College Top 25 Football Capsules: Gators look to extend winning streak against FSU
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida has all sorts of winning streaks.
The top-ranked Gators have won a school-record 21 straight games, also the nation's longest current streak. They've won 15 in a row against Southeastern Conference teams, 10 consecutive at home and eight straight against non-conference foes.
There's one more that will take center stage this week: Florida (11-0) has won its last five games against rival Florida State (6-5), a run that seems to have the two programs considerably further apart than the 125 miles that actually separates them.
"There's a lot of hatred," Gators safety Ahmad Black said. "It started even before us. It goes way back to the earlier days. We're just going to try to keep it going. We've won five straight, so we don't want to be the team that loses the streak."
The streak started in 2004, when the Gators rallied behind fired coach Ron Zook and became the first Florida team to win in Tallahassee since 1986.
Three of the four victories under coach Urban Meyer haven't even been close, with Florida winning by scores of 34-7, 21-14, 45-12 and 45-15. The last two have been the most lopsided in the series since the Gators won by a combined score of 91-13 in 1972 and '73.
"Two years they've ripped us," Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said Sunday. "I imagine they ripped everybody else the same way. We're about like anybody else. We just have to play the best we can do. That's all we can do.
"Not anybody is going to beat them with an imperfect ball game. They're too good. We're going to have to play the best we can play and they're going to have to turn the ball over. Upsets are caused by turnovers. When a superior team, No. 1, is playing somebody not ranked, then the only thing that neutralizes it is turnovers."
Bowden added that he believes the Seminoles will be able to compete — next year, after quarterback Tim Tebow graduates.
"It'll eventually change," Bowden said. "Nothing will last forever."
The Seminoles became bowl eligible for the 28th consecutive year with Saturday's 29-26 victory over Maryland, so the game means little to their postseason hopes. Then again, a victory in Gainesville would turn around another sour year that has many calling for Bowden to retire.
The Gators have more at stake. They need to beat FSU and Alabama in the Southeastern Conference championship game to secure a spot in the Bowl Championship Series national title game, and players are finding motivation in finally having their season-long goal in sight.
It also will be Senior Day for Tebow, linebacker Brandon Spikes, receiver Riley Cooper and several other key players — a daylong celebration for a group hoping to win a third national championship.
"This last opportunity, it's very special," Tebow said. "It's how you want to have your last game at Florida."
Florida's season has been filled with close games, controversial calls and constant criticism of Tebow and the offense. The Gators escaped all of that Saturday by thumping Florida International 62-3. It was the kind of break Florida needed after a grueling SEC schedule.
Players and coaches quickly turned their attention to FSU after the drubbing, with more postgame talk about the Seminoles than the Golden Panthers.
Extending the streak dominated the conversation, too.
"It's five? So it'll be six," guard Mike Pouncey said. "It's a rivalry game, so everybody's going to play a little bit harder."
The rivalry used to be one of the best in the country, with bragging rights, recruiting battles and national championship hopes on the line almost every year. Players and coaches (Steve Spurrier at least) would exchange barbs and trash talk, there was almost always some pregame tension, maybe even a fight, and the games usually lived up to all the hype.
It hasn't been that way lately, but Tebow insists the game hasn't lost its luster.
"Since I can remember watching football, I can remember watching that game," he said. "When Florida State beat Florida in 1996, we didn't think we were going to go to the national championship. I remember my dad made me go outside and cut the grass and rake the leaves. The whole time I was raking leaves, I was crying because Florida State just beat Florida.
"That's just one example of how special this game is. For Florida State and Florida, it's not solely if you beat them, it makes your season a success. But it helps put a smile on your face."
Auburn hopes to wreck Alabama's perfect season
AUBURN, Ala. — The next game is the biggest.
That's Alabama coach Nick Saban's mantra, repeated over and over whether his team is playing LSU or Chattanooga. He might as well stick with it.
The No. 2 Crimson Tide (11-0, 7-0 SEC) visit bitter rival Auburn on Friday in the Iron Bowl. Win there, and the games really will keep getting bigger. The next would be against top-ranked Florida for the SEC championship and a shot at the national title.
Saban doesn't buy the statewide sentiment that this is an annual make-or-break game, though.
