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Football can be a complicated game but some things are simple. You need a great quarterback to have a special season. Welcome to the state of Florida where the QB position is full of controversy, injuries, questions and uncertainty.
Midway through the season Florida, FSU, Miami and UCF all have questions about their signal caller for the season and in the future. And that's why for the first time in a decade the state has no team ranked inside the top 25.
At Florida, Dan Mullen has to basically name his starting quarterback for 2022 in October of 2021. Two weeks, I wrote a column about Anthony Richardson, I stated that he might be the most coveted free agent in college football at the end of the season. In a new era where players get a free transfer, everyone is on the hunt for talent and Richardson has loads of talent. My point then and now is Richardson will not be back up in 2022 in Gainesville or anywhere. If Emory Jones finished the season as the starter, Richardson would leave for a place ready to hand them the reins of their offense. But now Mullen has a decision to make.
Richardson played well in relief of Emory Jones in Florida's 49-42 loss at LSU. He did throw a back foot interception that ended the Gators hope of a final score to likely tie the game. Despite trying to downplay the controversy after the loss, Mullen knows he has a decision to make. If Richardson doesn't start against Georgia in two weeks, dozens of schools will continue to contact Richardson. Yes, schools find a way through a variety of sources to reach out to players during the season and let them know they are interested if a player wants to transfer. You can't afford to wait for someone to formally enter the transfer portal. If you do, you are likely 50th in line to get their attention.
Richardson clarified a comment he made after the game about his future as a Gator, but everyone knows the deal. Dan Mullen, hearing the whispers about his choice of quarterbacks is also hearing whispers about his coaching. Either Jones or Richardson will NOT be around in 2022. The question for Mullen is not if but when he makes that decision about 2022 and that decision may be made in the next week as his team prepares for Georgia...
At UCF, the expectations were high in Gus Malzahn's first season. The Knights envisioned a season of competing for a conference title and getting back to a major bowl game. All that changed with a loss at Louisville and the season changed when Dillon Gabriel went down with a broken clavicle. Injuries to UCF's best running back (Isaiah Bowser), wide receiver (Jaylon Robinson), best defensive player (Kalia Davis) and others have detoured those plans for a big season. The Knights are now 3-3 and Malzahn's offense has had to be creative in trying to get positive yards on first down. The highlights of Dillon Gabriel whipping it around the field for 400 yards and putting up 50 points are on the sideline. In addition, UCF is beginning to look like a rebuild of sorts for Malzahn. If Cincinnati is the measuring stick in the AAC, the Knights fall short in that comparison. There will be questions at several positions as UCF looks to 2022 and expect the Knights to dip again into the transfer portal. For now, UCF plays on with a freshman quarterback in Mikey Keane who is feeling the impact of playing at the next level. Keane has made some plays but has also felt tremendous pressure while doing it without a top receiver and others slowed by bumps and bruises and a game without an all-conference center who might be out again after another injury at Cincinnati...
Miami Hurricanes' fans envisioned a high powered offense with D'Eriq King who was expected to return after a knee injury. It never happened. The Canes were manhandled by Alabama. They survived against Appalachian State. Miami was outmuscled by Michigan State and Virginia. And despite a second half rally at North Carolina, Miami fell short and sits at 2-4. Redshirt freshman Tyler Van Dyke played well in the second half at Chapel Hill but his third interception with six seconds left sealed the loss. But King's career is done with another injury after shoulder surgery and Miami will never know what would have been had he stayed healthy. Now with Manny Diaz fighting for his job, the Canes sit at a crossroad again for a program trying to get back to its past where competing for national titles was the expectation...
At FSU, the Noles didn't lose this weekend because they didn't play. While Jordan Travis started the season opening game at FSU, McKenzie Milton became the story rallying the Seminoles before falling in overtime. Milton played well against Louisville but continues to be hampered by injuries unrelated to his repaired knee and Jordan Travis seems to have taken control of the position. That may be good for Mike Norvell who continues his rebuild. But FSU still may finish 4-8 this season and only then will it be fair to access the position in Tallahassee. It would not be shocking if Norvell is still looking at the portal for an upgrade at the quarterback position...
It's not even Halloween and four programs have seen their preseason plans foiled and their quarterback position looks vastly different from the early days of August. But that's college football and if you don't have a great quarterback, it's hard to have a great season...
Side note on the firing of Ed Orgeron. I have always said a coach is in trouble in college football when they are bad for business. When fans stop buying tickets and boosters threaten to stop donating money a school knows what's next. That is why Ed Orgeron is out at LSU. But how it happened should not be overlooked. After going 15-0 and winning a national championship, Coach O went 9-8. But this was a plan to get Orgeron out now in case his team went on a winning streak. Within seconds, not minutes, when the news broke that LSU was parting ways with Oregron, the Athletic's Brody Miller posted a story with extensive details about the dismissal, buyout, Title IX investigation connecting Oregron's role, specific details about his person life and allegations about comments and actions against women and notes on players bailing on their coach. Give Miller credit for getting the story but it certainly seems like someone wanted all those details out there. It paints a scenario where Orgeron had to go and that's called a well executed plan by LSU. AD Scott Woodward has a reputation of going big for coaches and the rumor mill is out there with plenty of names like Dabo Swinney, Jimbo Fisher, James Franklin and Lane Kiffin. Orgeron will likely land a defensive coordinator position either in 2022 or 2023 in the SEC and be paid $2.5M. But make no mistake, he's out because he went 9-8 since that title. If LSU was 7-0 or 6-1 this season, there would be many defending Orgeron and stating the accusations about him are not true. But losses mount and defenders dwindle and that's why he's out...
FInal thought: Wooster beat Wabash 44-41. Wabash had 670 yards of offense in the win.