ESPN 98.1 FM / 850 AM WRUF ESPN 98.1 FM / 850 AM WRUF
The Back Nine comes at you after the best birthday weekend in my 70 years on the planet thanks to my amazing family … and the Florida Gators. I’m not worthy.
10. This is college football. If you would have told me DJ Lagway would have no rushing attempts and the Gators would have the ball for less than 19 minutes and LSU would run 92 plays compared to 43 for UF, I would have wondered if Billy Napier went back on the hot seat. But this is college football and the only thing that really, really matters is the final score. And you knew this team would not give up. Instead, they finally got a few breaks and made enough plays and fed off the crowd and won the football game. Did any of you enjoy yourselves?
11. I know my oldest daughter, Jenny, and her husband, Patrick, did. They surprised me by flying in from Los Angeles for my birthday. They hadn’t seen the Petty tribute at the end of the third quarter before. They couldn’t believe how loud it was. And how tight the seats were. Which is why people stand up for a lot of the games. They had a blast.
12. Of course, those who prefer corn dogs did not have fun. One of the national radio shows discussed the different ways Billy Napier and Brian Kelly have handled adversity this year. Sometimes Gator fans have wanted to see more emotion out of Napier. Not to the level of Kelly yelling at a player that he is “bleeping uncoachable” or throwing his team under the bus after the game. I think Gator fans finally saw Napier’s vision for what he is trying to accomplish here.
13. Meanwhile, Georgia is back. I didn’t know the Dawgs went anywhere. Kirby Smart’s disrespect card has been overplayed, because we all picked Georgia, right? The Bulldogs have some flaws, but they are headed to the playoffs … unless they make the SEC title game and lose. That would be three losses and they may get squeezed out for the second year in a row.
14. That’s the thing about the new playoffs. I have a hard time coming up with “The 12” each week, because I am always leaving out a worthy team. This week, it is SMU. Sorry, Mustangs.
15. Well, Dr. Football finally did it. The bagel. The big shutout. The nada surf. How many of The Picks did I get right? Zero. Point. Zero. The record now stands at a pedestrian 28-28-1 and I watch more football than anybody. On to this week:
- Florida is a 10-point underdog against Ole Miss. Florida has been a double-digit underdog so often you’d think this was FSU we’re talking about. I will take the Gators to cover and hope for the best.
- I give Indiana and coach Curt Cignetti credit for having a special year. Now, they have to go to Ohio State and get a lesson. The Buckeyes are 11-point favorites and they cover.
- I don’t know how many people thought Colorado at Kansas would be a ginormous game, but it is and the Buffs are three-point favorites. I think they roll and Travis Hunter takes another step toward the Heisman Trophy.
- Army is at Notre Dame and is a 16-point underdog. I’ll take Army and the points just because I think the Black Knights will slow the game down enough to cover.
- BYU is a four-point underdog at Arizona State in another big game. I think BYU will have a difficult time recovering from the loss this weekend so I will take the fighting Dillinghams.
16. Well, the Chiefs finally lost a game so the Dolphins from the olden days could pop the corks on the champagne. And the Jaguars are headed for depths like I didn’t think I would see. Man, the Lions look good. I can’t wait for the playoffs.
17. I certainly would not finish this without pointing out the Florida win in basketball over FSU on Friday night. I still want to see more defense from this team, but it can certainly score in a lot of different ways. That’s three consecutive for Todd Golden over the Semis, which is all I asked for on my birthday. The LSU game was a bonus.
18. It was a special birthday weekend with so many friends and family and a better wife than I deserve. Thanks to everyone who sent texts and Tweets and Facebook likes. They meant a lot. Today’s playlist, before I start welling up:
- “Arrow” by The Head and The Heart.
- “Love of a Girl” by The Avett Brothers.
- And for an old one, “Mother and Child Reunion” by Paul Simon.
WRUF.com sports columnist Pat Dooley can be heard on “The Tailgate” along with Jeff Cardozo from 4-6 p.m. Monday-Friday on 98.1-FM/AM-850 WRUF.
