College football is politics, as coaches are forced to pitch their respective schools to teenagers, and then rely on voters to "yay" or "nay" their schools in or out of a bowl game. No other place is the political landscape as fertile and ever-changing as the state of Florida.

The Big 3

It is well documented that Florida consists of 3 major powerhouses; Miami, UF and FSU. Miami dominated through the eighties before entering the dark ages. This opened the door for already rising programs, UF and FSU, to romp through the Clinton years and dominate the college football landscape.

Miami then had resurgence under Butch Davis who screwed up royally by leaving just when the gettin' was good. After 2000, Miami had a couple of the greatest teams ever until Larry Coker did his thing all the way out the door. UF won a title in 2006 and FSU has been progressively sloppy since Chris Rix was quarterback.

Eye of the Storm

Interestingly, of the "Big 3" the Hurricanes are now the most disciplined. It's a real mind blower I realize but it is true. They've clamped down on academic standards and for the most part disciplinary issues have dropped. Combine that with a stout Recruiting class a year ago thanks to an impressive 2008 crop of recruits emerging from Dade County and you can see that the future could be very bright. The future is not yet secure because Miami was very bad by typical standards a year ago and Randy Shannon has not yet proven anything on the field, even though he has seemed to earned respect from players by their performance in the classroom and with his recruiting prowess. Of the Big 3 Miami has a huge advantage in the fact that they only need to keep half the talent from southern Florida to stay south and they will always be a force. Prognosis: a new, cleaner version of Miami is soon to be back!

Will he stay or go?

No, I'm not talking about Billy Donovan, it is Urban Meyer who is rumored to always have an ear open to leaving the Gators. This is not a mainstream rumor, really, just a sneaking suspicion that a northern boy could be interested in other offers in the next few years. Couple that with Florida's off field woes as of late, the always competitive SEC and increasingly difficult in-state recruiting battles and it becomes understandable. If he stays than UF should be in great shape and even if he leaves, whoever comes in should have a tremendous foundation to work from. One additional issue is their academic requirements will always allow schools like USF to swipe a couple non-qualifiers, but still.....Prognosis: As strong as the Euro!

Please GO!

Bobby Bowden, much like Joe Paterno, has led his team to the dark depths of mediocrity. Yes, after 15 years of top 5 finishes the Seminoles find themselves with depth, discipline and coaching issues every year. Somehow they continue to recruit great players but it makes little difference as attrition problems due to off-field and in-the-classroom failures rule the day. This has resulted in years of hopeful FSU fans eagerly awaiting to be disappointed again and again. FSU won't be great again until Bobby B. is dead or retired and at this point the shine tomahawk chop has dulled and they are approaching real competition from other Florida schools as to who has the third best team. Prognosis: Not bleak but as settling as the Florida real estate market.

OK just 1

And that 1 is South Florida. I got in a nasty argument with an FSU fan earlier this year about who had the better team in 2007: FSU or USF? I was laughed at and mocked at the notion that I would even consider something so ridiculous to be true. So much so in fact that I conceded eventually just to avoid further dispute because really, I understand I'm fucking with some deep insecurities and TRUTHS that must be hard to swallow. USF is good and they are getting better. They are DEVELOPING NFL caliber DE"s, DB's and have a playmaker in QB Matt Grothe even if he is lacking in elite skills. They have not achieved elite status but are quickly on their way to dominating the Big East similar to when Miami reigned supreme and have beat West Virginia two years in a row. That is an achievement that can't be sneezed at and neither should their increasingly competitive recruiting prowess. The Central Florida area (Tampa area, Orlando area) is ripe with talent and if they can steal a couple guys from UF and FSU every year watch out! If you don't think Gator fans have not noticed perceptions changing think again. It's all evident in the venom seen unleashed about the "lowly Big East Program" that really makes me think wisdomry, "a threat, they are." Just wait until they roll up on a couple BCS games in the next few years...Prognosis: Coach Jim Leavitt will probably leave but not until USF is good-to-go and has beaten down the doors of respect.

Me too, Me too!

I know Florida is big and all but it's not that big, right? Wrong. UCF and even FAMU have seen increased productivity the last couple of years. UCF in particular is a dominant program in the waiting as the fifth largest school in AMERICA. They are stuck in the CUSA but to their credit have done pretty well as of late, taking home the conference title in 2007. Assuming the Big East wants to grow into 12 teams, and it would be un-American if they did not, then you have to think UCF with it's new on campus stadium and oodles of cash flow should be next on the list. Granted, I'm a UCF alum but don't read too much into my bias. Consider me more of an insider into this discussion. An Ohio boy attracted to palm trees and skinny girls wearing very little that unknowingly went to a college bent on inclusion. Patience UFC, you're only about 5-10 years away.

