Pictures from the 2009 College Football National Championship Game between the Florida Gators and Oklahoma Sooners

Congrats Florida!!!!!

Urban Meyer's Daughter Signs with Georgia Tech

Urban Meyer's Daughter Signs with Georgia TechLaurel Pfahler
Special to Rivals High

It won't be difficult for Gainesville (Fla.) Buchholz senior Nicki Meyer to transition as a Yellow Jacket.
The daughter of Florida football coach Urban Meyer already has a distaste for the Georgia Bulldogs.
Nicki, a 5-foot-6 libero, signed to play volleyball at Georgia Tech last Monday, passing over offers from schools such as Tennessee, South Florida, Ohio, Cincinnati − her parents' alma mater − and Utah, where her father coached before coming to Florida in 2005.
"It's funny because I already have that rivalry," Nicki said. "I already hate Georgia, so it all works out."
And at least she isn't going to another school in the SEC, she said.
"That was definitely taken into consideration," Nicki said. "Tennessee is an awesome school, but my parents were afraid for me to play somewhere in the SEC. They were afraid of people being harassing and mean."
Her father had influences in other ways too, though he left the final decision up to Nicki.
Because Nicki is the oldest of three children in the Meyer family, this was Urban Meyer's first time on the parenting end of the recruiting process.
"It was different, obviously, being on the other end of the recruiting conversation," Urban said. "I told Nicki to be very respectful during the process because I understand how much time and effort a coaching staff puts into recruiting each student-athlete."
But he also didn't make it any easier on the coaches recruiting her.
Urban went along on Nicki's unofficial visit to Georgia Tech in June and had plenty of questions for coach Bond Shymansky.
"He knows everything the coach is thinking and what kinds of questions to ask, so he grilled Bond," Nicki said, laughing at the recollection.
Shymansky must have passed the test. Nicki committed the next day.
"I loved everything about it," said Nicki, who is thinking of a major in psychology or communications. "They're redoing a lot of the campus, so everything looks new, and everything was just amazing. It was perfect. I couldn't find one thing I didn't like."
This time last year, Nicki would have told you she was going to college in Utah or Ohio, though. She has family in Ohio, where her father grew up and got his first college head coaching job at Bowling Green in 2001. Nicki has always loved Utah, where her father coached from 2003-04.
But once she started looking at Georgia Tech and South Florida at the end of club season her junior year, Utah and Ohio seemed too far from home.
"Reality kind of hit me that I didn't want to be that far from my family," Nicki said. "I don't want a five-hour flight to go see them. That's why I like Atlanta. It's a drivable trip."
Nicki didn't even realize college volleyball would be an option until her sophomore year, mainly because it wasn't a serious thing before then.
She started playing volleyball in fifth grade at the encouragement of her mother, Shelley, who had played volleyball growing up. It took Nicki a while to warm up to volleyball. Her youth was somewhat nomadic because of her father's career path, so volleyball became a way to meet people in every new town the Meyer family visited. At one point, Nicki attended four schools in a span of five years.
Always being the new kid, Nicki often was asked to switch positions to fill whatever holes were left open. When she got to Buchholz freshman year, she was the tallest person on the team, so the Bobcats used her as an outside hitter. However, Nicki stopped growing and had to find a new role by the next year.
Buchholz coach Jeff Reavis recognized her speed and turned her into a libero her sophomore season, and it was then that Nicki finally found her niche.
"She is a super fast athlete with great hand-eye coordination," said Reavis, who also is director of Nicki's club team, the Gainesville Juniors. "She can pass and play defense − she is kind of like the shortstop of the team.
"I knew she had the ability, we just had to get her in a position where she could be elite."
Nicki went on to win a Class 6A state title with Buchholz in 2007, recording a match-best five aces in a three-game sweep over Plant City Durant.
Her dad even made it to the match, though he coached the Gators in a game against Florida Atlantic earlier that day.
"The match was at 7, and he came in around 6:30," Reavis said. "It's impossible to always be there, but he works really hard at it."
Urban Meyer has enjoyed being on the sideline for Nicki's success.
She guided Buchholz to a 22-8 season this year, ending her high school career in the regional finals and two days later marking the next phase of her career at a signing ceremony at the school. Her parents and younger sister, Gigi, were in attendance for the event.
"I'm really proud to have her accept a scholarship offer from Georgia Tech to play volleyball," Urban Meyer said. "She has put in a lot of effort to get to this point in her academic and athletic career."
Meyer has tried to play an active role in helping Nicki improve by practicing with her whenever they get time, though Nicki said "he knows nothing about volleyball."
"He just hits it at me all day long − we did that all the time this summer when we were on vacation and stuff," Nicki said. "He doesn't know what he is doing, so I just tell him to hit it at me."
Regardless, Nicki has fun with him and is thankful for her relationship with her father. Life as "Urban Meyer's daughter" has been pretty good.
"For the most part, it's really cool," Meyer said. "He goes to work, and he comes home and he is just our dad. He's been so successful, and it's just really cool to watch him. With everything he has done, he is just someone I have really been able to look up to."
Who knows? Maybe she will end up coaching volleyball one day, she said.

