College Football Odds and Ends

* It's been awhile since the Florida/Florida State rivalry has been competitive, and so it has lost some of its national luster. But the rivalry continues to amp up the Sunshine State, and a gaggle of Gator fans are looking to remind the Seminoles just how long the rivalry has been non-competitive with this billboard they are hoping to erect this summer in Tallahassee, if they get enough donations.

I, for one, hope they succeed. Not because I'm a Florida fan (hardly), but because I think FSU fans on their daily commute seeing the billboard can at least smile to themselves and say, "Hey, at least we don't capitalize letters at random."

I also note that if you donate, even as little as $5, you can get to leave a little message on the billboard website. This got me wondering if they would even accept donations attached to an anti-UF message. Just as I was about to reach down into my e-wallet and find out, I realized I don't have to. One donation already says in part, "Dear Gators, you have no class." I think a good Tebow joke would have been more cathartic, but at least we have our answer.

* From the Locking The Barn Door After The Horse Has Already Been Stolen Department, the NCAA announced they are investigating improprieties in the West Virginia program that occurred during the Rich Rodriguez tenure. The very next day, WVU posts a job opening for Director of Athletic Compliance. Delicious.

* I confess: I do wish I was baller enough to throw a birthday party for myself that was worthy of a glossy flyer.

I'm pretty laid back, so don't worry, the dress code will not be swagged out. Come as you are. I wonder about this "nuvvo punch," though. I unsuccessfully googled its contents. Whether it's because this Monroe, Louisiana hotspot is too obscure to find sufficient discussion on the interwebs, or because its recipe is a well-guarded secret, like KFC's eleven herbs and spices, I'm not sure. I also was curious about the origins of the name "nuvvo" until I realized with horror that there's a good chance it's a misspelling of "nouveau." I also wonder how a college sophomore can afford such an opulent bash. Perhaps LSU boosters made him nuvvo riche.

* Next to Boise State, I'd say TCU and Utah have made the most noise in the BCS era from outside the Big Six. But if the latter two continue their winning ways, they will be joining the BCS party, and this time their membership will be official. Or at least laminated. Finally, that UNLV/Northwestern National Championship game we all dream of is a possibility.

* Pete Fiutak, whom I admire, has to put together a ranking of all of the coaches in college football, ordered by how hot their seat is. It's actually not a novel idea, but at least Fiutak gives it to us for free ... I'm not sure why the Coaches' Hot Seat guy thinks his rankings are worth paying money for.

That said, Fiutak make it clear that "hot seat" does not mean "the most imminent possibility of getting fired." He means ... well, anyone who will take a lot of heat for losing. That definition is a little to broad for me. Hence, CoachesHotSeat.com's rankings make a bit more sense to me (still not paying for the whole thing, though), where we do get the top 10 for free.

One man who ranks the high in both lists is Ralph Friedgen. Remember when Maryland was the first threat to Florida State in the ACC? I wonder if Friedgen signed a secret lifetime contract then, because every year I pass a Maryland game on TV and see him on the sidelines, I think, "Wow ... he hasn't been fired yet?"

Dan Hawkins also makes the top 10 of both lists. If I was a Colorado Buffalo fan, I would have been thrilled at the 2006 hiring of Hawkins. He made Boise State who they are today. Colorado has more resources, more money, and a winning history. So the disaster of CU program under Hawkins is surprising, to say the least. This is year five, and Hawkins has yet to post a winning record. Boise State, meanwhile, continues to truck along, and are in far, far better shape than CU. It must be the (undoubtedly blue) water in Boise.