1. Dez Bryant-OK State: 1st round

2. Damien Williams-USC: 1st-2nd round

3. Golden Tate-Notre Dame: 1st-2nd round

4. Brandon LaFell-LSU: 2nd round

5. Dezmon Briscoe-Kansas: 2nd round

6. Mardy Gilyard-Cincinnati: 2nd round

7. Demaryius Thomas-Georgia Tech: 2nd-3rd round

8. Jordan Shipley-Texas: 3rd round

9. Taylor Pice-Ohio: 3rd round

10. Eric Decker-Minnesota: 3rd round

11. Arrelious Benn-Illinois: 3rd round

12. Andre Roberts-Citadel: 3rd-4th round

13.  Jeremy Williams-Tulane: 4th round

14. David Reed-Utah: 4th round

15. Mike Williams-Syracuse: 4th-5th round

16. Riley Cooper-Florida: 5th round

17. Emmanuel Sanders-SMU: 5th-6th round

18. Jacoby Ford-Clemson: 5th-6th round

19. Danario Alexander-Missouri: 6th round

20. Antonio Brown-Central Michigan: 6th round

21. Carlton Mitchell-South Florida: 6th round

22. Shay Hodge-Ole Miss: 6th-7th round

This year’s receiving class is extremely deep, but not very strong at the top. Dez Bryant is the favorite among the group, but he’s far from a complete receiver. Down the road though he has the potential to be a very good number 1 wideout, which should get him drafted in the 15-20 range of the 1st round.

Damien Williams gets overlooked because he’s not the tallest, strongest or fastest receiver in bunch, but he should not be ignored so quickly. He is an excellent route runner, that possesses elite ball skills and should contribute at the next level right off the bat. His character and work ethic are off the charts as well. He should be a steal at the end of the first round.

Golden Tate and Mardy Gilyard also get overlooked due to their height, but both should be immediate contributors. LaFell is loved in most draft circles and I expect him to be off the board early, but he worries me as a prospect overall. He could develop into a very good receiver, but there is a high bust factor as well for me.

Briscoe and Thomas are two underrated receivers both have the abilities to be top flight wideouts, but are still raw. Thomas especially had his development hindered in Georgia Tech’s option attack. In terms of raw skill Thomas is probably the number 1 player in this class, but his understanding of the nuances and route running ability are well below average.

Another raw player that I’m not nearly as enamored with is Benn. I realize the Illinois quarterback situation was down right awful, but Benn just completely disappeared this season. To be any higher than a late 3rd round prospect, Benn will need to show some impressive workout numbers and hopefully answer questions about his work ethic.

One other name to keep an eye on is David Reed from Utah. Reed had an impressive East-West Shrine Game week. He seems to have a very advanced understanding of what it takes to be a receiver at the next level. My 4th round grade could be pretty bullish, but my guess is 5 years from now people will be wondering why he wasn’t among the top 50 picks in this year’s draft. All-in-all has impressive depth, any of the 22 players I listed could develop into at the very least a solid contributor.

How good is Florida’s class?:

The Florida Gators may have lost the SEC and National Championship to their rival Alabama, but they won yesterday on National Signing day, inking the best class of any school (Texas is close though). The best part about this class is how they built it, with an intense focus on defense including the top 6 players in their class. The Gators have set themselves up to have one of the best defensive units ever on the gridiron. They covered every position on defense and now have tremendous depth in their secondary. On offense the Gators focused on their their offensive line, running backs and receivers. UF also added a couple of athletes, who could develop into spread quarterbacks or switch to another position. Overall from top to bottom the Gators had the best class, not only in terms of top end talent, but also depth and positional need.

How good is the rest of the SEC?:

ESPN and Rivals both rated the SEC with having 8 top 25 classes (Scout only had 7), by far the best of any conference. All three publications have at least 4 teams ranked in the top 10, with ESPN and Rivals each adding Tennessee to the top 10 as well. Even the teams that didn’t make the top 25 rankings had great recruiting days yesterday, and had they been in other conferences, their classes would be considered among the top 4 or 5 in the league. From the top to the bottom the SEC were the big winners yesterday.