"There's probably a lot of people in Alabama, whether they're Auburn fans or Alabama fans, that probably equate the success or failure of the season based on what happens in this game," he said after his team's 45-0 demolition of Chattanooga. "I'm not sure that's exactly right."
But, he added, "this is a very important game for a lot of reasons and for a lot of people."
The Tigers (7-4, 3-4) would love to deal a blow to the Tide's national title hopes and better their own bowl prospects. Not to mention find some redemption after Alabama emphatically ended Auburn's six-year Iron Bowl winning streak with a 36-0 thrashing last season.
There is some recent history of a significant Iron Bowl underdog damaging its rival's national title hopes, last year's mismatch notwithstanding. A 'Bama team on its way to a 6-6 season in 2004 led Auburn 6-0 at halftime, in a surprisingly close 21-13 game that pushed the unbeaten Tigers from a tie for No. 2 with Oklahoma and effectively out of the BCS title game.
This Tide team doesn't need style points. Only an upset would really matter, and Auburn would love to oblige.
"That's our rival," Tigers tight end Tommy Trott said. "We'd love nothing more than to wreck an undefeated season, to upset them when they're riding on their high horse, ranked (second) in the country. That'd be awesome."
Auburn coach Gene Chizik was the Tigers' defensive coordinator for that '04 team.
"It was one of those physical games," he recalled Sunday. "It was at their place. And it was a hard-hitting, field-position game. It was close. It didn't matter how many at the time Alabama had won or lost. They were going to fight. They were going to play hard-nosed, physical football as the rivalry would have it over the years. That's how you play it."
This time, the roles are reversed and Chizik is hoping that tendency holds up for his team.
Trott, a Montgomery native, is one of the players who grew up with the rivalry. He had a newspaper clipping from Auburn's 1995 win on his bedroom wall for years growing up.
"It really is an awesome thing," Trott said. "It's the one time in my life and most of these guys on this team's life that you can dictate what a million people are going to feel like when they wake up the morning after the Iron Bowl. You're going to dictate what Auburn and Alabama fans are going to feel like, well over a million people."
Tide quarterback Greg McElroy lacks that lifelong connection. The Texan was probably more familiar with Texas-Texas A&M or Texas-Oklahoma when he arrived.
Last season, he came off the bench and endeared himself to Alabama fans with a late 34-yard touchdown pass to Marquis Maze. Two years ago, the Tide left as 17-10 losers.
"I am looking forward to it," McElroy said. "It's the greatest rivalry in college football, in my opinion. It'll be a good experience. They're playing well. It's at their place, which is always exciting.
"I can't forget the taste that was in our mouths a couple of years ago walking out of there a loser."
The game does feature some interesting subplots: Alabama has the nation's top defense going against Gus Malzahn's fast-paced offense. Auburn's defense is giving up more points than anybody in the league. The Tide has a Heisman Trophy candidate in Mark Ingram, the SEC's leading rusher with 1,399 yards. Auburn counters with Ben Tate, the No. 3 rusher with 1,209 yards.
Saban still isn't fully buying into the hype.
The next week's game will be the biggest, after all.
"Next week when I have this press conference, you're going to say, 'Is the SEC championship game the most important game?'" he chastised reporters. "You sensationalize whatever game it is, however you want to do it. Which is great. We have to play good every week."
-- John Zenor
Johnson says Georgia Tech's focus is on Georgia
ATLANTA — Georgia Tech's bowl plans and ACC championship hopes will not be on the line when the Yellow Jackets play Georgia this week.
That comes a week later, when they play Clemson in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game in Tampa, Fla. The winner goes to the Orange Bowl, no matter the outcome of Georgia Tech's in-state rivalry game.
Coach Paul Johnson says he's not worried that his No. 7 Yellow Jackets (10-1) might be looking ahead to Clemson or overconfident against Georgia (6-5), which is coming off its first home loss to Kentucky since 1977.
"Our whole focus is on Georgia right now, as well as it should be," Johnson said Sunday. "If not, we'll get embarrassed. I don't think our guys are thinking about anything other than the game Saturday night against the University of Georgia."
