There is no doubt that Bowden’s time is coming to an end in Tallahassee, where he put together a dynasty that put together a string of terrific seasons in the 90′s and early into this decade. But Bowden fell into the same trap that many legendary athletes fall into time and time again. He overstayed his welcome.

Time will heal all wounds from the last several abysmal campaigns at Florida State that have caused many fans to turn against their once-beloved coach, but there is no doubt that Bowden did tarnish his legacy for staying too long. Years after he finally leaves, the fans will look back on his time and truly appreciate how amazing of a run he put together at FSU, but it is becoming harder and harder to do that as he stays on and drives a program that he no longer seems capable of piloting into the ground.

If his words after the embarrassing loss to the Gators on Saturday mean anything, it seems that Bowden has finally come to the same realization that everyone else has, which is that maybe it is finally time to hang it up and move on. Bowden said he needs to do some “soul-searching” before deciding whether to come back next season, which has undoubtedly ushered a gigantic sigh of relief from the Seminole faithful.

Of course, that doesn’t mean he won’t be back next season because that possibility is surely there, especially considering that he has a chance to redeem himself and ride into the sunset after a year in which his program almost missed a bowl game, a far fall from the years when it was shocking that the Noles weren’t in the Top 5 at the end of the year. There is no guarantee that the Seminoles will be in better hands with Jimbo Fisher taking over, a decision by the Florida State administration that may prove to be worse than Bowden’s decision to continue coaching past his capabilities, but there is no doubt that it is time to move in a different direction. For Bowden’s sake, he should think long and hard about his legacy and the program that he undoubtedly loves before making his decision. If he decides to leave after this season, at least he will be able to say he did it on his own terms, an choice that may not be his if he decides to stick around.

I consider myself very lucky to have come to the University of Florida at the same time as that talented group of football players, and I must say this is the golden age of Florida football. I feel the pain of all of those people who went to school during the Ron Zook era or before Steve Spurrier returned to Gainesville to put his alma mater on the national map, but at least now those loyal fans have been rewarded for sticking with the team.

Surely, as long as Urban Meyer is around the Gators will be a force to be reckoned with in the near future, but there is no telling if they will ever have as great a run as they are having now. With Tennessee on the rise and Georgia sure to return to prominence and Alabama the team that will always be there waiting for Florida as long as Nick Saban is around, the SEC will be harder than ever in the years to come.

But Tebow and crew gave the Florida faithful something to be thankful for the past four years and are only two steps away from giving the program its first-ever undefeated season. Even if they do not accomplish that feat, there is no doubt that this is one class that will always be remembered in Florida lore, especially Tebow, who many have anointed one of the greatest players to play college football. Of course, that topic will always be open for debate, but there is no doubt that he has had a profound impact on the game.

As their time winds down, there is  no doubt that we are watching the end of one of an era in college football.

The hope of the future may very well lie in the hands of Josh Freeman, who made his first appearance in limited time against New England this past weekend. With the bye coming up, there is no question Tampa will most likely use the extra week to get Freeman ready to take on the Packers.

Heading into the draft this past year, optimists pegged him as a potential next Big Ben, but the pessimist could very easily start comparing him to another recent first round pick, JaMarcus Russell. Obviously both of those comparisons would come in the large quarterback with a large arm mold, and the difference between the two opposite ends of the spectrum is the “it” factor of Big Ben and the apparent laziness of Russell–and of course, the huge differences in luck between the two, getting drafted by Pittsburgh is a lot more beneficial to a player than going to the Black Hole, literally, out in Oakland.

It remains to be seen where Freeman will fall on the spectrum, or if he will turn out to be a completely different type of player. But the Bucs better hope that Freeman turns out to be more of the former than the latter, for fear of feeling the backlash for reaching for a player that many thought was a fringe first-round prospect at best. Considering Tampa could have taken a defensive player and shored up a weakness that arrived with the shedding of so many players and the much deeper 2010 draft, at the quarterback position as well as many others, Freeman is what so many highly-picked quarterbacks are: the anchor of a franchise that will either hold it down for years to come or take it down with them, sinking it for years in the process.

Ten games are enough to get a solid glimpse at what Tampa will be looking at, but one other thing to consider heading forward is another comparison: is Tampa more like Oakland these days, and will that possibly stunt his growth from the outset?

One has Tommy Tuberville, former Auburn coach who led the Tigers to an undefeated season in the SEC several years back. A coach who is that good in the talented Florida area could turn UCF into a solid program in a few years. Rumor has it that he is actually interested in the job, and if I were UCF I wouldn’t hesitate to scoop him up. I thought he got a raw deal at Auburn and UCF would give him a solid shot to start over, although I don’t know how long he would stay there if he finds success.

