Jeff Driskel’s performance against Bowling Green on Saturday was enough.  After a spring, summer and fall of battling back and forth with fellow quarterback Jacoby Brissett, Driskel was named Florida starting quarterback by Will Muschamp today.

Muschamp said he told Driskel, “I don’t want you to be looking over your shoulder, but you need to play well.”  At which point Driskel probably started looking over his shoulder.

Driskel’s ability to move around in the pocket turned out to be a key difference between himself and Brissett.  “The rhythm of the game dictated that we were going to need some movement in the pocket,” Muschamp said.  “Jeff gave us that opportunity.”

And now Muschamp is giving Driskel the opportunity to start Saturday’s contest at new SEC rival Texas A&M.  “It’s been a lifelong dream,” the sophomore said.

Missouri DT Sheldon Richardson says Georgia plays “old man football”
Richardson adds: “If we execute, nobody in this league can touch us.”
Missouri opens SEC play with Georgia on Saturday
Texas A&M opens SEC play with Florida on Saturday
A&M coach Kevin Sumlin thinks UF held back in 27-14 win over Bowling Green
S. Carolina QB Connor Shaw is having “trouble lifting his right arm”
Shaw’s bruised shoulder might keep him from playing against E. Carolina on Saturday
Tennessee coaches waiting for word on LB Herman Lathers’ injured shoulder
Louisville whips Kentucky 32-14 on Sunday
Get all your SEC news from MrSEC.com and twitter.com/mrsec

Tyler B.

USC -7 @ Vanderbilt

The fact that I’m leading off with this game says it all. The biggest home game in Vanderbilt history – and ushering in the college football season – the outcome of this game drastically shapes the East. A Vandy win knocks USC out of the SEC East race before we even get to Week 2 and the Vanderbilt momentum marches on. For all the hype let’s not forget how good USC really is and that Vandy only won seven games last year, not 14. Vanderbilt will cause some problems in the East this year but it’s still too early to ask this much from them.

USC Covers: Cocks 31 – Vandy 21

Bama -14 vs. Michigan

The #8 team in the country is a 14-point underdog? I didn’t know that was even possible and it has to some kind of record. Despite a truckload of talent departing for games played on Sunday, “The Process” simply means Saban and his Tide roll on. I’m not sold on Michigan’s record from last year and a speedy quarterback hasn’t fared well against an SEC defense in quite some time. The best offensive line in the country means Bama continues to score late and Kirby Smart’s defense doesn’t allow cheap points.

Bama Covers: Bama 31- Michigan 14

Clemson -3’ vs. Auburn

Clemson will have a big year and it’s going to be a disappointing one for Auburn. Being buried in the deep SEC West still means Auburn can compete, but Clemson is simply better.

Clemson Covers: Clemson 24 – Auburn 13

Tennessee -3’ vs. NC State

The “any team in the SEC is better than any team in your conference” logic pulls me towards taking the Vols but UT is just really, really bad. The pressure has been on for quite a while for the Man in the Orange Pants, and the loss of Da’rick Rogers simply gives them one less weapon. Neither team exactly lights up the scoreboard, but the edge definitely goes to the Pack when comparing the two. We all know about Tyler Bray’s awesome tattoo, but Mike Glennon threw for nearly 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns last year. Did I mention that Tennessee is awful… and they are favored by a field goal and the hook?  The ACC sweeps the mighty SEC and Dooley has just about completed his Green Mile sprint. (I bet the Georgia Dome loves this game)

NC State Covers: Pack 24 – Vols 14

Louisville -14 vs. Kentucky

UK will not win one SEC game this year and rivals the 1994 team that ended up 1-10. This is not good for Joker Phillips who gets fired if the Cats go 5-7. It’s a home game for the confident Cards; however, the remnants of hurricane Isaac will dump a ton of rain during the game meaning one or two plays could give the Cats a chance. In a mild surprise the Cats keep it close and score late to cover the spread.

Kentucky Covers: Louisville 27 – Kentucky 17

UGA -38 vs. Buffalo: UGA Covers 51-10.

Florida -29 vs. Bowling Green: Bowling Green Covers 35-10

LSU -43 vs. North Texas: LSU Covers: 49-3

Missouri – NL

Texas A&M/La. Tech Postponed.

Tyler B. works as a communications specialist for a Louisville, Kentucky company.  A lifetime SEC fan – long before it became “acceptable” to cheer for every team in the conference – he plans on writing several books about college football that have a fantastic chance of never being written. 