What does this madness mean?

Don't get caught in cross-fire. There is a reason Miami, UF and FSU were so dominant at one time; lack of in-state recruiting competition (in comparison to the crazy amount of talent). Well, now a couple other institutions have been playing their cards right and climbing the ranks, no doubt watering down the field. Some guys will never leave the south to play football and now those guys have options beyond the big 3. Additionally SEC, ACC and Big 10 schools always try to poach a few stragglers every year. The evolution of Florida recruiting has been fast moving and impressive.

I'm not saying the Big 3 is going to take a back seat to anyone anytime soon but I am saying they better watch their backs (or in the case of FSU, their sides). Scholarship limits, increased athletic budgets and recruits who have grown up seeing USF ranked as high as #2 in major polls inherently know that things are not as set as stone as they once were. Traditionalists are worried ‘cause change is coming in a flash. It's not an uphill battle, its Florida where the land is flat, rich and fast!

Oklahoma comes out charged up to once again rule over the Big 12 and contend for a BCS Championship. Too bad for OU, they have been embarrased in their last two BCS games, first in an epic upset against the Boise State Broncos and then last year West Virginia drilled them. Bob Stoops' media darling status has taken a hit but most will concede Oklahoma is the top of the class in a deep Big 12 conference. Part of me wants to put Texas in the lone top five slot reserved for a Big 12 team but Oklahoma is the safer Bet. Plus they return their star quarterback (Sam Bradford) and the majority of their defense that up until WVU looked to be among tops in the nation.

What I'm thinking:

The Sooners should be undefeated up until back-to-back home games against Texas and Kansas. Followed by that are games that are all theoretically losable, with the toughest of the games (Texas Tech) once again at home. Then of course comes the conference title game and you have to conclude that OU better be deep to sustain a high level of play.

Demarco Murray will be the featured running back and there are a few young guys coming in with lots of hype. This should help. What would also help is a rededication to stopping the run on defense.

Word out of a QB camp is that USC fan Snoop Dogg is Pumped to beat up on some Buckeyes.

Picking USC to finish #1 is typically a safe Bet. Last year I picked them over LSU saying, "USC has earned the right to be #1 by default." Well, this year their default status has taken a hit as they slide to #5. The problematic issues include a new quarterback, new offensive lineman and huge personnel losses to the NFL. The positives include they are the University of Southern California and have a team and coach that is always ready to dominate. Their defense will dominate. This year may not be too much different than last year, where they drop a tough game and a game they should win, only to hit stride come bowl season.

2008 Preseason Top 25 Countdown

Mark Sanchez should be a solid quarterback and Mitch Mustain is a backup with big potential and experience. The running back position is deep, with Joe McKnight the most exciting. At wideout Patrick Turner and Vidal Hazelton return with experience and David Ausberry and Ronald Johnson look to put up numbers. The o-line loses 3 starters (including Sam Baker) so how quickly the nimble big dudes gel will determine how well Mark Sanchez can do his thing.

On defense Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga bring probably the most athletic duo of linebackers on any team. The loss of NT Sedrick Ellis, LB Sedrick Ellis, DE Lawrence Jackson and CB Terrell Thomas should not be discounted for obvious reasons. Even so, talented leadership returns and the defense should be stout.

The schedule is admirable, yet suicidal. The game that is always talked about is the home game in the second week of the season versus Ohio State. For good reasons, this game could set the tone for the BCS Championship race. How well the defense can contain RB Chris Wells and how well the offensive line holds up will determine if they win, period. But the other game people fail to discuss in the opener at Virginia. The "Cardiac Cavaliers" from a year ago hung on by a thread and showed great pride. They've lost some big time talent but RB Mikell Simpson and QB Jameel Sewell could be prove to be among the ACC's best at their positions. Oregon, ASU, Cal and Notre Dame are all home games before finishing at UCLA. I can't help but wonder if the game at Arizona will be tricky.

Former NFL quarterback Frank Gifford once said, “Pro football is like nuclear warfare. There are no winners, only survivors.” If you ask current Baltimore Ravens’ quarterback Troy Smith if he agrees with that statement, I’m willing to Bet he offer the affirmative. Nobody said it was easy to make it as a quarterback in the National Football League, as a matter of fact, I would argue it is the hardest position to play in all of professional sports, but that is another article for another day.