Last year shows that one loss is not a season ender

Last year shows that one loss is not a season ender

College football fans on campuses at Florida, Georgia and Wisconsin awoke Friday morning with renewed dreams of winning a BCS National Championship.
But the euphoria from Oregon State's 27-21 upset of No. 1 Southern California on Thursday night lasted less than 48 hours for most of those fans.
No. 3 Georgia laid a golden egg in a 41-30 loss to No. 8 Alabama at Sanford Stadium on Saturday night. No. 4 Florida lost to Ole Miss 31-30 in the Swamp on, of all things, a blocked extra-point attempt. No. 9 Wisconsin blew a 19-point lead and lost to unranked Michigan 27-25 in the Big House.
In all, nine ranked teams lost last week, including six teams that were upset by unranked opponents. Three of the top four teams and four of the top 10 in The Associated Press Top 25 were among those that fell.
Think the madness is over? Hardly. If anything, recent history suggests the craziness has just started.
"There's a lot of great football left to be played," Florida coach Urban Meyer told reporters Sunday.
A year ago, college football had already been turned upside down at this point of the season. The fifth week of the 2007 regular season produced eight Top-25 upsets, one fewer than what we just witnessed in the last four days.
The last weekend of September 2007 started with No. 18 South Florida beating No. 5 West Virginia 21-13 on Thursday night, a loss that seemed to end the Mountaineers' national championship hopes. The madness that ensued claimed four more top-10 teams: Maryland upset No. 10 Rutgers, Kansas State stunned No. 7 Texas, Auburn beat No. 4 Florida and Colorado shocked No. 3 Oklahoma.
Here's the real scary part for teams currently sitting atop college football's polls: On the first Saturday of October 2007, 11 more ranked teams were beaten, including four teams ranked in the top 10. Unranked Illinois surprised No. 5 Wisconsin 31-26, and unranked Stanford produced the biggest upset of the season, stunning No. 2 Southern California 24-23 at the Coliseum.
So recent lessons show us the season is just getting started. And it's not yet over for teams like Ohio State, Florida and Georgia. In fact, it's just beginning.
"I think it's comforting for the team that we're not having to rearrange our goals right now," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told reporters Sunday.
Teams such as the Bulldogs just have to reassess how they're going to get to the BCS Championship Game in Miami. Here's a closer look at how once-beaten teams can recover and climb back into the national championship race:

FloridaGood news: Even after losing to an unranked team at home, Florida still controls its fate in the SEC East. The Gators play at least three more games against ranked opponents: No. 3 LSU at home, No. 11 Georgia in Jacksonville, Fla., and at No. 19 Vanderbilt. If the Gators win the SEC East, they'd probably get another date against a ranked team in the SEC championship game.
Bad news: The Rebels showed there's not much to Florida's offense outside of quarterback Tim Tebow and receiver Percy Harvin. Florida can't run the football between the tackles or, at least, coach Urban Meyer refuses to try. Florida's defense, which surrendered only 19 points in victories over Hawaii, Miami and Tennessee, suddenly looked vulnerable against the Rebels.
Its road to Miami: Florida has to win the SEC championship game and hope it's ranked among the top three teams at the end of the regular season. And hope Ohio State is one of the other top teams.
Georgia
Good news: Georgia will have plenty of chances to impress voters during the next two months. The No. 11 Bulldogs still play four ranked teams: No. 19 Vanderbilt, No. 3 LSU, No. 12 Florida and No. 13 Auburn. If Georgia recovers and wins the SEC East, it could earn a rematch against either No. 2 Alabama, LSU or Auburn in the SEC championship game. Georgia wasn't expected to finish the season with an unbeaten record because of its difficult schedule, and its first loss came against an SEC West foe, so the Bulldogs still control their fate in the SEC East.
Bad news: Alabama exposed Georgia's weaknesses Saturday night, taking a 31-0 lead at the half on the Bulldogs' home field. The Crimson Tide overpowered Georgia's offensive and defensive lines, constantly putting pressure on quarterback Matthew Stafford. The Bulldogs rarely pressured Tide quarterback John Parker Wilson. LSU might have a better defensive front than Alabama.
Its road to Miami: Georgia can't afford another loss and would have to beat Alabama in the SEC championship game. The Bulldogs will have to be impressive to make voters forget about their awful first-half performance against the Crimson Tide.

Ohio State
Good news: The Buckeyes welcomed back tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells in a 34-21 win over Minnesota on Saturday. Wells, who had missed the previous two games with a foot injury, ran 14 times for 106 yards. Freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor has more big-play potential than former starter Todd Boeckman. Pryor ran for 97 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 70 yards and one score in his second start.
Bad news: How forgiving will voters be? The Buckeyes not only have to make voters forget about their 35-3 loss at USC on Sept. 13, but also about their performances in the last two BCS Championship Games. Fair or not, Ohio State is fighting a national perception that it can't perform in big games.
Its road to Miami: The Buckeyes have to beat No. 18 Wisconsin and No. 6 Penn State and hope USC isn't one of the last one-loss teams left at season's end.
Southern California
Good news: The Trojans are probably as talented as any team in the country and have the firepower to recover from another stunning loss to an unranked opponent. Southern California often gets the benefit of the doubt from voters because of its recent success under coach Pete Carroll. After losing to Stanford and Oregon last season, the Trojans were still considered one of the country's best teams at season's end.
Bad news: The Pac-10 doesn't appear to be very good outside of USC, California and Oregon. The No. 9 Trojans and No. 23 Ducks are the only ranked Pac-10 teams, so USC will have limited opportunities to impact voters.
Its road to Miami: USC will have to be very, very impressive in every game it plays. California, Notre Dame and Oregon will have to continue to play well to strengthen USC's schedule.

On The Mark: Ground-churning tailbacks
1. Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State
The 5-foot-6 freshman ripped No. 1 USC's defense for 186 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-21 victory Thursday night.
2. Javon Ringer, Michigan State
The bruising tailback keeps grinding out yards, gaining 198 and scoring once in a 42-29 rout at Indiana.
3. Curtis Steele, Memphis
The man of Steele helped the Tigers get a much-needed win, gaining 203 yards and scoring once in a 29-17 victory over Arkansas State.
4. Antone Smith, FSU
The FSU senior finally broke out in a 39-21 rout of Colorado, running for 154 yards and three touchdowns.
5. Charles Scott, LSU
Great Scott! The LSU runner has gained 100 yards or more in four straight games to open the season; he had 141 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-24 win over Mississippi State.

Off The Mark: Turnover machines
1. Riley Skinner, Wake Forest
Skinner had the worst game of his college career in a 24-17 loss to Navy, throwing four interceptions and losing a fumble.
2. Harrison Beck, NC State
The Wolfpack backup completed only 9 of 32 passes and threw three interceptions in a 41-10 loss to South Florida.
3. Marc Verica, Virginia
The Cavaliers' new quarterback threw four interceptions in a 31-3 loss to Duke.
4. Jonathan Crompton, Tennessee
Crompton completed only 8 of 23 passes for 67 yards and lost a fumble into his team's end zone in a 14-12 loss at Auburn.
5. Karsten Sween, Wyoming
Sween was one of three Cowboys quarterbacks to throw an interception in a 45-16 loss to Bowling Green.