Louisiana Tech announced Tuesday afternoon it has postponed its opening game against Texas A&M because of weather concerns.

For the safety of fans and student-athletes, Louisiana Tech’s game vs. Texas A&M has been postponed until Oct. 13. #LATechSports

— LA Tech Football (@LATechFB) August 28, 2012

The news could be significant for Texas A&M on the field.

The Aggies will now open their season against Florida on Sept. 8. That means Texas A&M, which will begin the season with a redshirt freshman quarterback, will enter SEC play without facing a non-conference test. Florida will host Bowling Green on Saturday.

Texas A&M will also lose its mid-season bye week. The Aggies were scheduled to be off the weekend of Oct. 13 before hosting LSU on Oct. 20.

There’s an old adage in football and I happen to be a big believer in it:

“Show me a team with two good quarterbacks and I’ll show you a team without a great quarterback.” 

For the sake of Florida’s fans, I hope that’s not the case in Gainesville this season.  But it sure seems to be.

Today, Will Muschamp unveiled his depth chart heading into Saturday’s opener with Bowling Green.  The quarterbacks, however, were listed with a great big “OR” between their names.  Oh, sure, there’s an element of gamesmanship involved in this.  But make no mistake, Jeff Driskel and Jacoby Brissett have been splitting reps from spring onward.  Even with Driskel suffering a bruised scapula, Brissett was apparently not able to grab the starting job and run with it.

And these aren’t drastically different types of quarterback.  This isn’t a change-of-pace kind of deal.  Show me a Leak/Tebow or Greene/Shockley dynamic and I’ll buy forget about that old adage above.  But Florida’s QBs are similar.  One’s 6-6, 237.  The other is 6-6, 229.

In 2012, Driskel was 16-of-34 for 148 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.  He had 16 rushes for 18 yards.  Brissett was 18-of-39 for 206 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions.  He had 13 rushes for seven yards.

Sim-i-lar.

Perhaps one or the other will prove himself be a gamer come Saturday.  For now, though, it appears that Florida will have to lean pretty heavily on Mike Gillislee and the new Gator ground game in 2012.

Western Kentucky has confirmed that Ross Bjork — the nation’s youngest athletic director — will be leaving the Hilltoppers after just two years to take over at Ole Miss.  The school’s statement includes this quote from Bjork:

“I have decided to accept the director of athletics position at the University of Mississippi and depart WKU.  While I was not seeking to leave WKU, the opportunity to oversee and manage the athletics department at a historic and prestigious university in the Southeastern Conference was one that we had to examine and ultimately accept.”

Interestingly, Bjork’s WKU contract contains a clause that could force Ole Miss to schedule the Hilltoppers in football and basketball.  And not just in Oxford.

In the past year, we’ve seen more and more small schools build “if you leave for another school you’ll have to schedule us” clauses into the contracts of ADs and even basketball coaches.  But what makes this deal unique is that it calls for Bjork to “use his best efforts at the hiring institution to schedule two-year home/home game series between the men’s and women’s basketball teams and one home/home series for the football team.”

“Best efforts” is awfully vague and it would seem that Bjork and Ole Miss would have some serious wiggle room thanks to that phrase.  Basketball probably wouldn’t likely be a problem anyway, but football might cause a hold-up.  No Southeastern Conference team is going to want to visit a lower rung FBS program like WKU (although Mississippi State did play at UAB this past season).  Whether it happens or not, it was a sharp idea by the folks at WKU.  Not only would they get national exposure, they’d get national exposure for their own campus, stadium and fans.

We’ll see if Bjork indeed makes his “best efforts” to line up the Rebels and Hilltoppers in football in Bowling Green anytime soon.

UPDATE — Ole Miss has now made the hiring of Bjork official on its end, too.

 Thom Abraham

There was so much hope going into the weekend for Tennessee, and now the situation appears bleak. Tyler Bray is basically done for the season, putting the Vols  two most dynamic players, Bray and Justin Hunter, on ice just five weeks in. Now it’s Matt Simms’ team and he’s gotta be, like, REALLY?  “I turn it over to you for the soft part of the schedule last season, and all the non-conference stuff this year and you hand it back to me for LSU, Alabama and South Carolina?”  And by the way, who is the 3^rd guy because if LSU doesn’t take him out next week, Bama likely will the following week. The Tide have sent three QBs to the training room in just the past two weeks.