Georgia Tech beat the Bulldogs 45-42 last year in Athens to end their run of seven straight wins in the series. Georgia couldn't hold a 28-12 halftime lead.
The Bulldogs (6-5) lost another halftime lead in their 34-27 loss to Kentucky on Saturday night. Georgia led 20-6 before its four second-half turnovers helped Kentucky to its first win in Athens since 1977.
Georgia coach Mark Richt pledged Sunday that his program's decline would be temporary.
"All programs go through some cycles," Richt said. "We've been on a pretty good upswing for quite some time. This year has certainly been a downturn when it comes to the record. It is what it is. But will we get it back on track and get back to the winning ways we're used to? I think so. I don't think there's any doubt about it."
Johnson said Georgia's loss to Kentucky only showed the Bulldogs' talent.
"There's not any worry about being overconfident," Johnson said. "All you have to do is turn the tape on. They have some great players. I mean, the game Saturday night, they beat Kentucky up and down the field. They had almost 500 yards (487) to 260. They just had some turnovers that cost them the game. If they don't turn the ball over, they win going away."
Georgia has a minus-18 turnover margin for the season. Opponents have scored 102 points off the Bulldogs' 26 turnovers.
Georgia Tech had a open week and will bring an eight-game winning streak into its home game against Georgia. The Yellow Jackets' only loss was a 33-17 decision at Miami on Sept. 17.
Georgia Tech held at No. 7 in the BCS standings this week.
"We really haven't talked about it a whole lot," Johnson said of the BCS. "We know we've got to continue to win each week and that will take care of itself. If we win our division and our league, we know we'll go to the Orange Bowl, and that's our goal."
Georgia Tech has been led by a strong junior class that includes defensive end Derrick Morgan, running back Jonathan Dwyer, safety Morgan Burnett, receiver Demaryius Thomas and quarterback Josh Nesbitt.
Johnson said he plans to talk to the juniors this week to discuss their NFL options.
"I'll talk to most all the juniors who are thinking about what their status might be and hopefully they'll come up with a plan and if enough things meet their criteria, then they'll go," Johnson said. "If they don't, then they'll probably come back to school."
-- Charles Odum
Ohio State, Michigan don't have much in common
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Ohio State and Michigan used to have a lot in common, meeting in the final game of the regular season with a lot at stake.
Not anymore. The Buckeyes beat the Wolverines 21-10 for a sixth straight year and kept their No. 9 ranking in The Associated Press poll Sunday.
Ohio State finished 10-2 overall and 7-1 in the Big Ten, winning its fifth straight title, and will get a long break before playing in the Rose Bowl.
"One of the reasons that I like the Michigan game is that it gives you a chance to relax and exhale for a few days," Tressel said.
He probably also likes the rivalry because he's made it lopsided.
Tressel improved to 8-1 against Michigan and extended Ohio State's longest winning streak that matches the best run in the rivalry since Michigan also won six in a row in the 1920s.
"We've been blessed with great kids and a lot of luck," he said. "I told our seniors for the rest of their lives, people will ask them how they did against Michigan — not what bowls they played in."
The Wolverines, meanwhile, won't want to talk about how they fared against the Buckeyes or in bowl games because it's been bad news on both fronts lately.
They haven't beaten Ohio State since 2003 and their sophomores and freshmen don't know what it's like to play in the postseason.
Michigan started 4-0 and finished with a flop, falling to 5-7 overall with a 1-7 conference mark that puts the once-proud program in a last-place tie with Indiana. The Wolverines lost a school-record nine games last year in Rich Rodriguez's debut season with college football's winningest team.
As if the on-the-field news isn't bad enough, the Wolverines are also bracing for the results on an NCAA investigation that is looking into possible violations such as how much time players spent on football in the offseason and who was supervising those workouts.
Rodriguez, though, has tried to sound as upbeat as possible about the future.
"We got quite a few guys back on both sides of the ball, but that's not going to be good enough," he said. "The guys coming back have got to get better. We've got to have a great recruiting class."
Rodriguez hoped Terrelle Pryor would be part of his first group of recruits, but the sophomore chose to be a Buckeye. Pryor made just enough plays and avoided making too many mistakes in his first game at the Big House.
