would suggest against it… because if they tune in, they will see the best player in College Football and wonder “what if”. What if that evening never happened? What if there was no suspension? What if there was no transfer? What if that 19-year old kid didn’t panic? What if……. there was no laptop?

Fact of the Week

We here at CFB Kings have stumbled upon an interesting fact.

The last time the Florida Gators have lost 3 consecutive regular-season games was 1988, which was Emmitt Smith's Sophomore season in Gainesville.

That is the longest current streak in the nation.

The Gators face Mississippi State this Saturday riding a 2-game losing streak.

Here We Go...

As I was watching football on Saturday night, I saw one of those Bud Light Commercials. You know, the ones that start with a serious dilemma like a plane crash. Nobody knows how their going to overcome the issue at hand when suddenly a character in the commercial discovers a couple cases of Bud Light and somebody then inevitably says the beer company’s catch phrase: “Here we go”.

It got me to thinking. As I do with almost everything in life, I compared it to football. I related the first part of those commercials (the dilemma portion) to the first month of this season. The hectic, wild ride of non-conference play that provided us with some great matchups. It provided us with “Monster Saturday”. It provided us with UCLA over Texas and Miami over Pitt and Michigan over Notre Dame. The first 4 weeks has indeed been fun.

But…… Here we go.

Just as the commercial turns to a chaotic party of drunkenness, so does the season now turn to the chaotic beauty that is Conference Play. Gone are the dream matchups such as Ohio State vs. Miami and Florida State vs. Oklahoma. Now we start playing the part of the season that matters. No longer will teams be fighting the stranger at the bar. Instead teams will be fighting their next door neighbor, their brother-in-law, their parents.

Conference play puts an end to the first quarter of the season and it takes us into the month of October which is where inevitably the war of attrition truly begins. Slowly, but surely teams fall along the waste side. Upsets, injuries, coaches being fired. This is when the season and conference championship races really takes shape.

Sure there is an excitement about playing a team that you only play once every 20 years (e.g. USC vs. Minnesota). But there is something even more special about turning on the TV and seeing that matchup that has stayed consistent throughout the years. These are backyard brawls. Texas and Oklahoma start the brawling out in the Cotton Bowl on Saturday. Florida and Alabama will continue the bitter emotion well into the night. And so, it begins.

The glitz and glamour of the first quarter of the season is over.

Full fledged Conference Play is upon us.

Names You Should Know

Ryan Mallett. Denard Robinson. Mark Ingram. If you have even watched a remote amount of college football this season, then those are 3 names that you’ve heard at a constant rate. By this point in the season, the superstars are typically established. But after their performances in this weekends upcoming games, there are 3 new names that will be almost as widely discussed. Lucky for you, I’m gonna give you a head start on those 3 names.

Randall Cobb, WR/KR/QB/RB, Kentucky - Judging by his position title I’m sure you can surmise just how versatile this young man is. He has already produced touchdowns in 4 different ways this season (passing, receiving, punt return, and rushing). Arguably the most versatile player in the country, this Junior do-everything performer will get his chance to shine in the limelight as his Kentucky Wildcats visit the Florida Gators in the Swamp. If Kentucky is to have a chance at breaking their 23-year long losing streak to Florida, then Cobb must be at his best.

Joe Adams, WR, Arkansas - This former Running Back originally committed to USC in 2007. He subsequently changed that commitment to Arkansas after the hiring of Bobby Petrino and he has developed into one of the best big-play threats at the WR position in the country. He had an 85 yard TD catch in the season opener and then last week accounted for 130 yards on 6 catches in a hostile SEC environment (at Georgia). Ryan Mallett will look to test the young Alabama secondary early and often on Saturday, so expect Mr. Adams to have plenty of opportunities to make plays in front of a national TV audience.

