Robbins Sports Blog

Today is an exciting day for college football fans.  If you’re like me, you can’t get enough of the pre-season hype from ESPN and other media as the professional analysts attempt to be prophetic about the outcome of the season.  I had to laugh recently when I watched Lou Holtz and others attempting to make a prediction about who would win the national championship game between USC and LSU, as if the game between the two teams was already scheduled.  The national championship game is four months away. With a full season of football ahead of us, anything can happen.  The outcome of the college football  season is a permutation that includes so many unmeasureable and unpredictable factors,  such as a team’s motivation for any particular game, injuries, clutch coaching decisions, referee calls, and so much more. One of the most inviting aspects of college football is the understanding that fans and participants alike are going for a ride that has more question marks than ready answers.

Here are some of my thoughts on some of the issues and highlights of the 2007 college football season.

Conferences – How do they compare?
It’s pretty well understood in the college football world that the SEC fields the best teams and players Saturday after Saturday.  Florida proved last year that the best of the SEC was way too much for the best of the Big 10.  It would have been interesting to see USC compete for the national title with the Gators last year, but they lost to UCLA, who then went on to get handled by Florida State, who last season was not even an also-ran in the ACC.

A recent MSN poll had 50% of respondents choosing the SEC as the best conference, followed by the Big 10 (17%), Big 12 (11%), the PAC-10 (9.2%), the Big East (7.6%), and lastly the ACC (5.4%).  As a Florida State fan, it’s difficult for me to see our conference perceived so lowly.  The inclusion of Virginia Tech, Boston College, and Miami a few seasons ago into an already somewhat competitive conference was supposed to put the ACC on the same level as the SEC, but Miami and Florida State have been major disappointments recently, and other ACC teams haven’t performed well out of conference either.  I expect that to change this year, with Miami and Florida State regaining their places in the Top 10, and the competitive level of the whole conference moving up a few notches.  By the way, how did the Mountain West Conference get left out of that poll?

Heisman Race
As a former defensive player, it’s difficult for me to concede that the Heisman Trophy is supposedly given to the “best” college football player, but scoring and offense make the highlight films more than hard hits and tough defense.  True to tradition, the top contenders for the Heisman this year are all running backs and quarterbacks.  Over the past twenty years, 11 times the Heisman was given to a quarterback, 6 times it was awarded to a running back, twice a wide receiver got it.  So, quick trivia question:  Who was the only defender to receive the award in the past twenty years?  Answer:  Charles Woodson won it as a cornerback at Michigan in 1997.  Good luck to the guys on the tougher side of the ball, but I’m predicting a quarterback will win it this year – either John David Booty or Colt Brennan.

Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno
The battle continues this year between these two great-grandpas.  I guess something has to be said about their competitive natures, but on the other hand their programs are both suffering because Bowden and Paterno haven’t learned how to find hobbies that are as fulfilling as walking the sidelines during major college football games (And heck, Paterno can’t even walk the sidelines anymore).  Apparently neither of these coaches intend to stop coaching until 1) the other one retires, or 2) he dies of old age.  I personally think that they could learn a lesson from LaVell Edwards.  By the time he retired, there were Cougar fans who thought his time had passed, but the fatigue was nothing like what has been experienced at FSU and Penn State over the past five or six years.  Bowden’s relations with disgruntled Florida State fans and, most importantly, financial supporters have soured as legitimate accusations of nepotism have been made.  However, he has a new supporting staff that appears much more likely to effectively use the talent that has been loitering around Florida State the past few seasons.  Paterno’s health is in obvious decline, and his team isn’t predicted to pick up any wins on Bowden.  The race to the finish for these two may come down to wins and losses (wins essentially – same difference) this season, and it will be difficult for Paterno to overcome the three-game defficiency.  I’m hoping that Paterno will announce his retirement this year, and that Bowden will follow shortly after.

Find a good seat on the couch…
College football looks to be as exciting this year as it ever has been.  As of April, we’ve recovered the 14 plays that were taken away from each game last year.  That will mean we get to see more late-game rallies and more football generally.  Coverage of games continues to be broadened so that a fan almost has to discipline himself to keep from overdosing on the game throughout the week.  College football fans everywhere now have a fresh 0-0 start for their favorite teams.  It will be quite the roller coaster ride between now and January.

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I don’t know about you, but I have been absoltely disgusted with USA basketball over the past few years. Ever since professional players were allowed to play in international competitions, Americans have been used to seeing the NBA’s perrenial all-stars dominate the competition. However, that has all come to a grinding halt. Starting in 2000, the United States began an international freefall that has continued up until the present time. In 2002, the USA took a lousy 6th place in Indianapolis. Then, in 2004, America’s finest could only bring home a bronze medal, losing in the semi-finals. But, that is all going to end next year in Beijing. The following are the top 5 reasons (in no particular order) why the Men’s National Basketball can expect nothing but success in the upcoming Olympic Games.

1. Team USA finally has a true point guard – In the past, subpar ball handling has led to costly turnovers in key situations for team USA. Yes, Team USA is more talented and more athletic than any other team around. But that can take you only so far. Once the threshhold of talent is met, execution comes into play, something that has escaped Team USA over the past few years. This time around, though, Jason Kidd is leading the team. With Kidd’s amazing vision and speed, Team USA should be running on all cylinders in Beijing.

2. Shooting – With the closer 3-point line and a wider lane, the international game is taylor-made for teams with good shooting. In the past, Team USA has fallen short because of mediocre shooting, despite its overwhelming edge over the competition in athleticism. This year, though, Team USA can flat out shoot. Thus far in the preliminary rounds of qualifying, it seems as if Michael Redd and Mike Miller just can’t miss. They can hit from anywhere. Also, not only are these guys a threat themselves, but as the they continue to light it up from beyond the arc, their counterparts are forced to honor their shooting ability which leaves the big men room to operate inside, scoring and grabbing rebounds. Compile that with the shooting threat of Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony and you can see why Team USA is going to put up a lot of points come 2008.

3. Defense – Because of the fact that the international game is geared towards more of a free-flowing game, in order for a team to be successful, it has to have big men who can cover a lot of ground. This year the USA has just that. Tyson Chandler, Amare Stoudemire and Dwight Howard are all big men who can move. Not only do they have the ability to block shots near the hoop, they can close out 3-point shooting as easily as some guards. Furthermore, in the front court Team USA has players like Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and Tayshaun Prince, whose quickness and length is more than most shooters can handle. This has become very apparent in the preliminaries as team USA has utterly destroyed the competition.

4. Time – In the past, Team USA has hashed out a makeshift roster a few weeks before big tournaments. But not this time. It seems as if Mike and Mike (Krzyzewski and D’Antoni) have learned their lesson. Now, Team USA is preparing for the subtleties and rigors of the international game. As evident from recent preformances, the US has become adept at running the zone defense, something that is very important in the international game. Also, the time that Team USA has taken to get to know each other is paying off, as the players just seem to know the ins and outs of each others game. This kind of intimate knowledge has served as a definite advantage for other teams in the past. But in Beijing, Team USA will be on an even playing field in terms of team cohesivenss.

5. Scoring Depth – The simple fact of the matter is that other international teams just don’t have enough depth or talent to cover all of the Americans. Look at this list of scorers: Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Michael Redd, Lebron James, Mike Miller, Amare Stoudemire, Chancey Billups and Dwight Howard. Almost every single one of the aforementioned players is the leading scorer on his respective team. When Lebron James is the 4th option, you have a scary team on your hands. What is the opposition going to do? Double Kobe and Carmelo and leave the rest of them open for easy jumpers and monster dunks or guard them one on one and get torn apart. It just doesn’t look too promising for opposing defenses in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

My picks for Beijing: Gold – USA, Silver – Serbia, Bronze – Argentina

Nishan Wilde is VP of Sales for Robbins Sports and Athletics, an online resources for top of the line Basketball Uniforms and Gym Bags.

Recently we had the great opportunity of working with the Cleary Baptist Church in Florence, Mississippi.  They needed some new volleyball nets, portable basketball goals, and some portable scoreboards for an expanded activities center.  We supplied them with some volleyball nets manufactured from Gared Sports, some portable basketballs from Spalding BPI, and some portable scoreboards and stands manufactured by Molten.  On August 20, Cleary Baptist Church held their grand opening, and apparently their new setup was a hit.

Best wishes from RobbinsSports.com to Cleary Baptist Church in the great work you’re doing for youth and adults.

This year’s Little League World Series was another thriller.  Congratulations to the kids from Warner Robins, Georgia for making plays in the clutch and keeping the LL World Series title here in The States.