Tate Forcier, though, played perhaps his worst game.
The Michigan freshman threw four interceptions and lost a fumble in the end zone, leading to him taking the blame for the loss.
Rodriguez said it wasn't Forcier's fault, but he did lament the team's miscues.
"We made a lot of plays that had Michigan beating Michigan," Rodriguez said. "You got to give them credit. They made the plays."
-- Larry Lage
Ducks, Beavers survive wild Saturday in Pac-10
TUCSON, Ariz. — At last, the Pac-10 is down to two.
When No. 10 Oregon and No. 16 Oregon State meet in the Civil War on Dec. 3, a Rose Bowl berth will be on the line for both schools — a first in a bitter rivalry that kicked off in 1894.
For one year, at least, it'll be the War of the Roses.
"This is crazy," Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli said after running for three TDs and throwing for three more in a 44-41 double-overtime victory over Arizona on Saturday night.
Crazy is also an apt description for the Pac-10 this season. Clarity finality came on Saturday.
USC awoke with a mathematical chance of returning to the Rose Bowl, but the Trojans weren't even on the field when their record seven-year reign ended. Oregon State eliminated USC in a 42-10 rout of Washington State in Pullman.
California knocked Stanford out a few hours later in a 34-28 Big Game victory at Stanford, a result met with glee in Berkeley.
"It showed tonight that they aren't ready to play in the Rose Bowl," Cal quarterback Kevin Riley said. "Everybody was talking about how Stanford was going to win. We just shut up and played."
Then the spotlight shifted to Tucson for Oregon-Arizona, the latest in a series of riveting games on the West Coast this autumn.
Some Pac-10 coaches have groused about the league's round-robin format. They'd rather go to eight league games, giving teams a chance to fatten their records with a nonconference opponent.
But if the Pac-10 didn't have a round-robin, the league would have been poorer for it this season.
What if Oregon had skipped USC? The Ducks established themselves as the team to beat in a 47-20 whipping of the Trojans on Oct. 31.
What if Stanford had a bye against Oregon? The Cardinal asserted their newfound strength in a 51-42 victory over the Ducks on Nov. 14.
And what if Arizona and Oregon had missed each other? With a national TV audience watching, the Wildcats and Ducks produced a 3-hour, 47-minute infomercial for Pac-10 football.
"There's no rest in this league," Oregon coach Chip Kelly said on the Arizona Stadium field late Saturday night. "And when you end up getting a chance to call yourself a champion in this league, you've actually earned it because you've got to play everybody."
Arizona was the first team to 20 points, 30 points and 40 points and still lost.
It was another heartbreaker for the Wildcats, who lost at Washington when a pass bounced off an Arizona receiver's foot and the Huskies intercepted and returned it for a touchdown.
The Wildcats remain the only Pac-10 team that hasn't played in the Rose Bowl — and their drought is 32 years and counting.
"We got so close, but we just have to look at the big picture," said Arizona coach Mike Stoops, who inherited a 2-10 team after the 2003 season.
The Wildcats nearly kept their Rose Bowl hopes alive with a defense that thwarted Oregon for much of the night.
The Ducks mustered only two touchdowns in their first 10 possessions. But with Masoli at the controls, they exploded for four TDs and a field goal on their final six possessions, including two in overtime.
"There was nothing that our players did that surprised me," Kelly said.
Oregon got plenty of lucky bounces and needed every one.
Two Masoli fumbles bounded away from Arizona defenders, and the Wildcats also dropped an interception.
The Ducks might have guessed it was their night when kicker Morgan Flint's 43-yard field goal hit the crossbar and bounced through the uprights, tying the game at 24-24 in the fourth quarter.
"How far was it?" Kelly said.
Told it was 43 yards, Kelly smiled and said, "That's his limit."
The Ducks and Beavers have taken this season to the limit.
The Ducks opened with a 19-8 loss at No. 14 Boise State — a game that turned tailback LeGarrette Blount into a household name — and then pulled out a two-point victory over mediocre Purdue in Eugene.
"Everybody else counted us out, but we never counted ourselves out," Oregon cornerback Cliff Harris said.