Is USC’s class a bit overrated?:

ESPN has the Trojans 7th overall, with Scout having them 5th and Rivals placing them as the top recruiting class in the country. As a side note, USC has a verbal commitment from Seantrel Henderson the top ranked OT in the nation, but he won’t sign until after the NCAA investigation of past recruiting issues, so if the NCAA comes down on the Trojans, they could lose one of their top recruits. Outside of Henderson, the Trojans had a good, albeit small class.

Of their 18 signed recruits, 14 were 4 or 5 star recruits according to ESPN.  While that is impressive, of that group of talent they added 3 wide receivers and 3 tight ends among that group. Having a third of your class as pass catchers is dangerous. While they should almost certainly find some good starters from that group, they spent too many scholarships on a group that is notorious for failed prospects. Yes, other schools like Florida, Alabama and others added just as many pass catchers, but with 8-12 additional scholarships they were able to address other needs as well. The minimal focus on defense and the offensive line (which are other positions that are in need of new starters) could come back to haunt the Trojans down the line. In fairness they were in on some players, but just couldn’t close on them. With the way the Trojans class went (even with Henderson) I don’t know if they are deserving of anything in the top 15 much less the top 10, given their lack of depth, positional value and filling of need.

Quarterbacks:

1. Jimmy Clausen- 1^st round, Notre Dame
2. Sam Bradford- 1^st round, Oklahoma
3. Tony Pike-2^nd round, Cincinnati
4. Colt McCoy-2^nd-3^rd round, Texas
5. Tim Tebow-2^nd-3^rd round, Florida
6. Jevan Snead-2^nd-4^th round, Ole Miss
7. Dan LeFevour-3^rd-4^th round, Central Michigan
8. Sean Canfield-4^th round, Oregon State
9. Bill Stull-4^th-5^th round, Pittsburgh
10. Jarrett Brown-5^th round, West Virginia
11. John Skelton-5^th-6^th round, Fordham
12. Max Hall-6^th round BYU
13. Tim Hiller-7^th round, Western Michigan
14. Zac Robinson-FA, OK State
15. Joe Webb-FA, UAB
16. Levi Brown-FA, Troy
17. Ryan Perrilloux-FA, Jacksonville St
18. Jon Compton-FA, Tennessee
19. Mike Kafka-FA, Northwestern

Right now Jimmy Clausen has separated himself from the pack and should be the top quarterback taken in April. His big arm, and ability to play in a more pro style offense moves him ahead of Sam Bradford. Bradford’s arm injury also should give teams in the early part of Round 1 some cause for concern. While there are some holes in their games, I do think both Clausen and and Bradford are first round talents and could be Franchise quarterbacks down the line. While most people think the quarterback talent stops after Bradford in this class, I feel a couple of these arms will surprise some people. It would not shock me at all to see 3-4 of these quarterbacks (outside the first rounders) end up as good starters 3 years from now. Pike and McCoy are the next closest from the bunch, and may be ready to start within a year. Neither one possesses incredible arm strength, but both have the intangibles needed for the NFL. McCoy in particular reminds me of a right-handed Mark Brunell. Jevan Snead has taken a beating for coming out early, but he has all the tools needed to succeed at the next level if he finds a team that will be patient with him. Dan LeFevour I think could be the best quarterback of this group, and I see him developing into a top notch quarterback. LeFevour has a good (but not great) arm, and always makes smart decisions. He also has the mobility and foot speed to pick up chunks of yards on the ground, when nothing is open down field. Two senior quarterbacks, Sean Canfield and Bill Stull, stepped up their games this year and moved themselves into mid-round consideration. As for late-round targets, two names to keep an eye on are John Skelton and Max Hall. Hall is a gamer, and an extremely accurate passer. Unfortunately for Hall he stands just about 6 feet tall, making it unlikely he can transition into the pro game as a starter. Skelton on the other hand has no problems with his 6’5″ size, just his mechanics. His arm strength is spectacular (probably the best in the class), but he is a very raw prospect, that will need plenty of work to turn into a starter.