On The Mark: Precision passers
1. Colin Kaepernick, Nevada
The dual threat ran for 240 yards and three touchdowns and completed 11 of 16 passes for 176 yards and two scores in a 49-27 rout of UNLV.
2. Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame
We're starting to learn why Clausen was so highly regarded. He completed 20 of 35 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-21 victory over Purdue.
3. Colt McCoy, Texas
The Longhorns junior is working his way back into the Heisman Trophy race, running for 84 yards and two touchdowns and completing 17 of 19 passes for 185 yards and three scores in a 52-10 rout of Arkansas.
4. Chase Clement, Rice
Clement was spectacular against North Texas, completing 22 of 28 passes for 298 yards and five touchdowns and running for two scores in a 77-20 blowout.
5. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
The Sooners sophomore stayed hot against TCU, completing 19 of 34 passes for 411 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-10 rout.

Off The Mark: Coaches on the hot seat
1. Al Groh, Virginia
His Cavaliers were outscored 28-0 in the second half of a 31-3 loss to Duke, which ended the Blue Devils' 25-game losing streak against ACC foes.
2. George O'Leary, Central Florida
The Knights gave up 403 yards and lost six turnovers in a 58-13 loss at previously winless UTEP.
3. Tommy Bowden, Clemson
The Tigers blew a 17-6 lead in a 20-17 loss to Maryland. It was the seventh time under Bowden that a ranked Clemson team lost to an unranked team at home.
4. Greg Robinson, Syracuse
After getting ripped by his athletic director last week, Robinson watched the Orange blow a 14-3 lead in a 34-24 loss to Pitt.
5. Tom Amstutz, Toledo
The Rockets lost to Florida International 35-16 at home, the Panthers' first-ever road win over an FBS nonconference opponent.

On The Mark: Game-breaking receivers
1. Percy Harvin, Florida
The speedy junior was the lone bright spot in a 31-30 loss to Ole Miss, running 10 times for 82 yards and one score and catching 13 passes for 186 yards and one touchdown.
2. Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina
Nicks, one half of college football's best receiver duo, caught five passes for 133 yards and one touchdown in a 28-24 victory at Miami.
3. Michael Floyd, Notre Dame
The freshman helped the Fighting Irish open up their passing game against Purdue, catching six passes for 100 yards in a 38-21 victory.
4. Jarett Dillard, Rice
Chase Clement's favorite target caught eight passes for 114 yards and four touchdowns in a 77-20 rout of North Texas.
5. Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State
The sophomore has caught 15 passes for 354 yards and six touchdowns in his last two games, hauling in six passes for 118 yards and three touchdowns in a 55-24 rout of Troy.

Images from Saturday's College Football's Top 10 Games

#10 Auburn quarterback Kodi Burns runs from Louisiana-Monroe defenders Greg James, on ground, Nate Brown, right and Alaric Coleman.
No. 24 Alabama 34, No. 9 Clemson 10
Alabama tight end Nick Walker celebrates after a field goal against Clemson.
No. 8 West Virginia 48, Villanova 21
West Virginia's Alric Arnett (82) and Tito Gonzales (83) celebrate Arnett's touchdown against Villanova during the first quarter Saturday.
No. 7 LSU 41, Appalachian State 13
The Tigers celebrated early and often as they kept Appalachian State from repeating the early season upset they sprang on Michigan last year. LSU served notice with a 31-point first half. Tigers' tailback Charles Scott rushed for 160 yards in the win.
No. 6 Missouri 52, No. 20 Illinois 42
Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel gets from an Illinois player.
No. 5 Florida 56, Hawaii 10
Florida scored on offense, defense and special teams in routing the Warriors. The Gators forced six turnovers and rushed for 255 yards offensively in the lopsided victory.
No. 4 Oklahoma 57, Chattanooga 2
Oklahoma wide receiver Quentin Chaney, center, celebrates a touchdown in front of Chattanooga's Chris Lewis-Harris.
No. 3 USC 52, Virginia 17
Southern California tailback Joe McKnight (4) heads to the end zone as Virginia's Mikell Simpson tries to make the stop in the first half Saturday.
No. 2 Ohio State 43, Youngstown State 0
The Buckeyes' defense held Youngstown State to only 74 total yards in steamrolling to a win. Ohio State QB Todd Boeckman threw for two TDs and tailback Chris Wells ran for 111 yards and a TD before leaving with an injury.
No. 1 Georgia 45, Georgia Southern 21
The Bulldogs racked up 535 yards, and Heisman Trophy candidate Knowshon Moreno scored three touchdowns on only eight carries as Georgia ran past their intrastate rival. Moreno was pulled out of the game after what appeared to be a hamstring injury, but he remained on the sidelines and it wasn't believed to be serious.

