* How ironic that Charley Ward was among the honored guests at last week’s FSU home finale against Idaho. It was 20 years ago that FSU won its first national championship and quarterback Charley Ward won the Seminoles’ first-ever Heisman Trophy.
Now there is the disturbing diversion that is the Jameis Winston rape allegation. Quarterback Winston is a Heisman front runner, and his Seminoles are two wins away from playing for the national championship. He had another big day last Saturday in the 80-14 win over outmanned Idaho. Now an ugly cloud–and the likelihood of backlash–hangs over the football program.
On so many levels, FSU fans have never missed Charley Ward, a gifted athlete and a classy person, more than right now.
* At this point, the USF football team, 2-8, is playing purely for pride–and the avoidance of the worst record in the school’s history. One other motivator: the Bulls can play in-state spoiler this Friday by defeating UCF in Orlando. UCF, 9-1, is two wins away from its best season ever and a designated spot in a prime time, showplace BCS bowl game.
And imagine, it wasn’t that long ago that USF unilaterally declined to play upstart UCF anymore (USF won all four–2005-08–meetings) because the Knights of Conference USA were a status step down from the Bulls of the BCS-aligned Big East Conference. Now, after a couple of tumultuous conference-realigning years, they’re both in the new American Athletic Conference. UCF is now a major national player–and USF is struggling mightily. And there is no more Big East football conference. Such irony–or maybe gridiron karma.
And, by the way, the last time USF played UCF at RayJay–in 2007–the Bulls won 64-12 in front of nearly 66,000 fans. Seems like more than six years ago–in so many ways.
* There are a lot of reasons why Lightning goalie Ben Bishop needs to be on top of his game right now. The Bolts need him at his best after that tough West Coast road trip. There’s another reason: Bishop is one of six NHL goalies vying for one of three spots on the U.S. team at the upcoming Sochi Winter Olympics. The decision will be made by Jan. 1.