Running backs:

1. C.J. Spiller-1^st round, Clemson
2. Jahvid Best-1^st-2^nd round, California
3. Jonathan Dwyer-1^st-2^nd round, Georgia Tech
4. Montario Hardesty-2^nd round, Tennessee
5. Antonio Dixon-2^nd round, Mississippi State
6. Toby Gerhart-2^nd-3^rd round, Stanford
7. Joe McKnight-2^nd-3^rd round, USC
8. Ryan Mathews- 2^nd-3^rd round, Fresno State
9. Ben Tate-3^rd round, Auburn
10. Charles Scott-3^rd-4^th round, LSU
11. Javarris James-4^th round, Miami
12. James Starks-4^th-5^th round, Buffalo
13. Dexter McCluster-4^th-5^th round, Ole Miss
14. Chris Brown-5^th-6^th round, Oklahoma
15. Stafon Johnson-6^th round, USC
16. Keiland Williams, 6^th round, LSU
17. LeGarrett Blount,6^th-7^th round, Oregon
18. Curtis Steele, 7^th round, Memphis
19. Damion Fletcher, 7^th round, Southern Miss
20. Keith Totson, 7^th round, OK State
21. Shawnbrey McNeal, 7^th round, SMU
22. Brandon Minor, 7^th round, Michigan
23. Brandon James, 7^th round, Florida
24. Joique Bell, 7^th round-FA, Wayne State
25. Trindon Holliday, 7^th round-FA, LSU

This year’s running back class, lacks ‘star’ power and overall depth, but has a lot of interesting guys in the top 15. Any of the top 8 backs could be a feature back by year two. Spiller and Best are the home run hitters of this class, and have the added benefit of being return men. Dwyer and Dixon are your grind it out running backs, capable of getting the ball 25 times a game. Hardesty is a tough back that really seems to be getting overlooked in some circles. Gerhart should be in the mix with Dwyer and Dixon, but he’s the type of player that is consistently underrated. He might not have top end speed or the best short shuffle time, but when he runs, he runs like John Riggins and I think he has that high of a ceiling. Ryan Mathews is another back who should probably go higher then I have him rated, and he should have a bright future in the NFL, but he needs to learn some of the finer points of being a running back. His vision and decision making are average at best, and will need to improve to become an every down runner. McKnight is a back that has all the physical skill, size and speed, but lacks the intangibles to be an elite prospect. I still think he’ll come off the board in the 2nd or 3rd round given his pedigree (possibly by his old college coach Pete Carroll), but has a major bust label looming. One mid-round guy that warrants more attention is McCluster, a running back/receiver/return man hybrid. He will never be an every down back at the next level, but should excel in a specialty role (similar to Sproles and L. Washington), and in fact might be even better given his work as a wide receiver. Blount and Fletcher are two late-round guys, who should be going 4-5 rounds higher if not for off the field incidents. If they can show that they have pulled their lives together, they could end up being good late round steals.

Remember this is just a first look at where these guys should rank. We will get into greater detail on players and positions as the draft gets closer.

Overall I think USC made a great move by bringing in Lane Kiffin as their next head coach (especially since its a package deal with his dad). It just completely shocks me that this move was made under the radar. Of all the names that had been mentioned by USC (or rumored), Kiffin’s name never came up. While I think the Trojans might have had some bigger targets earlier, I think they ended up getting the right man for the job.