The fact is, it’s not like UT got run out of the building by Georgia. They lost by eight points and were victim to several self-inflicted wounds, including not being able to execute some of the simplest of Special Teams…you don’t have to be dominant, you just can’t be screwing up…missing FGs and extra points, a weak onside kick effort.

And then there’s the running game…the second consecutive SEC game that the Vols finished with negative yards rushing?  And it got worse!  -9 against Florida, then -20 against Georgia. By the time they get done with LSU and Alabama, they could be in negative TRIPLE DIGITS!

You’ve got to love Derrick Dooley though; he did not sugar coat anything and was very blunt evaluating his team.  During the game, Dooley was pretty conservative, maybe too conservative, for his own good. He would be well served to take a couple of more chances, and could have clearly run another play before the end of the half to take a shot downfield.

So the question now is, can this team win the six games needed to play one in December?  The Vandy game now becomes, potentially, a bowl play-in game. Forget about the next three and the trip to Arkansas.  They will beat MTSU and Kentucky.  That’s five. So the Vols have to beat Vandy, and are fortunate the “6 wins over D-1” teams rule is no longer in play!

So where were you December 6^th, 1982?  I had been married two years, was 22 years old, and 10 days away from welcoming my second child, Kristin, into the world…about 20% of homes had Cable TV, there were no cell phones…no laptops, no PDA’s, the CD player was invented, a new Multi-color National paper called The USA Today debuted, and no Florida school was in the Top 25…no Miami, no Florida St., no Gators…no Bulls, Knights, Panthers or Owls either…As for the Gators, you have to go back 40 years to find the last time they took back to back beats like they just did the past two weeks…Just facts…

Thom Abraham hosts a daily sportstalk radio program that is syndicated from Nashville, TN to Huntsville, AL to Bowling Green, KY.  His website is thomabraham.net.

Kentucky has received a commitment from offensive lineman Jon Toth from Indianapolis.

Toth, who is Kentucky’s 13th commitment for the class of 2012, chose the Wildcats over offers from Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Toledo and Western Michigan.

The day Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley walked into Urban Meyer's living room in Utah six years ago was the first time the two had met. Foley was impressed and shortly after hiring Meyer, it didn't take Foley long to understand why Meyer had been so successful in stints at Bowling Green and Utah.
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Content provided by Swamp Things – Gators Blog.

Urban Meyer stepped down as Florida head coach Wednesday after six years with the Gators. (Orlando Sentinel photo)

The UF release announcing Urban Meyer’s resignation:

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Urban Meyer is stepping down as head coach of the University of Florida football team, Athletics Director Jeremy Foley announced Wednesday afternoon.

Meyer captured two National Championships in his six years at Florida
(2006 and 2008), two Southeastern Conference Championships (2006 and 2008), three SEC Eastern Division crowns (2006, 2008 and 2009) and led UF to six-straight January bowl games, including three BCS bowl games.
He was named Sporting News and Sports Illustrated “Coach of the Decade” in December of 2009.

“I have been a Division I football coach for the last 25 years and, during that time, my primary focus has been making a difference in the lives of the young men I have been so fortunate to have coached and building championship programs,” Meyer said.  “At this time in my life, however, I fully grasp the sacrifices my 24/7 profession has demanded of me, and I know it is time to put my focus on my family and life away from the field.  The decision to step down was a difficult one.  But, after spending more than two decades motivating and celebrating the young men I’ve been so proud to coach, I relish the opportunity to cheer for my three terrific kids as they compete in their own respective sports.  I know how fortunate I am to be in a position to make this choice and to have a family that is as loving and supportive as my amazing wife and children have always been. My family has shared both the commitment and the sacrifice required to coach at this level for so long and I would not have enjoyed the success I have had without their support.”

Meyer will coach his last game for UF in the Gators’ Outback Bowl matchup vs. Penn State on January 1st in Tampa, Fla.

Meyer continued, “I am enormously grateful to the University of Florida and our tremendous fans for giving me the incredible opportunity to lead the Gator football program.  The support provided by school president Bernie Machen and athletics director Jeremy Foley has been an invaluable part of all that we have been able to accomplish over the last six years.”

“I have exceptional regard for my coaching staff who has always shared my passionate commitment to winning and to guiding the development of the young men of Florida football.  Most importantly, I will be forever grateful to the student-athletes I have had the honor to coach and from whom I have learned so much.  I will profoundly miss coming to campus every day to coach this team, but I will always be a Gator at heart, and I am confident that the program will continue to reflect the highest ideals of the University of Florida and collegiate sports.”

