COLLEGE FOOTBALL (And my Memory Lane too)

Now I'm really ready for college football after watching a replay yesterday of another classic game. Sun Sports aired the 1994 meeting of Florida and Florida State. This was a heartbreaking tie for my Gators. With Florida holding a 31-3 lead in the 4th quarter, FSU QB Danny Kanell and RB Warrick Dunn led the Seminoles to 4 unanswered TDs to earn a historic 31-31 tie. There was no overtime back then, but make no mistake about it - this game was one of the low points of the Spurrier era.

I actually remember watching this game the first time around. Of all places, I watched the critical 2nd half on the televisions in the basement of the 86th Street HMV in New York City with my good friend TSL. The game was played over Thanksgiving weekend and my buddy was back in town from college so we met up in the City. Though I don't remember for sure, we likely began the day with lunch at Uno's and a few games at Bowlmor Lanes. We then finished the afternoon visit by heading uptown to our favorite music store. Once there, I quickly lost interest in music. And while my college-football-hating friend wandered the aisles looking for selections from Don Henley, Hootie and the Blowfish, and Silverchair, I watched my Gators led by QB Danny Wuerffel and RB Fred Taylor self-destruct.

I wonder if TSL remembers this day? Afterall, his memory usually outshines my own. I'll always remember this game not only for the bitter outcome, but for the countless excuses I devised to keep my friend shopping just a few minutes longer so I could see the amazing conclusion. Eventually he got pretty ticked and almost left me behind. But ever the loyal friend, Ted stuck it out. He didn't watch much of the game, but probably did go home with a new Eagles CD that he still owns to this day!

Now that I've spent so much TOTW time on Memory Lane, and since nothing else intrigues me, I offer my picks for the 2006 college season as the one to watch.

SEC -- Louisiana State. I like the way the Bayou Bengals finished 2005 with a 40-3 thrashing of Miami in the Peach Bowl. QB JaMarcus Russell is back and should finally emerge as a star. Justin Vincent should do fine at RB and LSU always fields a strong D. Coach Les Miles is a great hire and will put his mark on this team in his 2nd year. If they can emerge from the dominant SEC including tough games with Florida and Auburn, LSU can win it all.

ACC -- Florida State. Old coach Bobby Bowden is amazing. I've joked about Free Sneakers University over the years, but you have to respect the guy's continual ability to macro-manage this juggernaut. Sophomore QB Drew Weatherford could be a Heisman Trophy winner in the mold of Chris Weinke by the time he's done. RB Lorenzo Booker is back and look for big WR Greg Carr to emerge as a Heisman candidate. As long as coach Mickey Andrews can replace defensive losses to the NFL draft, I expect FSU to be a force in the competitive ACC. And they always do.

Big 10 - Ohio State. OSU is the class of the conference along with Iowa and Michigan. But I think the Buckeyes will be better battle-tested after their 2005 Fiesta Bowl rout of Notre Dame and their forthcoming early classic with Texas. And it may be OSU's QB Troy Smith who emerges as the next Vince Young this time. They also still have key weapons in RB Antonio Pittman and WR Ted Ginn Jr. The defense lost 9 starters including AJ Hawk. That's enough to keep me from picking OSU to win it all, but I think they win the Big 10.

Big 12 - Oklahoma. I don't follow this conference as closely. I would have definitely picked the Sooners before they kicked QB Rhett Bomar off the team. But I'm confident head coach (and ex-Gator) Bob Stoops will find someone to step up at QB. And I think Texas needs a year to retool after losing their own field general Young. RB Adrian Peterson should carry the bulk of the load for Oklahoma. He's really good and will be a star on Sunday for years to come.

Pac 10 - Southern California. I do expect them to stumble somewhere along the way. UCLA and Cal should both be good. I also read where Washington State could be a sleeper pick out west. Can QB John Booty follow in the legacy of Leinart and Palmer or will he look more like his brother Josh? Maybe the latter. However, their biggest losses will prove to be at RB. I don't respect the Pac 10 very much. But I'll still take USC to win this overrated conference.

Big East - Louisville. Everyone expects West Virginia to win the weak Big East after they shocked Georgia in last year's Sugar Bowl. Not me. I think Louisville has more talent and they also play the same easy conference schedule. Coach Bobby Petrino is an offensive guru. Look for QB Brian Brohm and RB Michael Bush to put up monster numbers and become Heisman contenders.

National Champion -- LSU
Heisman Trophy -- Kenny Irons, Auburn

Let's throw it back to 1994 for just another moment. Here's everyone's favorite diva, Mariah Carey.