Now I know Lane Kiffin can come off a bit arrogant and had some rule violations early on at Tennessee. Which was a bit surprising since he was the recruiting coordinator at USC under Carroll, but that could be chalked up to the brainwashing he received in Oakland by Al Davis. But I think this is the right move since it gives you credibility on offense (Lane’s specialty) and defense (which is his dad’s area of expertise). This should stop the exodus of recruits that had been reopening their recruitment to USC and the current players who were transferring/entering the draft. Another advantage with bringing in Kiffin is his age (34). If he finds success and stays at USC (which could be a big ‘if’) he’s young enough to create a college dynasty there. He could coach there for the next 30 years and give the Trojans the stability they need.

It is a bit surprising that Kiffin is leaving the Volunteers after one season, especially given the state of the SEC right now. Yes the Pac-10 is gaining in prominence (though they had a pretty bad bowl season), the SEC is still the best conference in college football. And right now there is an opening to potentially bring Tennessee back to prominence in the SEC. Florida is in a state of transition right now, and Alabama is losing some of their top defensive players. Ole Miss and Georgia will have brand new starting QB’s and have lost a lot of talent over the past few seasons. LSU could be rebuilding as well. Only Arkansas and Auburn really seemed like teams on the rise in the SEC (though you never fully count anyone out), and Tennessee seemed like one or two years away from being one of the top programs again in their conference. USC on the other hand, is on the way down, as the rest of the Pac-10 rises (which could be why Carroll finally left). Cal and UCLA always can build pretty good teams, and the resurgence of Washington, Oregon State and Stanford makes the Pac-10 a very deep conference. As good as all those teams are, they are all second fiddle to the Oregon Ducks, who are the team to beat out west right now. Kiffin might have the money and prestige of USC to work with, but he will have his work cut out for him in the Pac-10.

The real winner of this deal might not be the football program at USC, but rather the players. Despite Pete Carroll and all his great assistants at USC, the Trojans have done a pretty bad job of developing their recruits into players. Now I know that sounds like sacrilege, since USC is widely considered the “NFL team in Los Angeles” and their record has been so good. But I’m not taking away their accomplishments on the college football field (though I’m quelling the myth that they could compete in the NFL), I’m just commenting on the lack of development of their prospects. Now there are a few notable exceptions, Carson Palmer and Troy Polamalu early on, and Clay Mathews Jr. and Brian Cushing this past season. But all in all, USC players have been major disappointments when it comes to the NFL. Running backs who can’t read blocks, receivers who can’t run routes and defensive players who are just completely lost. I think that will all change with the addition of the Kiffins. Monte Kiffin will bring with him an NFL style defense, and Lane I think will do a better job at developing his recruits into players.

Thoughts on National Championship:

Congrats to the Alabama Crimson Tide for winning the National Championship game last night, 37-21. It was a great win by Alabama, led by their defense and running backs Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson. Ingram and Richardson combined for 256 yards of Alabama’s 263 total yards (total yards include the loss yardage of McElroy’s sacks), and all four offensive touchdowns. Texas couldn’t stop the two backs, who did anything they wanted all game (how good is Alabama’s backfield going to be next season). Not to take anything away from Alabama’s win, but this game was really over when Colt McCoy left the game with a shoulder injury on the first drive. His backup Garrett Gilbert came in for the rest of the game. Gilbert, a true freshman, has a bright future. But the kid was in over his head last night, completing just 15 of 40 attempts and throwing four interceptions. It would have been nice to see what the Longhorns could have done with Colt McCoy at the helm, but I think Alabama would have still ended up winning.

Jevan Snead Decision:

While I will update the Underclassman leaving for the NFL Draft post soon, I wanted to take a moment to focus on one decision that has gotten a lot of attention in the last 24 hours. That decision is Junior quarterback Jevan Snead, leaving Mississippi to enter the draft. Snead had one more year of eligibility, but has already used his redshirt (when he transferred from Texas) so he has been in college football for 4 seasons. If you had said 5 months ago that Snead was declaring early, no one would have blinked an eye. At that point he was considered a first round draft pick, and potentially the top quarterback taken in April. Now Snead his taking a lot of criticism in the media for declaring early. At first glance you can understand why, Snead’s numbers fell big time this season and he ended the year with 20 interceptions. Conventional wisdom would have said Snead should come back play one more season and hopefully rebuild his stock back up to the first round level.

Right now Snead’s stock has fallen into the third round range, and much of his draft position will be determined by his workouts (note to Snead run every drill at the Combine and do the individual workout), so going back to school made some sense. In reality though I think Snead made the right choice, going against conventional wisdom and coming out early. Snead will lose his two biggest offensive weapons, WR Shay Hodge, and RB/WR Dexter McCluster to the draft. In addition, he will lose his top offensive lineman John Jerry, as well as a few other offensive role players (another starting offensive lineman is applying for a medical redshirt so he might be gone as well). The Mississippi offensive is going to be rebuilding this season, and not exactly the situation you want to be in when you want to ‘rebuild’ your draft status. And with the losses on the offensive line, Snead would probably take more hits than he did this year (which were quite a bit), increasing his risk for injury. Snead did not have a good situation to come back to, and would be facing some competition from the young quarterbacks on the roster. If he got injured or had a really bad game, there is no guarantee that he’d get his starting job back.

I think Snead made the correct and prudent decision to jump to the NFL and tie his stock to his individual workouts and the Scouting Combine. Snead might not be able to improve his stock back into the first round or even the second round for that matter, but even if he is a 3rd or 4th round pick I think he made the right call. He will still get decent money for being a mid-round pick, so his personal well being is set. As for his long term future, if he needs to rebuild his stock, he might as well do it from an NFL sideline than a NCAA one. He can get a jump start on learning the nuances of being an NFL quarterback and could even accelerate the time table for him becoming a starter. I think Snead could have a bright future, if some team is smart enough and patient enough to draft him in the mid-rounds and let him develop for 2-3 years.

Tonight the Alabama Crimson Tide look to extend the SEC’s streak of National Championships to four with a win over the Texas Longhorns. Led by Heisman Trophy running back Mark Ingram, and a roster littered with pro prospects, the Crimson Tide are pretty strong favorites tonight over the Longhorns. Don’t count Texas out just yet, the year before the SEC started this National Championship run (2006), the Longhorns were big underdogs to the USC Trojans, and ended up beating them in overtime.

Texas might not have the weapons to match up on offense with Alabama, but they do have two very important players, quarterback Colt McCoy and receiver Jordan Shipley. Both players are seniors, and both players lack top end skills for their positions, yet get by on the smarts and experience. The biggest question for Texas is which McCoy is going to show up? The one who dominated all season, or the one who struggled against Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship game. I think for Texas’s sake we will see more of the former, and quite a bit less of the latter. I think McCoy will have a big game tonight, and will make plays with his legs as well as his arm. The McCoy and Shipley connection can keep them close on offense, but the real question is if the Longhorns defense can slow down the Crimson Tide.

The short answer is ‘not likely’, as the Tide have a very balanced offensive attack. In addition to Ingram, they have weapons at tight end and receiver as well as depth at all those positions. Quarterback Greg McElroy might not be as highly rated as McCoy, but he had an excellent season and always came through in the clutch. While Texas has a pretty good front 7 on defense, their secondary is pretty weak and I think they will be exploited a couple of times tonight. Usually the Longhorns rely on their pass rush, but the Tide have done a great job keeping McElroy upright this season. While I believe that Texas will be able to move the ball on Alabama’s defense and keep the game close, I think the Crimson Tide will make a couple of key defensive stops and that will be the difference in the game. Alabama 31-24.

Happy New Year everyone! 2009 has come to a close and we have seen the Florida Gators, Pittsburgh Steelers, North Carolina Tar Heels, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Lakers and New York Yankees all raised trophies in 2009. Who will be the teams that follow them in 2010?

