For Florida, stumbling along offensively has been a rude and unpleasant change of pace. The team that set school records for scoring in 2008 has spent 2009’s trips to the red zone pushing against the door clearly labeled “PULL.” Tim Tebow threw two ghastly picks returned for touchdowns, the offense converted only two out of twelve third downs, and went one for eleven million chances in the red zone.* Winning ugly is nothing to savor for Urban Meyer, even at 7-0 with an ugly 29-19 win over Miss State in Starkville.
Unbeatens Stumble Awkwardly On (Except Texas)
↵(It should be said that this is Florida’s first win in Starkville since 1985, so there’s at least that to lean on while looking wistfully at game tapes of the 2008 offense. Sigh. Percy, you pretty pony.)
↵On the other hand, undefeated Iowa will take whatever you give them, since they do nothing but win games by slim margins with improbable methods: Arkansas State, Penn State, they don’t care. Whoever you are they will beat you, even if they have to throw a slant with four seconds left on the clock on fourth down for a game-winning TD in a 15-12 win over Michigan State. Iowa wins football games, sometimes by piling up safeties, field goals, and methods of scoring you weren’t even aware were legal. (Did you know you get a point for hitting the crossbar, but only if you call it first? Kirk Ferentz does.)
↵
At this point, Iowa’s as good a vote for number one as anyone. Alabama and Florida can’t score, Texas hasn’t looked overwhelming, and Cincy and TCU have been dominant upstarts. Put any of them there right now and you will have a logical and defensible number one. Why? Because when nothing makes sense, everything is equally sensible—and that is precisely where we are right now in the college football season.
↵*I made that stat up, but it’s accurate in truth, if not in number.
See More:
