Florida-Mississippi State: Time for Gators' leaders to step it up

(Photo by Chris Spears)

A few thoughts about college football on a Saturday morning:

Now we find out what kind of leadership Billy Napier has cultivated with the Florida Gators. Amid speculation that Napier’s Florida coaching career goes off the cliff whether the Gators win or lose Saturday, it is entirely possible the team has been informed. Even if they haven’t had a meeting with Scott Stricklin, these guys aren’t dummies. They know Napier is a short timer.

This is no time for the Gators to fall apart at the seams. Rather than go in the tank, seniors like Jake Slaughter and Tyreak Sapp as well as sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway need to step up as leaders. They need to convince every player on the roster that while Napier’s fate has already been decided, they still have reasons to play lights out. There will be a new coach in the weeks and months ahead, one who needs to be impressed. There is also the portal that will open up in January and every Division I coach will be scouring the Florida roster to find players who will be good fits. You can bet the farm that many players on the Florida team have already been contacted, not necessarily directly but through their agents. Agent to agent communication allows some head coach at another school plausible deniability when and if there are accusations of tampering.

Should the Gators come out of the tunnel today lacking motivation, playing like a team in the tank, it’s a sure sign that leadership has failed and it’s every man for himself. However, if from the moment they run out of the tunnel the Gators are playing like a team with its collective hair on fire, it will tell us the leaders have stepped it up.

If the Gators play hard from start to finish, it will also tell us that while Napier has had his shortcomings as a game day coach, he has instilled character into his locker room. There is something to be said about that.

NO HEISMAN FOR CARSON BECK

Carson Beck had a chance to be a hero Friday night but rolled snake eyes when it mattered most. Despite three previous interceptions, Beck had a chance to lead 2^nd-ranked Miami (5-1, 1-1 ACC) back from an 11-point fourth quarter deficit to give the Hurricanes a chance to tie or win their game with Louisville (5-1, 2-1 ACC) at Hard Rock Stadium. With 32 seconds remaining and first down at the Louisville 31, Beck’s pass was deflected at the line of scrimmage then intercepted by T.J. Capers to seal a 24-21 upset that may very well keep Miami out of the College Football Playoff.

Had Beck led a Miami comeback that resulted in a win whether in regulation or overtime, it would have neutralized the three previous interceptions in the minds of many Heisman voters. Scoring a comeback win when you’re playing your worst always resonates with voters. Throwing a pick when you’re well within range of a tying field goal that can send the game into overtime also resonates, but in a very negative way. So scratch Beck from Heisman consideration. There are too many good players who won’t lay such a gigantic egg when this is the marquee game on national television.

The season numbers for Beck seem quite average now. He’s thrown for 11 touchdowns but he has seven interceptions, which is more than any top 100 passer in NCAA stats.

Beck isn’t the only one to lay an egg, however. Despite only one loss and a favorable schedule the rest of the way, Miami’s chances to win its first ever Atlantic Coast Conference football championship might be swimming with the fishes. Ahead of Miami in the ACC are No. 12 Georgia Tech (6-0, 3-0 ACC), No. 18 Virginia (5-1, 3-1 ACC), Duke (4-2, 3-0 ACC) and SMU (4-2, 2-0 ACC). Louisville, which now owns the tiebreaker over Miami, and Pittsburgh (4-2, 2-1 ACC) both have one loss in conference play.

The ACC is so weak that its champion might very well be the only team from the league to make the College Football Playoff. Right now, Georgia Tech has the upper hand in the league and the Yellow Jackets will have a chance to score a major win in the regular season finale when they play Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. There are no statement wins on Miami’s schedule and among the unbeaten contenders, the Hurricanes only play SMU on the road in Dallas. So, there won’t be much chance to dig out of the hole Miami now finds itself sitting in.

Prediction: Miami will lose another game and won’t make either the ACC Championship Game or the College Football Playoff. Beck will not finish among the top 10 vote-getters in the Heisman Trophy race. Right now, Georgia Tech’s Haynes King appears to be the only hope for an ACC player to be invited to New York for the Heisman ceremony.

THE FIGHTING MULLENS MIGHT MAKE THE PLAYOFF

UNLV (6-0, 2-0 MWC) travels to Boise State (4-2, 2-0 MWC) in the marquee game in the Mountain West Conference. This is easily the most difficult game remaining on the UNLV schedule so win it and Dan Mullen has a legitimate shot to run the table to finish with an unbeaten regular season.

The Mountain West isn’t particularly strong this year, but if UNLV goes unbeaten in the regular season, then wins the conference championship game, it will certainly be in the College Football Playoff hunt. UNLV beat UCLA earlier in the year prior to the firing of head coach DeShaun Foster. Since then the Bruins are 2-0, scoring a lot of points and looking like a tough out for the remaining six teams on their schedule. Should UCLA become bowl eligible, it will look very good on the UNLV resume.