The same could be said for the Beavers. On their way to a 2-2 start, they had to kick a last-second field goal to beat UNLV and then lost to No. 17 Cincinnati at home.
"Our team rises to the occasion," Oregon State quarterback Sean Canfield said.
Both teams will catch their breath this week, then start gearing up for the Civil War.
Oregon shipped its gear back to Eugene in a semi-trailer with "Keep on Duckin' " splashed across the side. The slogan has never been truer.
"We've taken everybody's best shot so far," Kelly said, "And we know we've got an unbelievable game coming up on a Thursday night with Oregon State, and they're a tremendous football program."
-- Andrew Baganto
Penn State faces long wait to find out bowl fate
EAST LANSING, Mich. — The Big Ten season is over and it's a long, long wait until Bowl Championship Series bids get doled out Dec. 6.
The wait may be particularly stressful for No. 12 Penn State.
The Nittany Lions (10-2, 6-2) closed out the regular season Saturday with a convincing 42-14 win at Michigan State. But now they risk falling off the football radar while teams from the SEC, Big 12, Big East and other conferences continue impressing bowl scouts.
The Big Ten wraps up its regular season early and the 11-member conference doesn't have a championship game, which could end up hurting its teams.
"I suppose I could jump off the roof of my house," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said, when asked how the Nittany Lions could remain in the national limelight over the next few weeks.
"You really can't do anything until they change the scheduling format of the Big Ten — go to 12 teams and have a playoff."
No more than two teams from any one conference can be picked for the BCS and Ohio State has locked up the Big Ten's automatic bid. It's not certain the conference will get a second bid, but if it does, could Penn State possibly be picked over Iowa? The Hawkeyes won in Happy Valley and finished with an identical 10-2 record.
"I don't know," said Penn State quarterback Darryl Clark, who did his part to impress the bowl scouts by throwing for 310 yards and four TDs Saturday. "We'll see."
Clark and Co. will maintain that Penn State doesn't have a bad loss — its other defeat came against Big Ten champion Ohio State — and bounced back strong after each setback.
"Our coaches did a good job of making sure we didn't fall into the tank," Clark said.
The Nittany Lions certainly bounced back Saturday. Tied with Michigan State 7-7 at halftime, Penn State scored 28 points in the third quarter.
Clark set Penn State records for touchdown passes in a season (23) and career (42) Saturday. He also set a new single season record with 2,787 yards passing.
The Nittany Lions wound up with 512 yards of total offense, including 114 yards rushing from Evan Royster. The Penn State defense, as usual, was dominating — hassling Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins even when it rushed just four linemen.
Michigan State's faults were exposed, particularly on defense. The Spartans have the most trouble when they blitz and don't get to the opposing quarterback, leaving their secondary vulnerable to big plays.
The Spartans (6-6, 4-4) won nine games last season and were picked to finish third in this season's Big Ten preseason media poll. Their record is a disappointment but the Spartans get a chance at some measure of redemption with a bowl appearance — maybe the Alamo Bowl or Insight Bowl, depending on what happens with other selections.
The Spartans will be making a bowl appearance for the third straight season.
"The thing about football is you get a chance to get back up after you have been knocked down, and we will do that," Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said.
-- Tim Martin
No. 13 Iowa to catch some much-needed rest
IOWA CITY, Iowa — No. 13 Iowa has already wrapped up one of its most successful regular seasons in school history.
Good thing, too. Coach Kirk Ferentz isn't sure he has enough healthy players to practice.
The Hawkeyes (10-2, 6-2 Big Ten) pitched a 12-0 shutout of Minnesota on Saturday that was, in many ways, a microcosm of their season. They got a stellar effort from the defense, stopping the Gophers four times on fourth down, to make up for another weak performance by the offense.
It gave Iowa just its fourth 10-win regular season and first since 2002, and left Ferentz and his players in limbo. They're hoping their resume — and their fans' reputation for traveling well — is enough to earn an at-large BCS bowl bid.
Iowa is bunched with a group of BCS hopefuls that, at least for now, includes Boise State, Penn State and Oklahoma State.
"I've got no idea. That's for the system to decide, and then obviously the bowls will have to make those decisions," Ferentz said. "If we play in January, I'm pretty confident we'll be better. We've got a lot of guys I'm not sure we could play this week. We'd have a hard time practicing with pads on, I know that."
