FSU

FSU invited University of Florida student Mike Murphy to its annual gambling symposium. Murphy spoke to the group about a friend’s compulsive gambling. But he also opened his speech to FSU student-athletes with a reference to the officiating in last season’s FSU-Florida football game. FSU football players weren’t impressed.

CLEMSON — Florida State University football coach Bobby Bowden questioned the rape allegation by former Colorado kicker Katie Hnida, defended the character of Colorado coach Gary Barnett and acknowledged college football’s “black eye” from recent recruiting scandals on Monday.

Bowden made his comments in an interview with reporters Monday at Clemson University before giving at lecture titled, “Changes in College Football During His Lifetime: What is Good and What is Bad.”

A short list of groups who should be upset with the ACC officiating crew from the Nov. 29, 2003 University of Florida / Florida State University game:

• Florida fans
• USC fans
• Kansas State fans
• ABC
• CBS
• the BCS cabal
• the AP voters
• fans of college football

If the refs - Samples, Childress, Roden, Jackson, Foley, McGee, and Key - had gotten even ONE of the SIX blown fumble calls correct, Florida would have easily won the game. If Florida had won that game, they would have vaulted at least four spots in the polls. That would have set up a Florida/LSU rematch for the SEC Championship game instead of the UGA/LSU joke. It doesn’t take much to think that Florida would have won that game, too (view Saban’s and LSU’s pitiful record against Florida in crunch games). That would mean that LSU would not have been able to leapfrog USC in the polls, and - with K. State beating Oklahoma - likely would have set up a #1 USC vs #4 Florida game for the National Championship instead of the hilarious #2 LSU vs #3 Oklahoma game.

Yes, if its and buts were fruits and nuts and all that … but really, even if you ignore all the potential UF scenarios, the BCS would not be in the silly situation it finds itself if it wasn’t for SIX blown calls by SEVEN bad refs.

A son of Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden pleaded guilty Tuesday to swindling millions from investors — including his father.

Steve Bowden admitted conspiring with former Alabama quarterback Brian Burgdorf in a scheme that prosecutors say defrauded investors of $10 million.

The scam involved selling unregistered securities through The Millennium Fund, which billed itself as being for “the privileged few.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Adolph Dean said Steve Bowden brought in his father and three other investors, who lost a total of $4.4 million. Bobby Bowden invested $1.6 million, Dean said.

Paleontologist Gregory M. Erickson of Florida State University answers the question, “What are the odds of a dead dinosaur becoming fossilized?” on this week’s Scientific American: Ask the Experts.

Gators Tailback Considers Suit - In a statement Wednesday, Graham said, ‘I got tackled on the play. That was perfectly OK. There were two guys on top of me and I felt them against my body. And then I felt someone tugging on my leg. He kept twisting harder, harder and harder until I felt it rip and then pop. I heard some moaning and groaning from the guy doing it.

‘They need to learn you can’t play dirty and get away with it.’

Spurrier seconded that notion. The coach said he also saw tape of Dockett, in which he appears to try to stomp on quarterback Rex Grossman’s hand as Grossman was tackled out of bounds.

‘I have to speak up on behalf of Rex,’ Spurrier said. ‘His dad called me. He saw the clip. He could have ruined his career. We’ve got video on it. I’m not making this stuff up.’

Indeed, each day, new video of these plays pops up, and every replay leads to a different conclusion.

Florida / FSU is currently losing to Texas / Texas A & M in the Tostitos? Great Rivalry Challenge Sweepstakes! Go now and root for ours as the better rivalry!

Had to chuckle at this new blog, created apparently because the Earnest Graham injury accusation was the straw that broke the camel’s back for the author. Heh.

“I think that’s less than a man. That’s not football,” Gillespie said, referring to FSU nose tackle Darnell Dockett’s boasting of what he’d done to Graham.

ESPN’s Bowl Projections page still is predicting a Miami / Florida Rose Bowl.

Florida State defensive tackle Darnell Dockett was heard bragging in the Seminoles’ locker room after the game about hurting Gators tailback Earnest Graham on his tackle, which came on Florida’s first offensive play in the second half.

UF tailback Earnest Graham says his sprained right knee, which will keep him out of action for 3-5 weeks, was the result of a deliberate act by FSU’s Darnell Dockett. Spurrier says he’ll look into it, but Bobby Bowden wonders “how do you twist a knee?” Either way, this hurts UF’s bowl prospects, since they’ll need a running game to beat both Tennessee and Auburn, if the SEC Championship is indeed a re-match of the Gators’ lone loss.

“Darkest day of my coaching career in forty-seven years was at my first head-coaching job at a major college - West Virginia. We played Pitt, the big rival. For those folks, that game is like Florida State-Florida or Auburn-Alabama. You go to coach at West Virginia and you want to make the fans like you, you beat Pitt. We go up there in 1970, and we get ahead, 35 - 8, at the half. I thought, Just go out there and don’t make any mistakes and we got the game won. Well, we go back out and lose, 36 - 35. Whooooooo! I learned a lot from that loss to Pitt. I’ve never let it happen again. People get on me for running up the score. Don’t care. I’ll never sit on the ball again.”

FSU Head Coach Bobby Bowden
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From The Washington Times (of all places!):
FSU and Its Dynasty Are Ready to Crumble