Every year I am amazed at the degree to which the kids in the Little League program have mastered the fundamentals of baseball and have mentally prepared themselves for such a high level of competition at such a young age.  Guys like Dalton Carriker will be the talk of their school and communities for months to come, and they deserve it.

I have watched the Japanese train their kids in baseball practice, and I know the level of play that is expected of them come gametime.  It’s nice to see some teams from the U.S.A. restore faith that America’s youth of today aren’t only about video games and pizza.  Congratulations guys!

As an avid college football fan, I have been wanting to address this issue for a while now. My question is this – why is there no post-season playoff in college football? There has been much speculation over the past few years that points to the eventual implementation of a playoff, but so far nothing has come to fruition. With so many reasons for a playoff, I simply can’t fathom why college football authorities are so against playoffs. What reasons you ask? Well, here are just a few:

1. Every other sport in America does it. Why do you think that is? Because it makes sense! What playoffs provide that the current bowl-game program does not is a clear-cut winner. There is never any debate as to who deserves the title unlike in the BCS bowl series.

2. Sometimes the polls disagree over who should be in the title game. Currently, three polls are used to determine the championship match-up – the AP poll, the BCS poll and the Coaches poll. In the past, these polls have disagreed about rankings. If these supposed flawless, algorithm-run super computers can’t decide on the top two teams, how are we supposed to know?

3. Scheduling - There are only 11 or 12 regular season games for each team during the college football season. This means that some of the best teams in the country simply don’t have enough room in their schedule to play other great teams. If they don’t ever play each other (like they would in a playoff), then there is no way to know who is the best aside from mere speculation.

4. Every year some team or another gets left out of the title race because of the limited number of teams (2) vying for the No. 1 spot. Last year, Boise State went 13-0, but were snubbed for a chance at the championship. Now, were they as good as Ohio State or Florida? Maybe, maybe not. But we can’t know for sure. This is just one more reason why there should be a playoff - so teams with perfect records can square off against each other in order to find out who is really the best.

5. Last but not least, let’s forget about being fair and giving all the deserving teams a shot at the championship. Why should there be a playoff? Because it would be the most exciting event of the year, that’s why. Just think about the matchups – USC vs. Oklahoma, LSU vs. Wisconsin, Florida vs. West Virginia, and Texas vs. Michigan. Who wouldn’t want to watch? I am on the verge of drooling just thinking about it.

To sum up, without a playoff we can never really know who is the best team in college football. We can know who is the better of two good teams, chosen by computers to compete in the championship game. But we can never know who is the outright best in the entire country.

On the other hand, there have been certain arguments against a playoff in the past. But as I see it, these arguments do not hold water anymore. First, it used to be true that the NCAA didn’t want the season to go past January 1st. But seeing as how the bowl games go well into the first week of January, that argument can be thrown out the window. Second, college football authorities are worried that an extension of the season to accommodate a playoff would make the season too long, subjecting the players to an overly rough season. But even in a playoff system, only 4 teams would play more games than they do now. Furthermore, half of those would play only 1 more game. Come on!!! College football players, especially the ones who play for the best teams in the nation, can handle an extra game or two.

And here’s the kicker – more games = more money.

I just don’t see a downside. Implementing a playoff structure to college football would bring in more money for those involved and more attention to the game as a whole. Conversely, the changes (# of games and length of season) would hardly be noticeable. I think that college football does, in fact, have a playoff in the future. However, the powers that be need to hurry up and do it already. There are so many reasons for a playoff and none against it.

Nishan Wilde is VP of Sales at Robbins Sports and Athletics, an online resource for top of the line Basketball Uniforms.

When I was a little kid, I loved playing baseball. The smell of the freshly cut grass, sunflower seeds, and a day at the ball park were enough to excite me beyond anything else. And while the early morning hours weren’t exactly at my peak activity hours, you could count on me  getting up early every Saturday morning to get ready for the weekly game. Simply put, there was something magical about little league games for me.

Nowadays, though, it seems as if some of the magic has been taken out of the game. A prime example of what I am talking about happened last night during a Little League World Series game. In the Northwest Regional Championship game, Lake Oswego, Oregon took on Kent, Washington. These two teams had met previously in a game thouroughly dominated by Kent. The game started as most do in these tournaments – both pitchers were throwing heat and dominating the opposing hitters. Then, in the 2nd inning, the Kent pitcher gave up a solo home run. Up until that point, he had recorded somewhere in the ball park of 4-5 stikeouts. He ended the game with upwards of 10 strikeouts, giving up a meager 3 runs. Yet, despite his stellar performance, he began tearing up with every hit or run Lake Oswego produced.