NCAAF:  Well this one is nice because I have a 50/50 chance of getting my pick right. I think the Alabama Crimson Tide will beat Texas to be this year’s National Champions and continue the dominance of the SEC.

NFL:  Indianapolis Colts. Yes they have their first loss, but I’m not sure if Manning and the Colts will get another one. The Colts have the defense and the quarterback (not to mention a host of other weapons) to be the last team standing in February.

NCAAB:  There are 10 teams right now that I could honestly think could be cutting down the nets in March (actually April). I’ll go with the Kansas Jayhawks. Kansas has some top notch experience balanced with some young players. I also like Kansas’s depth and inside-outside talent.

NHL:  Pittsburgh Penguins. The Pens might have a tougher road this year with improved New Jersey and Washington teams this year. But at the end of the day they still have Crosby and Malkin and in any 7 game series I’m going to bet on those two.

NBA:  Cleveland Cavaliers. This could be the year for Lebron and the Cavs. They will have to get past Boston in the East (and Orlando), and will probably face the Lakers in the Finals, but I like the Cavs chances this year. And I think they will make a run this season.

MLB:  Atlanta Braves. This is by far the hardest sport to predict, not only has the season not started yet, but the offseason is still well under way. While the Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies are all excellent choices, I like what the Braves have done this offseason. While I think they need another bat (or two), they have the prospects to make a move. In addition, they will get help from their farm system in another way as Jason Heyward seems poised to head to the big leagues. Heyward could be one of the bats they need, and if he is I think the Braves can make a run this season.

So what do you think? What picks will be right and where was I way off?

(11) Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee: I like the Hokies in this one, both teams are similar with a good running game and a great defense. In the end though I think Tech has more overall talent and will win a close game 24-21.

Oklahoma vs. (21) Stanford: This is going to be a fun game to watch Stanford’s Toby Gerhart against the tough run defense of the Sooners, led by All-American Gerald McCoy (DT). While Stanford’s the ranked team, they will be without their starting quarterback and have to be underdogs against Oklahoma. As long as Gerhart’s on the field I would never want to discount the Cardinal’s chances, but I think they come up short against a Sooner team that wants to avenge their disastrous season. Oklahoma wins 31-20.

(3) Cincinnati vs. (5) Florida: Instead of the Sugar Bowl they should call this the “Coaching Uncertainty Bowl” with the controversy we’ve seen at both schools over the last month. As much as I love the Bearcats and Tony Pike, I don’t think they have the ground game or defense needed to stop Florida. I think the Gators will be able to move the ball effectively, and their defense should be able to slow down Pike and Gilyard (note to Florida, kick the ball out of bounds instead of kicking it to Gilyard. If you don’t believe me, ask the Pitt Panthers) enough for Florida to win this game pretty easily, 38-24.

(8) Ohio State vs. (7) Oregon: The Rose Bowl this year should be a fun (and high scoring game to watch). Both the Buckeyes and Ducks have electric offenses that can score from anywhere on the field. The Ohio State offense is a little less refined but is more balanced overall. The Ducks on the other hand are very good and running back, quarterback and tight end, but lack top notch talent across the board. The Ducks defense isn’t as talented as Ohio State’s, but shouldn’t be taken lightly otherwise you will find yourself on the other end of a blowout (just ask Cal and USC). In the end I think the Ducks better execution will win the day in Pasadena 42-38.

(12) Penn State vs. (13) LSU:  History has shown that Big Ten teams don’t fare to well when they go head to head with an equal from the SEC, and I think history is about to repeat itself tomorrow. Penn State has some elite talents on their football team, but they lack the vertical attack to match the Tigers score for score if need be. While the Nittany Lions have a couple players who will be playing on Sunday’s next season, they lack the overall defense needed to stop the Tigers size and speed. I think Penn State keeps it close early, but the Tigers pull away in the end 31-17.

