Got the bye week blues? Joe's here to cheer you up. He's got one amazing stat to sum up the season so far, two great stats on why Florida will win this weekend, and three Heisman hopefuls. There's also Gator hoops and a suggestion for George Steinbrenner in this week's edition of the Girvan Report.
The Girvan Report XI
Writing and wondering if this is the craziest year of college football we've ever seen. Halfway through the season, *15* top-ten teams have been knocked off. Amazing.
Lasting Impressions
Leftover thoughts from Florida's shutout of bye week
*After back-to-back losses, these 13 days without a game must seem like an eternity to the Gator players and coaches.
*The rest should really benefit Florida's wide receiving corps, getting Andre Caldwell, Percy Harvin and Riley Cooper back to 100%.
*My favorite stat about Urban Meyer: his teams are 22-2 when he has more than a week to prepare for an opponent.
*My second-favorite stat about Urban Meyer: his teams are 10-2 after a loss.
Heisman Hopefuls
This week's look at one longshot and two front-runners for my Heisman Trophy ballot
1) Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech. He's putting up video game numbers. Crabtree had eight receptions for 170 yards in the Red Raiders' 35-7 throttling of Texas A&M. (Coincidentally, Dennis Franchione, how's that illegal newsletter working out for you?) More to the point, Crabtree is *averaging* better than 11 grabs for 177 yards every week. Why isn't anyone talking about him? Tech is 6-1 and ranked 24th. Big games are coming against Mizzou, Texas and Oklahoma. Crabtree will have chances to prove himself worthy of the final three, but for now, consider him very much on my radar.
2) Mike Hart, Michigan. Don't look now, but the Wolverines have won five in a row, with a chance to make it six straight against the Fightin' Zookers this weekend. Michigan's season ends with games at Wisconsin, and against arch-rival Ohio St. The Buckeyes just so happen to be #1 in the nation right now, and the Badgers aren't bad either, so Hart will have to lead the way coming down the stretch. To this point, he's been the Wolverines' only constant – rushing for more than 100 yards in each game, and 12 touchdowns.
3) Andre Woodson, Kentucky. He rebounded from a subpar effort against South Carolina to lead the Wildcats' upset of then-#1 LSU. This week, he'll try to end the Wildcats' 20-year losing streak to Florida. Games like this separate contender from pretender…
Oh, How the Once Mighty Have Fallen
# So this is what it's come to, Georgia? The Bulldogs are now dancing on Vandy's logo after avoiding a second-straight loss to the Commodores? Vince Dooley must be so proud.
# This Saturday's Miami/FSU game will be the first since 1977 in which neither team is ranked.
# The Carolina Panthers, once a trendy Super Bowl pick, are now starting 43-year-old Vinny Testaverde at quarterback. Then again, the ex-'Cane did engineer a win over Arizona on Sunday.
You Make Me Feel Like Dancing
Practice is underway for the Gator basketball team, and Florida fans should be getting ready for the upcoming campaign too, by readjusting their expectations. Last season was phenomenal. One of the toughest things to accomplish in any sport, is being the odds-on favorite in the preseason, and carrying that burden all the way to a championship. If you think back to two seasons ago, many of us said the standard for a team full of sophomores should be getting to the NCAA Tournament. Of course, saying that squad exceeded expectations would be the understatement of the century. This year's Gators, like the 2005-2006 edition, are talented but untested. If Florida makes the field of 65 for the tenth-straight season, call the campaign a success. To get an invitation to the Big Dance, Billy Donovan believes his team will have to learn two critical lessons. "If we don't rebound the basketball because of our lack of size, we're going to be getting beat." Billy the Kid also says, "Since we're a youthful basketball team, trying to play fast, if we turn the ball over at a high rate, we're going to be getting beat."
The Bronx is Burning
2007 didn't turn out like 1977, though the Yankees made it interesting in September. Now the question is – will George Steinbrenner say goodbye to manager Joe Torre? The Boss and his Yankee brass are currently meeting in Tampa, and their answer should boil down to this: do you believe Torre's team underachieved, or were this year's Bronx Bombers fatally flawed? Take one look at New York's starting rotation, and the answer is clearly the latter. Chien-Ming Wang is the real deal, and Andy Pettitte pitches his heart out, but Mike Mussina is only good for batting practice at this point, and Roger Clemens was the biggest waste of $18 million I've ever seen. Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy should give fans of the Pinstripers reason for hope, but I have a feeling Torre won't be around to see them develop. We'll soon find out what four World Series titles and 12-straight trips to the postseason mean to Steinbrenner and company.
Hot Routes
# Can we please take the word "trickeration," bundle it up with every copy of the Macarena, and ship them both to a small island somewhere in the South Pacific?
# Is it me, or is it a distinct possibility Lou Holtz's head could explode during one of these ridiculous "Lou's Pep Talk" segments on ESPN?
# Good to see Jimbo Fisher running his version of the Jump Ball Offense. I know the Demon Deacons are better than they used to be, but it's still embarrassing for FSU to lose to Wake Forest.
# What's the best thing about all the New York transplants living in the Tampa Bay area? A local radio station (1010 AM) carries the "Mike and the Mad Dog" show from WFAN-AM in NYC. Mike Francesa and Chris Russo are two of the best in the business. Their knowledge and passion are unparalleled.
Thanks for reading. Keep smiling, and remember: mess with the High Life and the High Life will mess with you. $11.50 for a hamburger. Y'all must be crazy. (I love that commercial)
PS Thanks to SJGator12 for setting me straight on the correct spelling of MLB Umpire Supervisor Jim McKean's last name. My bad. If you ever have questions, comments or just want to call me names, please e-mail me at [email protected].