Bernard Pierce, RB, Temple - The Sophomore Running Back burst onto the scene during his freshman season by tallying 1,361 yards and 16 TDs while leading Temple to a bowl game. And this year he has picked up where he left off. He’s averaging 5.4 yards per carry and notched 169 yards and 2 TDs in a stunning upset of UConn last week. The team has started 3-0, yet even with last year’s success, Temple has remained under the radar. On Saturday that all changes. The Owls head to Happy Valley for a matchup with #23 Penn State on national TV. If Temple pitches an upset bid, expect Pierce to be leading the charge.

Week 2 Upset Alert

We’ll start our conversation this week with our Upset Alerts. There are 3 teams that better have their eyes Wide Open this Saturday and all 3 games involve SEC teams:

- #1 Alabama Crimson Tide - Some people might think this one is far fetched, particularly because Penn State will be starting a True Freshman QB (Robert Bolden). But Bolden is not the player that will be the most critical for the Nittany Lions. RB Evan Royster has all but been forgotten by most of America, yet he still has the talent to be one of the best RBs in the country. The Crimson Tide will once again be without star DT and NFL 1st Round prospect Marcell Dareus. If the Penn State O-Line can get nasty and create a few openings for Royster, it could really get them out to a good start. Then, utilizing a heavy dose of play-action passes, Bolden could take advantage of the young Bama secondary who is still shaky trying replacing 2 All-SEC CBs from 2009.

- #8 Florida Gators - By now, everyone has heard how poorly the Florida offense played in Week 1, only managing 26 first half yards against a Miami (OH) team that had all of 1 win in 2009. That poor offensive play included 13 botched shotgun snaps between C Mike Pouncey and QB John Brantley. The defense was stout, as expected, but if the offense could only manage 26 yards in a half against a poor team, how will it produce against the most athletic team in the Big East? The South Florida Bulls pack quite a larger punch than Miami (OH) and in the past 3 years, USF has upset ranked powerhouses West Virginia (2007, 2009), FSU (2009), and Auburn (2007). Could #8 Florida be the next victim?

- #7 Oregon Ducks - The Ducks went wild in week 1, beating New Mexico 72-0. They clicked on all cylinders and completely dismantled an inferior opponent. Now they take their high scoring show on the road to one of the biggest stadiums in all of sports: Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, TN which will have more than 100,000 fans screaming Rocky Top on Saturday night. A lot of people will think I’m crazy with this one considering how talented Oregon is. But keep in mind, Tennessee is an SEC team and although they haven’t done great in their own conference over the past few years, they still have been recruiting Top notch southern talent and speed, so they will matchup with the Ducks better than almost any opponent on their 2010 Pac-10 schedule. Furthermore, this will be Sophomore Oregon QB Darron Thomas’s first career road start. Lastly, but also most importantly, Tennessee’s defense is coached by Justin Wilcox. Many of you will say “Who’s that?” Well, Wilcox just happens to be the former 2009 Boise State defensive coordinator. And if you recall he lead a unit that completely shut down Oregon’s fast paced attack and held them to 8 points in a early season upset (and that was with Heisman hopeful Jeremiah Masoli as the starter). Can he pull off the same magic on Saturday?

#7 Florida Gators

For the first time since the Outback Bowl following the 2005, the Florida Gators will take the sidelines without Tim Tebow in uniform. Gator Nation has had a certain safety net over their lives for the past 4 and ½ years. This year, that net will be raised, and the program will be tested like never before.

Coach Urban Meyer has rebounded from his retirement, then “leave of absence”, and is now back 100% in the office and claiming that his health is no longer an issue. Tebow, along with 8 of his teammates were drafted in April and the Gator list of superstars will have some fresh faces in 2011.

There are very few teams that have the luxury of putting a Gatorade National player of the Year on the bench for 3 seasons. But, that has been the story for John Brantley. After breaking Tebow’s Florida State High School Record with 99 TD passes, he decided to follow in the footsteps of his father and uncle (John and Scott, respectively) who both playerd their college ball in Gainesville. Now Brantley will step in to one of the most high profile positions in the nation, following in the footsteps of arguably the greatest College Football player of all time. His strong spring and 3 years of learning behind Tebow should aid him in having a quick start to the 2010 season.