(16) West Virginia vs. Florida State: The “Bowden Bowl”, a match-up of his current team against his former team, is a nice retirement party for Bobby Bowden (though I don’t know if he’ll like his parting gift from the Mountaineers). I suspect that Florida State will be fired up for their coach, but emotion is about the only advantage they have over WVU. The Mountaineers have an immensely talented (and quick) offense, and while they’ve had their share of inconsistencies I see them putting on quite a show tomorrow against FSU. The Seminoles will be starting a freshman at quarterback, and while he has a promising future, I think he will have his hands full with the Mountaineers defense tomorrow. If the Mountaineers can get pressure on the quarterback early, they can neutralize the Seminoles extremely talented receiving corps. WVU wins this one easily 38-24.

Urban Meyer is not the next Brett Favre:

I know we can tend to jump to conclusions and while Meyer’s new announcement ruined my blog from yesterday (as well as every other sport blog in the country), I’m happy that he changed his mind (though I’m not too sure the rest of the SEC will agree with my premise). Meyer should be coaching, and if the leave of absence will do him good and he can come back healthy and refreshed, then all the power to him. Meyer is definitely in the prime of his career, and should be on the sideline for years to come. His return is huge for the Gators, and I’d suspect they will continue to be perennial National Champion contenders.

Colts Screw-Up My Fantasy Team Their Undefeated Season:

Rex Ryan should be sending Jim Caldwell a nice Christmas gift after the Colts pulled their starters yesterday in the 2nd half, allowing New York to come back and win. Not only did it end the Colts undefeated season, but with the Broncos loss, the Jets are now in prime playoff position. The Colts meanwhile now no longer have the “pressure” of the undefeated season, or whatever other rosy scenario they try to paint to their fans. Which by the way, were none too happy about them sitting Manning and the rest of their starters. I can totally understand resting a few guys or sitting Manning the last couple of series in the 4th if they had the lead. But to just openly concede the game like that is pretty bad (in front of your home crowd no less).  I really don’t buy any of the excuses of resting their starters or protecting them from injury. History shows that teams who rest their starters in the last week or two of the season come out flat in the playoffs after their bye week. Sure their are exceptions to the rule, but too long of a lay-off is an issue that has hurt the Colts in the past, why go down that road again? The worst part is the Colts were in prime position to be able to rest most or all of their starters next week at Buffalo. The Bills are a floundering team, and Indianapolis would have probably jumped out to an early lead, giving them ample opportunity to rest Manning and Co. and maintain their perfect season. While I hope the Colts can overcome any rust when they make the playoffs they just put a huge target on their back for whatever Wild Card team that makes it since they didn’t eliminate the Jets from the playoff picture.

In one of the most shocking stories to come out of the sports world in recent memory, Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer is leaving after this season health reasons. While reports are murky about the exact cause, you have to hope and pray that Meyer is okay and it is nothing life threatening. Though this move is the best for Coach Meyer and his family it is sad to see him leave coaching in his prime.

In five years with the Gators, Meyer has won two National Championships and won at least nine games a season (three seasons of 12 or more). Meyer has led the Gators to a 56-10 record* (with the Bowl game to go) and has a career 95-18 record (again with one game to go). Everywhere Meyer has coached, he has won and built a solid program. In two years with Bowling Green, two with Utah and five with Florida, Meyer has won five conference titles and never finished lower than third in the conference. By comparison over the same nine year period USC coach Pete Carroll  went 97-19 (including his Bowl Game this season), one undisputed National Championship and one AP National Championship. While Carroll’s numbers are impressive, it should be noted that twice his team finished 5th in the Pac-10, and he also had the recruiting resources of USC for all nine seasons, which might be a bit better than those of Bowling Green and Utah.

To me there is no question that Meyer is the greatest coach in college football over the last ten years. While questions now swirl about the future of Meyer and the Gators, I wonder how Meyer will be remembered years from now? And are his two National Championships enough to keep him in the great coach conversation and even in the College Football Hall of Fame?