The other has Bill Cowher possibly going to the Bucs after the season, which I find to be a long shot, considering the man could take any NFL job he wanted. I don’t know why you would want to go to Tampa. The team has some young talent, but it is currently a mess right now. This signals that people are already thinking that Raheem Morris is in over his head, and fair or not, he has done nothing to prove them wrong. And no matter what the situation is, if you can get a coach like Cowher, you do it. This would turn the Bucs franchise around immediately. We will see if there is any truth to this rumor, but like I said, I tend to stray to the doubtful side for now.

When you are second on the all-time wins list and have singlehandedly carried your school from being a girls’ school to relevancy, you would think you would have a lifetime free pass. But that is not the case these days for Bobby Bowden, as he is starting to find that he is a victim of his own success. If it weren’t for career days from Christian Ponder (395 yards, 3 TD) and Rod Owens (9 catches, 199 yards and a 98-yard score), Bowden might already have one foot out the door in Tallahassee. It sure seemed that way when the Noles were staring down a 24-6 deficit in the second half. But they managed to squeak out their first ACC victory of the year–now that’s probably the latest someone has been able to say that about the Noles–and Bowden was able to quiet the hounds, at least for a few minutes.

I still think he should ride out into the sunset after this year because he has been unable to find that old-age success that Joe Paterno was able to pull out of his sleeve a few years back to keep Penn State relevant. Florida State is anything but these days, and with the talent pool that is breeding in Florida, this school should be putting talent on the field like Florida and Miami are doing these days. No one can say that JoePa has it easier because he plays in the Big 10 either, because the ACC is right on par with that conference.

South Florida Recap

Moving on to Tampa and the team that beat the Noles earlier this season to make the claim that they were the third best team in the state–I honestly can’t remember the last time anyone was this proud to be the third best team anywhere, let alone in your own state–is the South Florida Bulls. They  have managed to do it once again, and that is not a good thing. What I’m talking about, of course, is the habit of starting off hot and running smack dab into a brick wall. It’s a shame that the college football season isn’t a sprint because USF might have been able to compete for a national championship, but alas, it is almost November and the Bulls are already kicked to the curb after losing a second-consecutive Big East blowout, this time at the hands of the Pitt Panthers, 41-14. The game was over after two quarters, showing that USF would actually not win all sprints believe it or not, as Pitt took a 31-7 lead into the half. I think it’s safe to say that when your quarterbacks throw 3 interceptions on 13 attempts, you might miss fallen leader Matt Grothe.

Miami Canes

Well Miami has had an impressive turnaround season, there is no doubt about that. But these young Hurricanes still have some growing up to do before they can rejoin the nation’s elite after dropping a heartbreaker to schizophrenic Clemson, 40-37 in overtime. It didn’t help that the Canes had to see CJ Spiller on the one day he decided to live up to his potential, as he ran wild over Miami with 310 all-purpose yards, a school record, including a 90-yard kickoff return and a 56-yard touchdown catch. It also didn’t help that young buck Jacory Harris fell back down to earth for a day, throwing three interceptions in the loss. The Hurricanes went from front-runner to win the ACC to the back of the pack after the loss and I wouldn’t expect the Yellow Jackets to relinquish their new-found lead. But there is still plenty of time left, and as the Canes surprisingly loss to Clemson proved, anything can happen.

Florida Gators

The Gators once again played a bottom-feeder in the SEC and once again had a game that was much closer than it should have been for the supposed top team in the land. The Gators once again were led by a solid team defensive performance and some good plays by Tim Tebow. But they were also put in the position of too-close-for-comfort by Tebow’s bone-headed interceptions, two returned for touchdowns, and a play that the Gators were lucky to not have overturned when Dustin Doe showboated his interception return, appearing to fumble it on the goal line. Dan Mullen proved to the Gators that they may have missed him more than they thought they would as Florida’s offense continues to struggle. But they lived to fight another day, and are still on par to meet fellow escape artist Alabama in the SEC title game.

The calls in the Yankees-Angels game the other night were almost comical, unless you are an Angels fan, of course. I’m still a little confused on what was going through those guys’ heads.

Then there is the NBA, which has always had notoriously questionable–at best–officiating. Just when you thought it couldn’t be any worse, the referees had a lockout just so the league could see how truly bad it could get. I don’t know how referees who are that terrible can ask for more money. It’s a wonder the league hasn’t figured out a way to better train these guys and maybe get some young blood in there, you know, ones who can actually keep up with the breakneck pace without me wondering if they might suddenly fall on the floor, suffering from a heart attack.

And now there is the league that has retaliated against those renegade zebras, although I guess baseball doesn’t have zebras, now does it?

The SEC has suspended a referee crew for their mistakes in the close Florida-Arkansas game, the same officials who made some questionable calls in the similarly close LSU-Georgia game. Both times the higher ranked team won, keeping the SEC’s championship hopes alive. It makes sense that Slive would suspend them, even just to save his own tail, because you know that all the other people around the nation are itching for a way to tear down the conference, not only for its talent but also for its habit of telling everyone how great it is.