If Mullen were to take UNLV to an unbeaten season and to the College Football Playoff in his first year on the job, it would be a gut punch to Florida. Mullen was fired after his only losing season at UF in 2021. He finished 34-15 during his Florida coaching tenure. Replacement Billy Napier is 21-23 and about to be fired.

Mullen’s quarterback is Anthony Colandrea, who prepped at St. Petersburg Lakewood before spending two seasons at Virginia. In his first season under Mullen, Colandrea has thrown for 10 touchdowns and run for three more. On the UNLV roster are former Gators Daejon Reynolds (11 catches, 237 yards, 2 TDs), nose tackle Jalen Lee (12 tackles, 4 TFL, 1 sack) and O-lineman Andrew Saviianea.

COACHING THOUGHTS

Indiana made a pre-emptive strike when it gave Curt Cignetti an 8-year extension valued at $93 million. In a season-and-a-half at Indiana, Cignetti is 17-2.

Don’t be surprised if James Franklin’s name pops up in the coaching searches going on at Virginia Tech and Oklahoma State. That is, if he wants to coach next year. The $48.6 million buyout from Penn State might make him think twice about jumping back into the fire.

Does Mark Stoops want out at Kentucky? There are growing rumors that he wants to take the Virginia Tech job.

Consensus opinion is that Penn State will hire Nebraska coach Matt Rhule to replace Franklin. Rhule is a former Penn State linebacker who is currently in his third year at Nebraska.  

Lincoln Riley desperately needs a signature win today when Southern Cal pays a visit to Notre Dame. The Trojans are off to a 5-1 start but if they lose to Notre Dame today, Riley will drop to 6-9 against ranked teams since taking over at USC.

Ryan Silverfield (Memphis), Alex Golesh (South Florida) and Jon Sumrall (Tulane) will have opportunities to move on up to the deluxe apartment in the sky. Memphis is unbeaten, ranked No. 22 and should register a third straight season with 10 or more wins. Silverfield played and coached at Bolles under Corky Rogers. Golesh, who has South Florida No. 19 nationally, might be the perfect fit for Oklahoma State, which is accustomed to high scoring offenses. If Mark Stoops were to take a job elsewhere, Sumrall would get the first call from Kentucky.

In Memphis, South Florida and Tulane the American has three teams that will contend for the spot in the College Football Playoff reserved for the highest ranked Group of Five champion. If Memphis (6-0) beats South Florida (5-1) next week that will eliminate USF from championship contention. Tulane (5-1) plays at Memphis November 7. There is a chance these three teams will cannibalize each other, opening the door for UNLV to make the playoff from the Mountain West.

LAST MINUTE PICKS

FLORIDA (3-4, 1-2 SEC) to beat Mississippi State (4-2, 0-2 SEC) and cover the 9.5-point spread … No. 17 Vanderbilt (5-1, 1-1 SEC) to beat No. 10 LSU (5-1, 2-1 SEC) … No. 6 Alabama (5-1, 3-0 SEC) wins a white knuckler over No. 11 Tennessee (5-1, 2-1 SEC) … No. 5 Ole Miss (6-0, 3-0 SEC) will remain unbeaten by knocking off No. 9 Georgia (5-1, 3-1 SEC) … No. 20 Southern Cal (5-1) will end any chance for Notre Dame (4-2) to make the playoff … UNLV (6-0, 2-0 MWC) goes to Boise State (4-2, 2-0 MWC), takes down the Broncos and remains unbeaten … No. 14 Oklahoma (5-1, 1-1 SEC) will win big over South Carolina (3-3, 1-3 SEC) … No. 12 Georgia Tech (6-0, 3-0 ACC) goes to Duke (4-2, 3-0 ACC) and gets a win that will put the Yellow Jackets in the top 10 … No. 19 South Florida (5-1, 2-0 American) will blow the doors off Florida Atlantic (3-3, 2-1 American) … No. 15 BYU (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) will remain unbeaten by taking down No. 23 Utah (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) in a widowmaker of a finish … Stanford (2-4, 1-2 ACC) will keep Florida State (3-0, 0-3 ACC) winless in the ACC … Upset specials: Arkansas (2-4, 0-2 SEC) will win a shootout with No.  5 Texas A&M (6-0, 3-0 SEC) in a game that will see more than 1,000 yards and 100 points … Auburn (3-0, 0-3 SEC) will finally get an SEC win by knocking off No. 16 Missouri (5-1, 1-1 SEC).