College Football Power Rankings

College Football Power RankingsLoaded with NFL talent, Ohio State kicksoff the year at No. 1 Story Highlights
Ohio State may have six players drafted in the first two rounds in April
An injury to Georgia's left tackle dropped the Bulldogs to No. 3
Seven of the top 10 teams are from the SEC or Big 12
Many of you have already written off the 2008 Ohio State Buckeyes as frauds based on the season-ending performances of their 2006 and '07 teams. That's certainly your prerogative.
But here's the thing: I've studied the depth charts of the various contenders frontward and backward. I've spoken with people who know far more about evaluating football talent than I do. And all of it leads me to the same, inescapable conclusion that, presumably, will induce groans from coast to coast.
Ohio State is the most talented team in the country this season.
SI.com NFL draft analyst Tony Pauline, who runs TFY Draft service, projects nine Ohio State starters to be selected in the first three rounds next April, including three sure first-rounders (RB Chris Wells, CB Malcolm Jenkins and LB James Laurinaitis) and three others who could join them (DT Doug Worthington, LB Marcus Freeman and WR Brian Robiskie).
In all, TFY considers 16 junior or senior Buckeyes worthy of being drafted (though one of them is Michigan transfer Justin Boren, who won't play this season). Pauline hasn't posted every team's report yet, but says Ohio State's is, "hands down," the most talent-stocked roster.
"You could basically set up shop in Columbus and [draft] a really good team," said Pauline. "USC probably has more impact players on defense, but when you're comparing the two programs, the Trojans fall short of overall elite talent. There's a lot of talent on LSU's roster but not the large number of elite players as Ohio State's."
And that's before even adding Terrelle Pryor to the mix.
For most of the past seven months -- right up until a couple of weeks ago, in fact -- there was one team I considered better than Ohio State. That was Georgia. But then the Dawgs lost their starting left tackle, Trinton Sturdivant, for the season. It was a costly blow both because Sturdivant manned an extremely important position and because of the ripple effect it will have on the rest of the offensive line, which was already inexperienced. That dropped Georgia behind both the Buckeyes and Oklahoma, which returns all five starting offensive linemen.

NCAA Football Power Rankings
1 -- Ohio State Buckeyes (11-2 in 2007)
All eyes Saturday will be on ... well, Pryor, if he gets in the game, but also DE Lawrence Wilson. The highly touted junior, who broke his leg in last year's season opener and missed the rest of the year, steps in for departed star Vernon Gholston.
First game: Saturday vs. Youngstown State.

2 -- Oklahoma Sooners (11-3)
The Sooners' defensive line is impressive. DE Auston English was a dominant pass rusher when healthy, DT DeMarcus Granger was an All-Big 12 honoree prior to his Fiesta Bowl suspension and DT Gerald McCoy was the Big 12's top defensive freshman.
First game: Saturday vs. Chattanooga.

3 -- Georgia Bulldogs (11-2)
Assuming the Dawgs put away Georgia Southern early Saturday, star tailback Knowshon Moreno will likely give way to a pair of backups already being touted as the next in line -- redshirt freshman Caleb King and true frosh Richard Samuel.
First game: Saturday vs. Georgia Southern.

4 -- USC Trojans (11-2)
It will be interesting to see how the Trojans' tailback rotation plays out early in the season. It's no secret Joe McKnight will see the field often, but will offseason standout Allen Bradford supplant the more experienced C.J. Gable and Stafon Johnson?
First game: Saturday at Virginia.