Theoretically, if the calls were made the correct way, Arkansas would have won the game–I say theoretically because, as everyone knows, you don’t know what would have happened if you change one play in a game, never mind three. So what do you have then? You still have the No. 1 team in the country in Alabama, but what you don’t have is the potential collision course for the game of the year in the Georgia Dome between the top two teams, unless Florida managed to rise up to No. 2 again by that point. Big difference for the SEC there. But of course we do still have that, and all Arkansas has to show for it is the very poor consolation prize of seeing those zebras sit in purgatory for a little while. I hate to say it, but maybe in some shape or form, karma has and will continue to bite Bobby Petrino in the backside for that slimy move he pulled on the Falcons. I doubt Atlanta fans care anymore as Matty Ice looks like he’s going to lead a good team for years to come, but you gotta wonder if the football gods hold a grudge against the guy.

As for Slive, he better hope that none of his other officials pull any shenanigans because the league already has two strikes against it, and the next one could bring the house of cards crumbling down. But you have to wonder if you can ever really bring suspended referees back into play. I know they are professionals at what they do and they only made a few bad calls, albeit pretty important ones, but when you already carry that stigma or scarlet letter or whatever you want to call it as the person who is supposed to officiate the game and not involve yourself in the outcome, you know every time you make a questionable call that people are going to be calling for your head. And as commissioner, you have to know that every future game involving this crew might very well be in question straight from the get-go. It’s rough water to tread on for Slive.

All I can say now is that for a bunch of guys who aren’t supposed to involve themselves in the outcome or be a part of the storyline at any time, those zebra guys sure have done a good job of making the headlines these days. Don’t quit your day job guys, at least those of you who have a choice for the foreseeable future.

1. New FIFA award for most beautiful goal

Soccer is called “the beautiful game,” so why shouldn’t there be an award for “most beautiful goal?”

2. Maryland and South Carolina to honor vets

Both teams will wear camouflage uniforms two days before Veteran’s Day in conference battles against No. 15 Virginia Tech and No. 1 Florida. The uniforms are designed by Under Armor. This gesture is something that should be done nationwide, similar to the NFL wearing pink to support breast cancer awareness. I’m also interested to see what these uni’s look like.

3. Clemson cornerback to honor UConn cornerback Jasper Howard

Chris Chancellor will wear No. 6 to honor his former high school teammate, who was slain this weekend. Very nice gesture to honor a fallen teammate. I can’t imagine what any of the people close to Howard are going through right now. But here’s to hoping that gestures like Chancellor’s will help keep his memory alive and well.

The search is still ongoing to find the former Miami high school star’s killer.

The Jaguars struggled to beat the lowly Rams but were able to pull out the victory and that’s all that matters in the NFL. The Times-Union talks about David Garrard leading the Jaguars to victory after throwing an interception that was returned for a touchdown. I understand that the quarterback is the leader, but he is too inconsistent to be the one the Jaguars rely on. Those types of mistakes will cost the Jags against a real team. I think the real leader of the team can be found here.

The Jaguars also suffered a potentially huge loss as Rasean Mathis may need surgery to repair his injured finger. I don’t see the guy missing much time if any, especially with the bye this week, but it remains to be seen if it affects his play.

Tampa Bucs

It’s no secret the Bucs are bad. Terrible, actually. So why not let first-rounder Josh Freeman take the reigns and see what he can do? I personally would wait until after what should be a thrashing over in England to the Pats and at least give the kid two weeks to prepare for his first start, a point that is made in the article. As Rick Stroud of the St. Pete Times points out the obvious, that trip will not be fun. I wonder what the Pats will do to the Bucs on an international stage if they put up 59 on the Titans in the snow. The Bucs better pray that the weather is worse than it was two years ago in England.

If there is any good news for Bucs fans, it comes only in the form of consolation, knowing that Panthers cornerback Dante Wesley was suspended one game for his hit on Clifton Smith. Like I said, there’s not much good news floating around One Buc Place these days.

Florida Gators

According to the SEC, officials made a mistake in calling a 15-yard penalty on the Razorbacks prior to Demps’ TD run. Not surprisingly, it was the same crew that threw those questionable flags in the Georgia-LSU game. The SEC might want to keep a closer on on them.

Mike Bianchi even went as far to say Arkansas got jobbed by the refs.

Brandon Spikes is expected to play this weekend, but the defensive line is in shambles.

Florida State Seminoles

With all the talk about Bobby Bowden and what many believe should be his imminent end, Steve Ellis of the Tallahassee Democrat writes that defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews deserves better than sitting through this mess of a season. With all the coordinators that left Bowden’s staff, Andrews was the one that stayed on through it all, so I would have to agree with that sentiment.

The Noles will be without DT Budd Thacker for two weeks. Interesting that this info is “according to his mother.”

FSU has lost LB Maurice Harris for the season.

South Florida Bulls

The Bulls are at it again, if you listen to Greg Auman of the St. Pete Times. Or at least they better not be. “It” of course, is getting off to a hot start but not finishing the job. With Pitt up to the plate, we will see if the loss to Cincinnati snowballs into another one of those seasons for the Bulls.