One thing that should work in Iowa's favor is that quarterback Ricky Stanzi and running back Adam Robinson will likely both be healthy by the time a bowl game comes around.
Against the Gophers, it was obvious how much the Hawkeyes missed those guys.
Freshman James Vandenberg, who was impressive in spurts in a 27-24 overtime loss at Ohio State last week, looked more like the kid who was 9 of 27 in a 17-10 loss at Northwestern.
Facing a defense that threw everything at him, Vandenberg had just 117 yards passing and an interception while taking four sacks. That performance likely shelved what had been premature talk about Vandenberg challenging Stanzi for the starting job in 2010.
"Last week was a different kind of challenge, and James did a great job. Today was a tough day for him, really a tough day," Ferentz said Saturday. "I know down the road this is going to be a great day for James Vandenberg, too. His statistics weren't real pretty. We never really got anything going in terms of rhythm offensively, but this will be just invaluable for him."
Robinson, who missed two games with a high ankle sprain, rushed for 72 yards on just 12 carries before leaving the game after tweaking that injury in the second quarter. Brandon Wegher scored the game's only touchdown — tying the school record for TDs by a freshman in the process — but it's clear at this point that Robinson is Iowa's best option at running back.
He broke the school's freshman record with 775 yards rushing, set by Ladell Betts in 1998.
"For us to win 10 games this season with all the things that we've faced this year, it's just absolutely amazing," Ferentz said.
Minnesota's bowl picture isn't nearly as bright.
The Gophers (6-6, 3-5) finished eighth in the Big Ten and are the only bowl-eligible team in the league to finish below .500 in conference play.
Their loss to Iowa also highlighted their struggles against the league's elite. Minnesota was outscored 70-7 in defeats to Penn State, Ohio State and the Hawkeyes.
"They fought their guts out. We had an opportunity to win the game and didn't get it done. It hurts," coach Tim Brewster said. "It stings."
Iowa's fans will spend the week of Thanksgiving debating BCS scenarios, but not Ferentz. He plans to relax and enjoy one of the most satisfying seasons of his 11-year tenure in Iowa City.
"No regrets. I think these guys — I don't know what else we could have asked our players to do," Ferentz said. "I'll go on record as saying I am going to take some time and relax, and I've encouraged our players to do the same thing next week and our coaches. They've earned it. It's been a grind."
Swinney leads Clemson breakthrough to top
CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney watched the past six seasons as talented Tiger teams who appeared ready for success stumbled to disappointing finishes.
With a similar scenario unfolding for his 2-3 Tigers last month, Swinney did what he could to stop it cold. Six victories later, the result is No. 15 Clemson's first trip to the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game and the chance for even bigger things ahead.
"There's a lot of joy in Clemson with that Atlantic Division title," Swinney said Sunday.
Just as there was much frustration following Maryland's 24-21 victory over Clemson on Oct. 3, still the last-place Terps' lone ACC win.
The Tigers had shown some promise in close September losses to two programs now both in the top 10, Georgia Tech (30-27) and TCU (14-10). The Maryland loss was an aberration to Swinney. "We were the better team, we should've won," he said flatly.
So Swinney gathered his players the Monday after the defeat for an accountability session. He spliced together a tape of Clemson's worst hits — and drops, missed blocks and poor rushes.
"We had to all get on the same page and understand what it took to go from losing to winning," Swinney explained.
He challenged players and assistants to sharpen execution and play like the champions he knew they were. If they did that, Swinney said, special things would happen.
The most special happening took place Saturday when Clemson clinched the ACC's Atlantic Division. First place was locked up when Boston College fell to North Carolina before the Tigers even kicked off, although they still took care of business with a 34-21 win over Virginia for their longest win streak since 2006.
"It was a great lesson," Swinney said of the Maryland game. "We didn't all take genius pills and coach smarter. We just grew as a team."
The Tigers displayed a rock-solid focus the past six games often missing when Swinney was receivers coach for ex-leader Tommy Bowden.