5 -- Missouri Tigers (12-2)
Despite returning a largely veteran team, eighth-year coach Gary Pinkel plans to play as many as eight true freshmen this season, the most of his tenure. High-flying receiver Jerrell Jackson has attracted the most attention so far.
First game: Saturday vs. Illinois.

6 -- LSU Tigers (12-2)
It speaks to the level of LSU's recruiting these past few years that a team can lose as many veteran standouts as the Tigers did -- 13 starters -- and still appear to be loaded at nearly every position. QB and cornerback are the concerns.
First game: Saturday vs. Appalachian State.

7 -- Florida Gators (9-4)
The Gators may well contend for the national championship, but their preseason standing took a hit due to the season-ending injury of TE Cornelius Ingram and the fact that star WR Percy Harvin missed most of fall camp recovering from a heel injury.
First game: Saturday vs. Hawaii.

8 -- Texas Tech Red Raiders (9-4)
The bar gets set pretty high for Mike Leach's quarterbacks. Having thrown for 5,705 yards and 48 touchdowns last season, Leach says of third-year starter Graham Harrell: "We expect him to do the same thing -- a few more yards perhaps."
First game: Saturday vs. Eastern Washington.

9 -- Auburn Tigers (9-4)
Is it a good sign or a bad sign that offensive coordinator Tony Franklin has yet to choose a starting quarterback between sophomore Kodi Burns and juco transfer Chris Todd? Burns is more of a dual threat but Todd is a veteran of the spread.
First game: Saturday vs. Louisiana-Monroe.

10 -- Clemson Tigers (9-4)
There's technically nothing at stake in Saturday's opener, but is this the biggest game of Tommy Bowden's tenure? All the momentum of a contract extension and preseason ACC favorite status could go out the window were he to get upstaged by Nick Saban.
First game: Saturday vs. Alabama.

Big Weekend for College Basketball and there is more than just Duke vs North Carolina this weekend!

Friday Look Ahead: What else but Duke-UNC Round 2?
This is a great article for the weekend by Gary Parrish
http://CBSSports.com

Here's the Friday Look Ahead

Game worth flying to see in person: It's always big, a North Carolina-Duke game. But do you know when it's really big? When it's in the final weekend of the regular season. And for the ACC title. And (perhaps) for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. And when Ty Lawson is back healthy after missing the previous meeting. And when Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski are just weeks removed from bickering in the media. And man oh man, Cameron Indoor Stadium sure is gonna be fun Saturday night! And I'm so excited about it that I was considering camping out in Krzyzewskiville before the game until I remembered how nice the beds are at the local Marriott.

Game worth driving to see in person: So seriously, how big is UNC-Duke? So big that Louisville and Georgetown are playing Saturday for the Big East title, and that showdown has second-billing. March Madness, indeed.

Game worth watching on TV: A pair of projected lottery picks will be on display Saturday when Stanford visits Southern California. One of them is Brook Lopez, the Cardinal's talented big man. The other is O.J. Mayo, USC's electric guard who is averaging 26.4 points in his past five outings while helping the Trojans solidify themselves as an NCAA Tournament team as he finishes his one season of college basketball.

Some non-BCS love: Memphis will host UAB on Saturday. If the Tigers win they will complete their second straight perfect run through Conference USA. If the Blazers win they will enhance their status as an NCAA Tournament team. And if we're lucky no fans will be assaulted this time, regardless of the outcome.

I personally think Ohio State vs Michigan State would be worth score watching because if the Buckeyes can knock MSU off, then they could possibly get in the NCAA Tournament. Florida vs Kentucky would be worth score watching because the winner will probably get in, especially Florida.

Here are my predictions for this weekend's big games:
#6DUKE VS #1NORTH CAROLINA SAT. 9:00 PM (N.C. 77 Duke 65)
FLORIDA VS KENTUCKY (Florida 65 Kentucky 59)
OHIO STATE VS #17MICHIGAN ST. SUNDAY 12:00 pm(OSU 54 MSU 71)
#12LOUISVILLE VS #11GEORGETOWN SAT. 12:00 PM (Louisville 77 Georgetown 70)
#7STANFORD VS USC SAT. 2:00 PM (USC 65 Stanford 60)