“It’s been an honor and privilege to have Urban Meyer be our football coach for six years,” said Foley. “The championships, the mentoring of young men and his commitment to the University of Florida have indeed been special. As good of a coach as he is, he’s a better person and a great friend. He has given everything he has to this institution and we are grateful for the experiences. It a chapter in our history that is closing, but I know Urban wants to remain involved with the University and the Gainesville community. He absolutely loves the Gators.”

“As I have said many times, Urban Meyer’s integrity and commitment to his players and the University of Florida are beyond reproach,” said Machen.  “He leaves an outstanding legacy, on the field and in the classroom.  I know that all Gators wish nothing but the best for Coach Meyer as we recognize his extraordinary achievements with a great sense of pride and appreciation.”

He became the first coach in the history of the Football Bowl Subdivision to post consecutive 13-win seasons (2008 and 2009) and he is the only coach to post three 13-win seasons in a four-year span.

He was the first coach in the nation to win two Bowl Championship Series National Championships and is one of only two coaches in the history of the SEC to win two outright National Championships.

The three-time National Coach of the Year is currently the nation’s active winningest coach with 10 seasons or more, posting 103 victories against just 23 losses for a .817 winning percentage in his 10 seasons.
He reached 100 wins in just 118 games, the second-fastest number of games to reach the century mark since 1945. Overall, only five coaches reached the 100-win mark quicker than Meyer.

Meyer’s six-year record at Florida is 64-15 (.810), including a school-record stretch of 22-straight consecutive wins, the fourth-longest streak by an SEC team and the longest in the conference in 15 years. His teams also put together streak of 16-consecutive wins in SEC games, the second-longest streak in school history. Meyer was
17-2 (.895) against UF’s traditional rivals (Tennessee, Georgia, Florida State and Miami). Among active coaches, Meyer has been the only head coach to put together three 13-win seasons.

Meyer, 46, holds a 36-12 (.750) mark in SEC play at Florida, which is the fourth-best SEC winning percentage among head coaches who spent five years or more in the conference.

Since the SEC’s inception in 1933, no coach had begun his SEC career faster than Meyer. With his 2009 win over Arkansas, Meyer collected his 50th win as an SEC head coach, reaching that mark in just 59 games. That tied Frank Thomas of Alabama for the fastest to achieve 50 wins as an SEC head coach.

In 2008, Meyer accomplished the unprecedented feat of knocking off the BCS No. 1-ranked team in consecutive games, downing Alabama in the SEC Championship Game before dispatching Oklahoma in the BCS National Championship Game. Add in the 2007 BCS National Championship Game victory over Ohio State, and Meyer is the only coach to have defeated three BCS No. 1-ranked teams in his career.

Meyer owns a 58-7 (.892) record at home in his career, including a 36-5
(.878) mark in The Swamp. Meyer was 11-4 (.733) against top-10 teams at UF and his Gator teams were ranked at one point in 89-consecutive polls, including 67 weeks in the top 10 and 16 weeks at No. 1.

There have been 26 Gators selected in the NFL Draft under Meyer, including a nation’s-best nine in 2007 and 2009. Seven Gators have been first-round draft picks under Meyer and UF has had at least one first-round pick in each of the last four years. A school-record tying three Gators were chosen in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft.
Overall, Meyer has coached 81 players who have signed NFL contracts.

Eighty-six of his players have graduated at UF and another nine are scheduled to graduate on Saturday. Two of those 86 student-athletes were named among UF’s Outstanding Senior Leaders on campus (Chris Leak,
2006 and Tim Tebow, 2009). One hundred and thirty one of his student athletes were named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll at Florida, including a league-record 37 in 2008. More than 37 percent of his scholarship players earned above a 3.0 GPA in the Spring of 2009 and Tebow won the William V. Campbell Trophy last year, also known as the Academic Heisman.

Meyer is one of two active coaches to win a pair of outright national championships (2006 and 2008), coach a Heisman Trophy winner (Tebow) and coach a first-overall draft pick in the NFL Draft (Alex Smith).