In 2006, Clemson was 7-1 and seemed the class of the ACC before losing two of its final three league games to miss the title game. A season later, the Tigers were 8-2 and played Boston College at Death Valley for the Atlantic Division, but Matt Ryan's 43-yard touchdown throw with under two minutes left spoiled that chance.
Clemson entered last season as the ACC's clear-cut favorite and brought a No. 9 ranking into its opener against Alabama at the Georgia Dome. The Tigers were smothered 34-10 in a preview of disappointments to come. After league losses to Maryland and Wake Forest made a division crown near impossible, Bowden was allowed to walk away and Swinney took control.
Swinney was a refreshing dose of enthusiasm to players beaten down by failure. When they chance to live down to things this season, they rallied behind senior stars like C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford.
"It feels good to finally prove people wrong," said Ford, the receiver who had a 24-yard touchdown catch among his 195 all-purpose yards against Virginia.
Swinney had a host of family in town both for the game and to celebrate his 40th birthday last Friday. The division win kept the party going well into the night.
Then, like each Sunday before, Swinney showed up at Clemson's football office, clicked on the tape and graded film to prepare for next week's game with state rival South Carolina.
"Our preparation will be the same and we'll dial our kids back in," Swinney said. "They understand what's out there for them. Obviously it's not an ACC game, but it's extremely important."
Only when that game's done will Swinney let coaches, managers, staffers and players consider the championship game against Coastal division winner Georgia Tech. Clemson has not won an ACC crown since 1991.
None of it would've happened had the Tigers not paid attention to Swinney's message in that packed meeting room seven weeks ago.
"This thing has eluded us for a while, so to punch through and get this thing done, to put together a run like we have, it's very gratifying," Swinney said.
-- Pete Iacobelli
Graham has a coming-out party for Miami
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — If Jimmy Graham had any doubt about which direction to take when his athletic career at Miami ends in a few weeks, it's gone now.
He doesn't consider himself a basketball player anymore.
"I want to play football for the rest of my life," Graham said.
That might have seemed farfetched 3½ months ago, when the bruising power forward for the Hurricanes' basketball team showed up for training camp intent on playing football for the first time in nearly a decade.
Now? No one at Miami is doubting his chances.
Graham had his long-awaited breakout game at tight end Saturday for the 19th-ranked Hurricanes, with season-bests of five catches for 73 yards in a 34-16 win over Duke. Those numbers might not sound like much, but take a deep look at how he got those stats — four of the five catches came on third downs, and on the drives he got the ball, Miami scored every time.
Not bad for a rookie in his final college season.
"He could be really good. He could be exceptional," Miami coach Randy Shannon said Sunday. "He could probably be like a (Jeremy) Shockey or even better than those tight ends that we've had. His size, his speed, and he'd have gotten a lot more aggressive over the four years that he wasn't playing football. For the long haul, he's got a big future. He's still learning."
Graham has 14 catches for 183 yards this season, meager numbers at best, but is tied for the team lead with five touchdowns.
This season has been a learn-on-the-fly proposition for the 6-foot-8 Graham, who has the combination of size, speed and stretch — not to mention athleticism, like a 40-inch vertical leap — that tends to make NFL scouts drool.
And given the way he delivered Saturday for Miami, the lessons learned this season are sinking in nicely.
"It's something that I love," Graham said. "I've come to find out that I have a God-given talent and I feel like with those two combinations, maybe I can be a good player. The transition's already been done before. Hopefully somebody will give me a chance and I'll be able to show them the athletic ability that I have."
For much of the season, Graham has been primarily a red-zone option for Miami. It's almost expected now that when the Hurricanes are deep in opposing territory and Graham is in the game, quarterback Jacory Harris is going to throw it up for his tight end, knowing few if any defensive backs would have a chance to outleap him for the ball.
Against Duke, the routine changed considerably.
Graham had two key drops against Virginia Tech earlier this season in what became a 31-7 Miami loss, and he dropped the first ball that came his way Saturday.
Nonetheless, the Hurricanes kept calling his number and Graham responded.
Harris' very first pass following Graham's first-quarter drop Saturday was to — who else? — Graham again. He caught it for 11 yards and a first down, setting up a field goal.
—Second quarter, third and 13 at the Miami 31. Harris to Graham for 14 yards, and Miami eventually scores a touchdown.