Another example happened in the same game. After having had two solid at-bats, a Lake Oswego player struck out on his thrid attempt. He, too, began to cry, even though his team was winning. One would think that having a .667 batting average in a vicotry would be cause for praise. However, as evident from the aforementioned examples, that is not the case. In both cases, each player was so broken up by minimal mistakes that he began to cry. But why? Why should a player get so upset over such a little thing as making one minor mistake? The answer – Pressure. These young boys are put under a tremendous amount of pressure. Because they are gifted athletically for their age, these players simply destroy the competition during their little league careers. They begin to develop a history of winning. When that happens, anything else is unacceptable. Winning, not the game, becomes the main objective, the driving force. However, for the most part, the kids are not the ones who yearn for victory. They simply want to play ball. The parents and the coaches, on the other hand, who seem to relive their glory days vicariously through their children, need the “W” and are wholeheartedly disappointed when they don’t get it. Believe me, I’ve been there. Overly-critical coaches are the main reason I stopped playing baseball, even though I too played on the all-star team.

We need to remember that baseball is just a game for kids. Whereas the lucky few who find their way to the professional baseball ranks should expect criticism, little leaguers should not. They don’t get paid for playing baseball. The American mentality of winning is a must and second place is the first loser has created a situation in which young boys are subjected to pressure for which they have not been prepared. The result - cry babies crop up every game, terrified of what their coaches or parents might think if they make a mistake. Seriously, baseball is just a game. We need to calm down a little bit and realize that the Little Leauge World Series is not the real World Series. After all, Little League baseball is for kids, not parents.

Nishan Wilde is VP of Sales at Robbins Sports and Athletics, an online resources for Basketball Uniforms.

A few nights ago, Barry Bonds ended his long-term home run saga by blasting number 756, by-passing legendary Hank Aaron. Bonds knew he had done it the moment the ball jumped off his bat. Visually relieved, he threw up his hands in sheer joy, exclaiming what one would most likely guess as something a long the lines of “Finally!” Well, being a Giants fan, I can tell you that we, Giants fans, are as relieved as he is. Even though it has been nice to have every single Giants game broadcasted on national television, the constant scrutiny and speculation have been rather annoying. This whole ordeal has been like a trip to a distant country. It’s fun while it lasts, but once over, you’re glad to be home.

So, now that Barry Bonds has finally ascended to the highest echelon of baseball (barring a World Series championship), what’s next for him? Well, if you ask me what would be good for the Giants, I would reply that letting Barry walk would probably be for the best. And I’m not talking about the countless intentional walks that every scared pitcher has offered Bonds over the last few years. I am talking about allowing Bonds to ride into the sunset once his contract is up at the end of the year. Going out on top is every player’s dream, and now that dream can become a reality. Why, you ask, would a devoted Giants fan want arguably the best player ever to retire? Becasue the retirement of Bonds would go a long way to helping the Giants in the future.

Have you taken a look at the Giants’ lineup of late? Well, here it is. Omar Vizquel, Dave Roberts, Ray Durham, Barry Bonds, Ryan Klesko, Randy Wynn, Benji Molina and Rich Aurilia. Every one of these players was very respectable in their hayday. But now, the lineup is exactly filled with spring chickens. The fact of the matter is the Giants need some new blood. And with Barry Zito undeservedly taking up a large part of the payroll for the next few years, the Giants need to get some funding someway or another if they want to build for the future. Sure, Bonds is a great player. But honestly, how long can he keep it up? In recent years he has become less and less productive, and seeing as how he is in his 40’s now, he is unlikely to have any kind of noteworthy resurgence in his career.

No, what the Giants should do is let Barry Bonds go. As hard as it is for me to say it, Bonds is no longer the future of the franchise. The future comes in the form of a handful of young players with huge potential; namely Matt Cain, Noah Lowry, Tim Lincecum and Fred Lewis. These youngsters are absolutely tearing up the MLB right now and have very bright careers ahead of them. However, even with all of that talent, each of the aforementioned up-and-comers currently receives a very meager salary, especially compared to the astronomical wages which Bonds and Zito command. Other teams are going to take note of this and will try to lure them away with more money. The only way to stop this from happening and ensure that the Giants will have the tools to be successful in the future is to let Bonds go and pay his younger teammates with the money the organization would have allocated for him. Needless to say, but the Giants is no longer Barry Bonds’ team. Yes, he is the home run king and yes, he is a shoe-in for the hall of fame, but it is time for Barry to retire and let the new faces to step into the limelight.

 

 

Nishan Wilde is VP of Sales for Robbins Sports and Athletics and a huge SF Giants fan.  

A few years ago while I was playing soccer with some friends in Shanghai, China, one of my friends bragged about his skills by referring to himself as “David Beckham”.  I quickly asked “Who’s that?”  His response to me:  “Spoken like a true American!”  Obviously with all the hoopla surrounding the British soccer star’s recent arrival to play in the U.S., it’s impossible for any sports fan to avoid knowing who Beckham is.  Beckham’s mission to popularize professional soccer in America makes one wonder whether the game has enough appeal to the American sports market to compete with the NFL, MLB, and the NBA.  Those three leagues are clearly head and shoulders above any other US sports organizations.  There is one identifying feature in each of these three sports that makes them the good fit that they are for American sports fans, especially when compared with soccer: scoring.

Who typically gets interviewed by the press after the big football game?  Is it the linebacker who recorded 15 tackles? Rarely.  It’s almost always someone on offense, and I’m not talking about the linemen.  It’s the quarterback or one of the star running backs or receivers.  Whose NBA jersery is sold the most?  You don’t see many people walking around with “Mutombo” on their backs, even when he was younger.  The top scorers are the most popular.  Baseball has a slight exception to the rule.  Pitchers achieve stardom when their defensive accomplishments become the storyline of the game.  Still, there is something more impressive to Americans about Barry Bonds chasing the home run record than Tom Glavine getting his 300th win.  Simply, we Americans love to see scoring.

ESPN has run some commercials lately attemting to convince the American sports public that they already are soccer fans.  The argument is that all the things we love about basketball, football, and baseball – teamwork, intensity, strategy - are also the mainstay of soccer.  I don’t question that soccer has just as much of stuff as any other sport.  The problem facing those marketing soccer in the U.S. is that those defining features of competitive sports are secondary to fans desires to see someone cross teh goal line, or hit clutch shots over and over again, or to rally from a six-run deficit in the ninth inning.

The same dilemma exists with hockey in the U.S.  The majority of sports fans here in American have a sense of disappointment in seeing teams move up and down the field of play time after time coming away empty handed.  We don’t seem to understand how one team can beat another team with a 0-0 score, even when we’re told that an overtime shootout determined the winner, although the goals scored during the shootout somehow don’t count towards the score.  Per our expectations, if the ball goes into the goal, it’s a score – and it should happen at least a few times during the game.

What can the soccer people do to make us like the sport more?  How about making the goals larger?  Maybe they could take away the off-sides penalty so cherry picking could thrive.  Whatever the solution, unless scoring becomes more a part of the game, soccer just won’t compete with the big three.  But hey, at least we know who David Beckham is now.

Let’s start by giving credit where credit is due. The cougars had an amazing 2006 season. They finished the season with a 11-2 record, including a 38-8 massacre of the Pac-10’s Oregon Ducks. Furthermore, they went on a 9-0 winning streak to end the season, the third longest in college football last year. In retrospect, they could have and maybe should have gone undefeated. Their only two losses were both late-game nail biters. In one, the cougars lost in OT to a tough Boston College team and in the other, they lost because of a few botched field goal attempts. So, all in all we can fairly say that the BYU football program did a nice job last year.

The question now, though, is whether or not the Cougars can keep that momentum going into the 2007. Here’s the skinny on the Cougars:

Much of their success during 2006 was due to a handful of players who had amazing seasons; namely John Beck, Curtis Brown, Johnny Harline and pretty much of every one of the linebackers. John Beck played so well that it was not uncommon to hear his name in the same sentence as Troy Smith, Brady Quinn and Jamarcus Russell. The linebacking core had such a superb season that the Cougar defense was the best it has been in years, even though their secondary was very questionable. Now though, each of those players is gone and BYU now must scramble to find adequate replacements.

So, the synopsis is this:

Offense - The Cougars are going to be pretty weak at quarterback, which has always been a big part of their success in the past. None of the players vying for the position have any noteworthy game experience as Beck has been a constant over the past few years. Also, even though their receivers are usually pretty solid, with so many young players having to replace their elder statesmen, the upcoming season will be hit or miss for the receivers. The Cougars will be able to turn to the back field with some amount of confidence, though, as Fui Vakapuna, who proved his mettle last season, and Manase Tonga will provide some excellent running and blocking.

