As the lions return to their winning ways, the rest of the college football world moves forward as well. Interesting bits in college football include everything from another excessive celebration controversy, Stoops coming up short in Miami again, and will Tebow be ready for Florida's game against LSU. I know that there is a lot going on, but for this week, we are going to focus on the Bobby Bowden Saga, Gene Chizik's return to Auburn, and a little bit of recruiting news for the Nittany Lions.
We are going to start off with more great news for the Nittany Lions. The Nittany Lions are looking to finish in the top 5 in recruiting rankings this year on signing day and that just became more of a possibility with the commitment of inside linebacker (ILB) Khairi Fortt. Fortt is the second ranked ILB prospect in the entire country and already possesses a collegiate frame. At 6'3", 225 lbs, Fortt has the build and ability to contribute right away. As Fortt is enrolling early this spring, look for him to get some playing time as a true freshman next year.
Last spring, when Ed Hanna, Charles Barkley, and myself had heard of Auburn's decision to hire Gene Chizik, who had been 5-19 in his two years at Iowa City, we all just wrote Auburn out of the SEC picture. Barkley even went as far as calling the hiring of Gene Chizik as racist because Auburn chose to hire a white man with a 5-19 record over other candidates, such as Turner Gill of Buffalo.
The smack on Chizik is that he's 5-0 in his first five games at Auburn and looks to have that team on the path to win and to win this year. Chizik is now 18-0 is his last 18 games at Auburn, dating back to when he was last with the team as its defensive coordinator when they went 13-0 and won the national title back in 2004. Not only has he restored the winning tradition to that university, but he has brought back its identity as well. Auburn has returned to its smash mouth, run first, run heavy, and defensive ways. They might not win the title this year, but believe it or not folks, Auburn is back. Look for them to build around Chizik's traditional ways and return to their blue collar ways of winning.
Finally, here we are, 23 years, 309 wins, 2 National Titles, and 14 consecutive top 5 finishes later. Bobby Bowden, one of the greatest legends to ever coach this game. One of the old school coaches that still has values and doesn't sell his soul to recruits to build his program. He was the 90s in college football, was there ever a year in that decade that didn't include one of his teams in consideration for the National Title. This man has done so much for that University and what does he get in return, a loudmouth, disrespectful, and classless trustee talking about things he has no control of.
Honestly, this guy who has no control over any decisions or POWER regarding athletic personnel at FSU should have just kept his mouth shut. You can make the argument that Bowden has lost his touch and Florida State has only won ten games once this decade, blah, blah, etc. But the only reason those expectations exist were because Bowden's teams had created those expectations. It was because of his success that FSU is expected to win, with Bowden gone, the program will lose a lot of its luster, or whatever of it is left after the way they chose to handle this situation.
The truth is that Bowden's teams are not performing as well as they used to, but that does not mean that things could not have been handled differently. The administration of the university should have held a private discussion with Bowden at the end of the season and allowed him to render his resignation. Bowden has earned the right to go out on his own terms and he also deserves the respect of resigning rather than leaving with the image that he was forced out of college football.
Florida State, good luck with trying to establish a winning program as you've destroyed any chance of success at your institution with this classless display. Look for UNC, Virginia Tech, Miami, and Georgia Tech to continue to grow as the class of the ACC, as everyone will always remember how Florida State handled this situation.
As for Bowden, thank you so much Coach for one of the greatest decades in college football history. Thank you for all that you have done for the game, the students at that university, and the values that you brought to coaching. You will always be remembered as a legend and the college football world will always respect you and will never forget you.............that is when you decide to step down.
WE ARE....................
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