—Third quarter, third and 11 from the Duke 46. Harris to Graham for 12 yards. On the same drive, facing third-and-8 from the Duke 32, Harris hit Graham for a 22-yard gain, setting up another field goal.
—And the big blow came with about 5 minutes left in the third quarter, with the Hurricanes trailing 16-13. Miami faced third-and-8 from its own 12 when Harris connected with Graham for 14 yards, keeping a drive alive. Damien Berry capped it 12 plays later with a 2-yard touchdown run, and Miami was ahead for good.
"It's been awesome, the growth that I've made and the confidence that (offensive coordinator Mark Whipple) and coach Shannon have shown in me," Graham said. "I have to thank them."
They're thanking Graham as well, and will undoubtedly have plenty of good things to say when NFL scouts start calling in earnest when the season ends.
"I definitely want to play in the NFL," Graham said. "It's a childhood dream of mine. It'd be crazy."
Not anymore, it isn't.
-- Tim Reynolds
Ole Miss is 7-0 in November under Houston Nutt
OXFORD, Miss. — November is Houston Nutt's favorite month.
The Mississippi coach loves this time of year so much, he made up a sign and put it on the wall in the Rebels' training facility so everyone knows just how special it is: "They Remember in November."
"What that sign says is true," Nutt said. "We remember in November."
And it's been a couple of very memorable Novembers for Nutt in his two seasons at Ole Miss. He's 7-0 during the year's 11th month with the Rebels and that's a big reason why No. 20 Ole Miss is back in the Top 25 and about to receive a plum bowl assignment.
Even better, that trip comes at the expense of LSU. The Rebels' latest late-fall win was a nail-biting 25-23 upset of the then-No. 10 Tigers. The win pushes Ole Miss ahead of LSU in the postseason serving line and instantly became one of Nutt's favorite victories.
"It is up there, way up there," Nutt said. "In the top five."
Why not? It was exciting, coming down to the final play when LSU was unable to get the snap off at the Ole Miss 5 as time expired. Perhaps more importantly, it's a favorite because of the advantage the Rebels now hold.
If Ole Miss can improve to 8-0 in November with a win in what figures to be a very competitive Egg Bowl against Mississippi State, the Rebels are likely headed to the Sunshine State and the Capital One Bowl as the Southeastern Conference's No. 3 team.
"We would love to have Ole Miss come to Orlando," said Tom Wert, a member of the bowl's selection committee on hand to watch Saturday's game. "We would love to have you because you have never been there. If you come to Orlando and do the kind of things you do in The Grove, we would absolutely love it."
So would the Rebels, whose bid would represent the second straight January postseason trip for a team that hadn't been to a bowl since the 2003 season.
It also would be quite the reversal for a team that was initially expected to challenge for the SEC championship. The Rebels rose to No. 4 early in the season, then fell apart completely after a 16-10 upset loss at South Carolina.
"What was difficult is when that bubble burst in Columbia," Nutt said. "We knew that was going to be a Dr. Phil job. It is different when they leave these walls. What they hear in class or on the streets is that it is a wasted year. It is easy to let go of the rope and give up. We didn't."
Since a 3-2 start, Ole Miss has won five of six and three straight, mirroring last season's six-game winning streak to end the year.
Nutt gave his players until midnight Saturday to celebrate the LSU win, then told them to focus on Mississippi State and retaining the Egg Bowl trophy.
"I know what kind of environment we're going to have," Nutt said.
-- Chris Talbott
Shannon says Harris' postgame sling was a joke
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — After further review, Jacory Harris putting on a postgame sling was merely for comic effect.
Miami's quarterback appeared for his postgame interview after Saturday's 34-16 win over Duke with his right, or throwing, arm supported by a sling. He has a thumb injury on that hand, the exact severity of which has not been announced, and played against Duke with his hand wrapped in tape.
But when Harris left the room, he ripped off the sling. Turns out, the quarterback was "getting some of you guys," Miami coach Randy Shannon told reporters Sunday.
Harris did miss one practice last week, but Shannon insisted that his quarterback "is fine."
No. 19 Miami closes the regular season Saturday at South Florida.