Defense: Let’s face it Cougar fans. The defense this year may be a bit shaky. Up front, most of the defensive line are either freshmen or sophmores. That kind of youth does not bode well. Behind them, however, the story is a lot better. Kehl, Nixon and Poppinga are all returning following a great 2006 season. But losing your captain Cameron Jensen will hurt them. His leadership and never-say-die attitude personified BYU last year. Still, though, I am not worried about the linebackers. What I am worried about is the secondary. It seems as though year in and year out, BYU starts a bunch of small, mediocre defensive backs. And this year is no different. Even though most of the starting secondary is returning (Gooch, Gabriel, Criddle, Buchannan), I don’t know how well they will do when lining up across from players with great athleticism. They may be able to hold their own against some MWC opponents, but not all of them. So, hopefully the linebackers will be able to rise to the challenge next year as they may not have that much help around them.

The critique of the players and positions above may paint a grim picture for the upcoming season. However, there is some hope. Ever since Gary Crowton got the boot, Bronco Mendenhall has been determined to restore the tradition and pride to Cougar football. And if last season’s success was any indication of his progess, I’d say he is doing a great job. Also, Robert Anae showed that his instincts and skill are that of an offensive genius. Beck was able to spray the ball around to so many different receivers and running backs that opposing defenses were simply unable to cover everyone. With Anae at the helm, many of BYU’s offensive inadequacies due to youth and lack of experience will be less of a factor.

To sum up, BYU is going to be young and inexperienced. But it has the coaching staff and tradition needed to propel the Cougars into yet another winning season. However, the coaches are not the ones on the field. So, if BYU is to continue its winning ways this year, some new faces are going to have adapt quickly to the higher level of competition that comes with NCAA football and come up big in the MWC this year.

 

Nishan Wilde is VP of sales at Robbins Sports and Athletics  and staunch BYU Cougar football fan.

Yesterday I reviewed the Athlon pre-season college football rankings to check in on what the experts think about Florida State’s prospects this year.  After last season’s all-time low (hopefully) following seasons of decline, I didn’t expect the Seminoles to be in the top ten.  I found them at #26, which is somewhat of a sign of respect from the pollsters.  The USA Today pre-season poll has the ‘Noles in the top 25.  So, what can we expect this year from the once great college football dynasty?  Here are my thoughts.

Last year was the most frustrating season in recent history for Florida State fans.  Each game we endured watching a physically talented yet inept offense leave game after game on the table reminded us that nepotism was Bobby Bowden’s major weakness as a head coach.  Many of us wondered how long Coach Bowden, the university, or even college football as a collective whole could allow such injustice – the destruction of his father’s program by Jeff Bowden – to continue.  Finally, something gave (as in a $500,000 buyout), and major changes were made.

We’ll likely find out early in the season how much of an improvement the new offensive coaching staff has made from what they inherited after last season.  Most people would agree that there’s no way they could be worse, especially with the talent that consistently walks the Florida State practice field.  Considering the recent accomplishments of Jimbo Fisher, I’d expect that he could meet the challenge of placing FSU back into the Top 10.

One obstacle the Seminoles face this year is their tough schedule.  One ESPN columnist ranks FSU’s schedule the second most difficult in the nation this season.  Away games at Virginia Tech, Boston College, and Florida are all ones for which the Seminoles could be considered underdogs.  If things haven’t improved offensively from what was brought to the field last year, those three games are almost sure losses.  However, if the offense has been reconstructed as we hope, the ‘Noles can put the fear into anyone they face this season.

Although I’d like to see this season become a miraculous time-warp back to 1999, I’m doubtful that Florida State will become what it used to be until Bobby Bowden retires.  It’s been apparent over the past few seasons – with turmoil among players and his jawing about fans’ and boosters’ demands for change – that he has lost a significant amount of the respect on and off the field that he used to merit.  The trick plays and unpredictability that used to be the signature of FSU football have apparently died, and with Coach Bowden growing older by the day, it’s difficult to imagine that fast paced, in-your-face style being resurrected.  With that perspective, I’d feel pretty good with a 9-3 record and a bowl-game win.

Richard Robbins is one of the owners of RobbinsSports.com, a supplier of custom football uniforms and basketball uniforms.