In the backfield, Brantley will be handing off to the speedster RB Jeff Demps, who is the current NCAA 60-meter National Champion in track. Demps had a whopping 7.5 yards per carry average in 2009 while gaining 745 yards. He will be joined by Senior Emmanuel Moody (the former USC Trojan) and Sophomore Mike Gillislee who averaged 8.6 yards per carry during his Freshman season.

Noticeably absent from the list of returning RBs is Chris Rainey. This is due to a position change that occurred this spring. With the departure of Brandon James, Riley Cooper, and David Nelson, the Gator’s offensive coaches thought that some experience was needed at the Slot WR position. With Rainey’s speed and versatility, he was a perfect fit. The Junior ran for 575 yards in 2009, so he may still be used out of the backfield at times, but the majority of his snaps will be taken on the outside. The rest of the WR corps is young, but full of talent. Deonte Thompson is the leading returning WR and he will need to make great strides in both production and leadership. Redshirt Freshman Andre Dubose has garnered many Percy Harvin comparisons, so expect him to see the ball early and often. Four starting offensive linemen return to protect Brantley, including Pre-Season All-American Mike Pouncey (twin brother of Pittsburgh Steeler 1st Round Pick Maurkice Pouncey).

Defensively, the Gators lost a lot of firepower with the graduation of Brandon Spikes, Ryan Stamper, and Dustin Doe and the early departures of Major Wright, Carlos Dunlap, and Joe Haden. But the mark of a top tier program is the ability to keep churning out top level talent. DTs Omar Hunter and Jaye Howard are expected to be All-SEC caliber guys. 2009 5-star LB recruits Jon Bostic and Jelani Jenkins will get their chance to shine as they join veteran Senior A.J. Jones in the middle. The secondary will be strong as starters Ahmad Black, Will Hill, and Janoris Jenkins return. The one key loss to the defense is in the staff as former coordinator Charlie Strong departed for the Head Coaching job at Louisville. Former Arizona Cardinals Defensive Backs coach Teryl Austin gets the nod to replace Strong.

Special Teams should be a solid area for the Gators as Punter Chas Henry returns after earning All-Conference honors in 2009. K Caleb Sturgis also returns after nailing 22 field goals last year (including going 4 for 4 on field goals between 40 and 49 yards).

The Gator schedule is never friendly and this year is no exception. The usual suspects crowd Florida’s march to a possible SEC and National Title. After a week 1 cream-puff (Miami of Ohio), week 2 brings a unique challenge as the South Florida Bulls travel to the Swamp. Last year, the Bulls upset the FSU Seminoles early in the season. The SEC schedule then kicks off with a trip to Tennessee. And early October road trip to Alabama is the biggest game of the entire 2010 SEC calendar. The Gators host LSU on October 9th, and travel to Jacksonville for the annual rivalry against Georgia later in the month. The always intriguing matchup against Steve Spurrier and the South Carolina Gamecocks comes in Week 11, then Florida ends the regular season with a trip up Interstate 75 to face the Seminoles of Florida State.

Pending the success of John Brantley and the new Defensive Coordinator, the Gators are certainly on par to continue their dominant ways. There is no reason to think that Florida wont be playing in their 3rd consecutive SEC Championship game in December.

Key Returning Players:
OL Mike Pouncey
RB Jeff Demps
WR Chris Rainey
DT Omar Hunter
LB A.J. Jones
CB Janoris Jenkins
S Will Hill
S Ahmad Black
K Caleb Sturgis
P Chas Henry

Key Games:
Sept 11 - South Florida
Sept 18 - @ Tennessee
Oct 2 - @ Alabama
Oct 9 - LSU
Oct 30 - Georgia (in Jacksonville)
Nov 13 - South Carolina
Nov 27 - @ Florida State