Meyer also connected with the fans, student body and The Gator Nation.
He initiated the Gator Walk, a pre-game tradition that had the players enter the stadium through a tunnel of enthusiastic and vibrant fans two hours before kickoff. He began the tradition of players signing the school fight song to the student section at the conclusion of home games. Meyer invited former players back with open arms and had Captains’ Legacy Weekend – inviting all former UF captains back for Homecoming weekend.

Meyer also spearheaded the plans for a $28-million expansion of the football facility which features an expanded weight room, new football offices and the Bill Heavener Football Complex. The state-of-the art building pays tribute to Florida’s proud tradition, championships and all-time great players.

In addition to his on the field accomplishments, Meyer has also championed efforts in community service in Gainesville.

Meyer recently spearheaded a local effort to feed needy families in the local community with St. Augustine’s Catholic Church. Meyer’s donation and 50-plus members of the football team bagged food and goods that would last a week during the Thanksgiving Holiday.

A new initiative beginning in 2009, UF football players performed more than 400 hours of community service each year, as each student-athlete attended at least two Goodwill Gator events per semester.

In the spring of 2009, the “Swamp Field Trip” was available to local middle schools as a reward for their students who achieved good grades, were involved in community service, had major improvements, etc.
The students had the opportunity to speak with a group of players and had a special tour of the football facility given by the players.

The UF football team held the inaugural Gator Charity Challenge in August of 2008 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in front of approximately 1,800 people. The fundraiser featured the 2008 Gators challenging each other in a series of strength competitions to raise funds and awareness for six charities that were selected by the football program and are affiliated with Shands, a University partner. The charities were the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, Children’s Miracle Network, March of Dimes and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The Gator Charity Challenge was held in association with Uplifting Athletes.

In the spring of 2008, Meyer initiated a mentor program for young at-risk males. Working with the African-American Accountability Alliance of Alachua County task force, the program BLAQUE (Bold Leaders, Achieving Quality, Unity and Excellence) was developed. The program partnered 15 area middle school children with a Gator football player and a community leader. The goal is to affect change in the lives of at-risk black youth.

In the spring of 2005 and 2006, Meyer worked closely with student-body leaders on campus on a community service initiative surrounding the annual Orange and Blue Spring Game. Student leaders sold Orange and Blue spirit bands prior to the Spring Game with proceeds benefiting the Children’s Miracle Network. Fans that purchased the bands were then asked to assist members of the UF coaching staff and football team in the planning of more than 400 crape myrtle trees on Radio Road on campus.

Meyer’s goodwill efforts have extended beyond his football family.
Inspired by Tebow’s missionary work, Meyer and his family spent time in the Dominican Republic on a missionary trip in June of 2008.

Meyer has mentored 10 coaches who have gone on to become Division I head coaches. Six of the seven served as coordinators under Meyer. In 2003, Gregg Brandon succeeded Meyer as head coach at Bowling Green, while 2005 saw Kyle Whittingham take over for Meyer at Utah. Also in 2005, Mike Sanford took the reins at UNLV. Tim Beckman was named head coach at Toledo in December of 2008. This season was Dan Mullen’s second as head coach at Mississippi State following his time as offensive coordinator at UF. Former Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong was hired as the head coach at the University of Louisville in December of 2009. John “Doc” Holliday, an assistant for UF in 2005 and 2006, was named head coach at Marshall last December and, most recently, former defensive line coach Dan McCarney was named the head coach at North Texas.

Meyer came to UF from Utah, where Meyer closed out his stint in Salt Lake City with 16 consecutive wins. He began his UF career with four-straight wins to extend his head coaching winning streak to 20 games. With its post-season bid to the Fiesta Bowl, Utah made history by becoming the first school from a non-Bowl Championship Series conference to earn a berth in a BCS Bowl. Utah finished as the outright 2004 Mountain West Conference champion to become the only back-to-back outright winners in the league’s history.

Meyer began his head coaching career at Bowling Green in 2001, where he engineered the top turnaround in NCAA Division I-A football, showing a six-win improvement from the previous season. The Falcons rebounded from a 2-9 record to post their first winning season since 1994 with an 8-3 finish.

Meyer’s 17-6 (.739) record at Bowling Green included a 5-0 mark against BCS teams and two wins over ranked opponents.

Meyer apprenticed at Ohio State (1986-87), Illinois State (1988-89), Colorado State (1990-95) and Notre Dame (1996-2000) before getting the head job at Bowling Green. The Ashtabula, Ohio, native learned the coaching trade from the likes of Sonny Lubick, Lou Holtz, Earle Bruce and Bob Davie.