Anyways, it’s back to Troy Smith. It is a tough world out there in the National Football League and the former Heisman Trophy winner can attest to that statement as well. It seems just like yesterday it was the 2006 college football season and Smith and his Buckeyes were on top of the college football world. The Buckeyes were a marked team that season, the unanimous favorite to win the 2007 BCS National Championship. Even with those lofty expectations on their shoulders, the Buckeyes went out and dominated nearly every opponent they faced, due in large part to the precise passing of Troy Smith.

The thing that separated Smith from every other player in the country that season was his uncanny ability to throw accurately on the run. Let’s take a look at some of his key throws that highlighted his ability to escape pressure in the pocket and still make something happen.

In the Penn State game, with the heavily favored Buckeyes only up 7-3 with 13:06 remaining in the contest, Smith takes the snap and looks for receivers, standing at his own 42 yard line. He bounces backwards and trails to the right side of the field at around the 50 yard line, where a Penn State defender forces him to spin back to the inside of the field. He runs backward four more yards to the opposing 46 yard line, plants his left foot on the O of the Ohio Stadium turf, then begins his lengthy wind up before unleashing a hissing spiral that travels 60 yards through the air. The football hits receiver Brian Robiskie perfectly in stride in the middle of the end zone before he is immediately brought down from behind by a Penn State defender. While the fans of Buckeye nation breathed a collective sigh of relief, Smith extends his arms outward, looks toward the Buckeye sideline, and races down the field, as if to say: “Come on guys, I had it in me all along.”

Smith made a plethora of dazzling throws look rather routine that season, which makes it even more amazing that so many people seem to have forgotten how good he actually was in 2006. Perhaps his best throw came against Texas, when the Buckeyes traveled to Austin to face the Longhorns. The game was tied at 7-7 with 21 seconds remaining in the first half. Smith calmly takes the snap at the Texas 36 yard line in the shotgun formation. He takes a step back to the 37 but then bounces back to the 36 to set his feet. He sets both feet, winds up and sends a beautifully lofted tight spiral through the Austin sky, where it begins to dive nose down when it nears the end zone. Receiver Ted Ginn, Jr. tracks the football from behind his head until it lands directly on his chest right on the number 7 of his jersey, nose up. Yet another touchdown for the Buckeyes, yet another dazzling throw for Troy Smith to put in his Heisman resume.

Against the Indiana Hoosiers, Smith once again delved into his back of tricks. Smith took the snap at the Hoosiers’ 28 yard line, on the right hash mark. He faked the handoff to Antonio Pittman and barely eluded the arm of a Hoosier defender by spinning back to the inside of the field at the 33 yard line. He continued running to the left side of the field, being chased by three Hoosier defenders. He made it all the way to the left hash mark before he was forced to throw the ball off his back foot from the 30 yard line with a Hoosier defender jumping in his face. The football zipped through the air and eventually found the awaiting arms of receiver Ted Ginn, Jr. in the end zone.

Those are just a couple examples of what was a seemingly endless display of dazzling passes for Troy Smith in the 2006-2007 college football campaign. He completed 203 of his 311(65.3 percent) passes for 2,542 yards while tossing in 30 touchdowns and just six interceptions. Those are simply stunning numbers by anyone’s standards and they were good enough to earn him the most coveted individual honor in Division 1-A college football(Football Bowl Subdivision)—the Heisman Trophy. Smith not only won the Heisman, but he racked up an astonishing 86.7 percent of the first place votes—a record. His margin of victory(1,662 votes) was also the second largest in the history of the award, eclipsed only by O.J. Simpson who won by 1,750 votes.

The weird thing is what happened after he won the Heisman Trophy made everybody forget about his spectacular season. He led the Buckeyes to a Big Ten Championship, a BCS National Championship berth, an undefeated record, and a hard fought victory over hated rival Michigan. Those are all very impressive accomplishments folks, but in American society today, you’re either number one or you’re nothing.

John Madden once said, “The only yardstick for success our society has is being a champion. No one remembers anything else.” Once you take a look at how the Buckeyes played in the national championship game, you begin to realize why the former Heisman Trophy winner is truly the forgotten gunslinger. The Buckeyes were completely embarrassed as the Florida Gators throttled them before a nationally televised audience—41-14. Troy Smith posted the worst numbers of his entire college career—he was 4 of 14 passing for 35 yards, threw an interception, fumbled once, was sacked five times, and was held to minus 29 yards rushing. It was a rough day at the office to say the least, for Mr. Smith.

