AROUND THE NATIONFLORIDA FIASCO: OK, we got it. The Gators enter the season a forgotten former power, promptly stun the nation with a 6-0 start and vault into the top 10 only to see linchpin QB Will Grier get suspended for a year by the NCAA after being caught using a banned, performance-enhancing – and now they’re seen as a veritable house of cards, ready to crumble at a moment’s notice, and likely to crumble when visiting fellow SEC unbeaten LSU today. The issue here is … if the team is going to be called to the carpet and put on display for all to criticize, could its symbol for stupidity look something more like an actual weightlifter than a 1970s pornstar-turned-yoga instructor? C’mon, this kid is now Exhibit A for illegal PED use? By some accounts, he gained 40 pounds or so in a single year using the supplement Ligandrol. By others, it was something else. Does it even matter? He’s still scrawny, pretty frail-looking for an FBS-level athlete. Frankly, the kid can play a little bit for sure, but he ain’t going to be the poster boy for some product at GNC any time soon. SACK MEN: It’s an amazing thing to ponder, a testament to the dedication of young athletes who chose not to give up and an absolute rip job on the accuracy of that old recruiting adage that “if you’re good enough, they’ll find you.” Umm, not quite … Standing atop the NCAA FBS sacks leaderboard are Penn State defensive end Carl Nassib and Wisconsin Joe Schobert. The former has 10 sacks to lead the nation, the latter has 9 to rank right behind. Both players are former walk-ons at their schools. Both are prime examples that recruiting is an inexact science whose “professors” are often wrong. Nassib’s tale is particularly interesting when you consider his freakin’ brother starred at Syracuse and currently backs up Giants QB Eli Manning. Uhh, did recruiter’s lose the Nassib’s address? BOISE BOMBED: Maybe it’s the blue turf, or the almost Oregon-like attempt at being edgy with uniforms and helmets. Whatever it is, Boise State has failed to gain favor here. It’s just been an annoying outfit, forever forced upon the nation as an underdog achieving things normally reserved for the likes of Alabama and Ohio State … or so we’ve been told. Anyway, with that, things such as Friday night’s Broncos implosion at Utah State truly serve as guilty pleasures. The Aggies ultimately won, 52-26. But the true beauty was a first half that saw No. 21 Boise turn the ball over seven times and fall behind 45-10. Take that, ’Bama and OSU. UPSET WATCH: Unranked Arizona State prevailing at No. 4 Utah seems to be the trendy pick, but not feeling that here. Unranked Southern Cal winning at No. 14 Notre Dame would be interesting, especially given that seats for that one now start at $201, according to StubHub, if you can get a ticket. Unranked Eastern Michigan stunning No. 22 Toledo would be nice, since it would end the Rockets’ likely derailment of more worthy non-Power 5 teams getting consideration for New Year’s Day bowls. Nah, the one “upset” vibe that has been pretty strong all week here is the one that sees No. 20 Northwestern knocking No. 17 Iowa from the unbeaten ranks. Reason being simple – gut feeling is that the Wildcats are better. A lot better. They’re also at home. | Temple’s What 2 Watch vs. UCF |
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