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 Friday, December 13, 2002
Things to watch in the BCS
By Brent Musburger
Special to BCSfootball.com
What impact will losing offensive coordinator Mark Richt to Georgia have on Florida State in the BCS title game against Oklahoma? In my opinion, very little.
|  | | Mark Richt was named the 24th head coach at Georgia on Tuesday. |
The leader of the Florida State offense is Chris Weinke. Being 28 years old doesn't necessarily help Weinke physically, but it certainly does mentally. This is not meant to criticize Richt's ability. He has done a fine job at FSU, working with a variety of quarterbacks, including Charlie Ward, who as we now know, was a point guard playing football.
But Weinke's ability to see and feel things on the field has been vastly underrated. If you go back and look at his career with the Seminoles, he has an uncanny ability for scoring immediately after the opposition puts points on the board. His feel for the Oklahoma defense will be more important than Richt's playlist up in the coaches' booth.
Will Richt be distracted after being named Georgia's head coach? You bet he will. He's only human. But he can be thankful that he has a quarterback like Weinke on the field.
It says here that the Seminoles will miss Snoop Minnis more than they will a distracted offensive coordinator.
So let's take a look at the four BCS games that will determine a national championship, but probably not a clear-cut choice among college football fans. One way or another, this season will leave us with an argument.
We'll start in Pasadena.
Rose Bowl presented by AT&T:
This may be the most entertaining game of the entire bowl season. If you like points, tune in early. Unless the weather gods intervene, both the Huskies and Boilermakers will go up and down the field.
Gary Danielson asked me the other day if I would draft Drew Brees. I thought about it and then said, "Yes." Brees would be my first choice among the available quarterbacks this season. There are some questions about his size and his ability to throw deep, but Brees moves the football in 15-20 yard chunks. And he runs just well enough to keep a defense honest.
The other QB, Marques Tuiasosopo, is a winner. He drives his team in the fourth quarter, which is money time for a QB at any level.
This will be one entertaining Rose Bowl.
|  | | Wide receiver Robert Prescott is a key component to Oregon State's attack. |
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl:
Oregon State head coach Dennis Erickson has confided to friends that he thinks his Beavers can win this game. Don't dismiss this as simply Coachspeak, because in the same breath, he told his confidants that he didn't think they were good enough to handle Miami.
The Oregon State story is one of the great turnarounds in recent college football memory. Overlooked in most of the articles about Dennis Erickson is the legacy he's leaving in college football. You can trace a lot of the one-back, wide-open passing attacks that are now the rage, to Erickson, when he was an assistant on the West Coast.
Notre Dame will have to defend the entire field, but Bob Davie's specialty has always been defense, and he's familiar with the Erickson attack.
Paul Hornung tells us that Notre Dame QB Matt LoVecchio is the real deal. And if Paul says it, it's good enough for me. Notre Dame is still Notre Dame, and you have to give the Irish a chance in a situation like this.
Nokia Sugar Bowl:
This is where Gary and I will be on Jan. 2, and I must say I've been looking forward to this game since it's been announced.
It amuses me that Miami could lose the national championship, at least the BCS portion of it, to Florida State, but can still win the championship of Florida. The other day when I visited the Hurricanes' practice in Coral Gables, I came away with the impression this is a team on a mission. They're saying all the right things about being denied a spot against Oklahoma. And there's a fire brewing -- they're delighted to be playing a rival they haven't played since the mid-'80s.
Steve Spurrier, if nothing else, is a fierce competitor, and the Gators won't back down from this fight. The performance of Rex Grossman at quarterback against Auburn in the SEC title game did wonders for the young man's confidence. It's a tough job for any QB to satisfy Spurrier, but Grossman appears to be a mentally tough youngster.
FedEx Orange Bowl:
The only unbeaten team left, Oklahoma, can end Miami's dream of a split championship by beating Florida State and beating them decisively. Easier said than done.
After the Sooners' first offensive series of the game, they will realize what kind of a battle they're in for. There is more speed and power on the Florida State defense than any team OU has looked at this year. Defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews will come after Heupel early. And remember, the 'Noles take no prisoners when they go after quarterbacks. They are on the verge of being dirty, but the Seminole defenders are taught to tackle through the whistle.
After the pressure is applied, look for Andrews to use a three-man rush and try to clog the short passing lanes with extra defensive backs. Florida State is one of the few defenses around with enough depth in the defensive backfield to put talent all over the field, regardless of the alignment.
Oklahoma can win this game, but the Sooners cannot turn it over, and must not get rattled in the first quarter. A year ago in the championship, Michael Vick's raw athletic ability kept Virginia Tech in the game. Heupel is not this sort of QB. He depends on hitting open receivers, standing tough against the blitz, and his receivers getting yards after the catch. This plays right into FSU's strength, and that's why the Sooners are going to have a tough time beating Florida State.
Enjoy the games and have a very Happy New Year.
Brent Musburger is a play-by-play announcer for ABC's coverage of college football, and is a regular contributor to BCSfootball.com.
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