To Smith’s credit—he had absolutely no blocking in that game—left tackle Alex Boone looked as if he had blocks of cement strapped to his cleats as Jarvis Moss continually beat him to the edge. He also was without his favorite target—receiver Ted Ginn, Jr.—who left the game after the opening kickoff with a sprained left ankle.

After the national championship embarrassment, it opened the floodgates for criticism of Smith and his game. A man that was the toast of the college football world for nearly the entire season all of a sudden was a nobody. People began harping on the fact that Smith was six feet tall and that he was too short to succeed as a quarterback in the NFL. Many scouts argued that his release was too slow. All of a sudden the nation’s college football memory had been completely erased. Blanked. All those awards that Troy racked up—well they didn’t mean a thing. Nada. I was thinking to myself, “Scouts are saying this about the same quarterback that nearly took his team wire-to-wire in Division 1A college football? The same Troy Smith that won the Heisman Trophy? The same Troy Smith that tossed all those remarkable throws in the 2006 campaign?” I simply could not believe my ears.

Fast forward to a year and a half later and the Baltimore Ravens’ starting quarterback job is nearly Smith’s to lose. In just his second NFL game as a starting quarterback, he led the Ravens to a victory over the Steelers in Week 17(granted the Steelers had pulled some of their starters for the playoffs). He completed 16 of his 27 passes for 171 yards, while tossing in a touchdown and no interceptions. While everybody in the world has since decided to crown former Delaware signal-caller Joe Flacco as the Ravens’ quarterback of the future, Smith has been doing nothing but impressing folks in the Ravens’ camp and outperforming Kyle Boller.

According to an article written by Don Banks of cnnsi.com, Ravens’ offensive coordinator Cam Cameron has played a huge role in Smith’s development in the off-season. "Cam's very good at figuring out a player's strength, figuring out what he does well, and then tailoring the offense around those skills,'' an anonymous Ravens source said. "He's got Troy moving around and doing a lot of the same things he had success doing at Ohio State.'' That’s the definition of an excellent OC right there, somebody who makes the playbook fit their quarterback, not the other way around.

You see, ladies and gents, Troy Smith was born to throw the football on the run. Very few quarterbacks on this planet throw the football on the move as well as Troy Smith does. It is one of his many gifts from the genetic pool. Everybody is given a certain talent in this world: some people draw beautiful paintings, some people can juggle, and some people might be able to shoot the breeze with anybody on this earth. Troy Smith just happens to be able to throw a remarkably accurate spiral down a football field when he is off-balance. If the Ravens decide to put him in a moving pocket (like Cameron is reportedly doing) then they will be handsomely rewarded. You can go back to Smith’s highlights from his high school days at Glenville and you’ll see him running the bootleg with flawless efficiency. Watch his highlights from Ohio State and you’ll see his remarkable ability to improvise, escape pressure in the pocket, and toss a beautifully thrown football on the move. It is truly a no-brainer to put him in a moving pocket, put some bootlegs in the playbook, and allow Smith to use his greatest asset—throwing on the run.

It’s amazing how one game can erase so many people’s memories of how good a quarterback Troy Smith truly is. This fall will be the time when the “forgotten gunslinger” refreshes the nation’s memory and claims the starting quarterback position for the Baltimore Ravens. For once, we won’t be hearing about Kyle Boller or we won’t be hearing about Joe Flacco and how is the quarterback of the future, but Mr. Bootleg himself, Troy Smith.

Well, I'm back in the saddle again. So let me figure out where I left off. Oh yea I remember now, it was our spring game back in April, WOW has it really been that long. So now where to begin; well how about on the Recruiting trail, which is where most teams future lies so I will begin there.

Well at least I don't have to explain how my pick failed to win the championship (article here on Deathrattle http://deathrattlesports.com/NBA-Basketball/News/2007-08-NBA-Regular-Season-Review-and-Playoff-Preview.html) since I only predicted the first round in each conference before I disappeared from Deathrattle in self imposed exile. But I will be honest here and tell you that my picks to reach the finals were in fact the San Antonio Spurs in the West and Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference, with the Spurs cementing their legacy by winning back-to-back championships. Hmmmm!!