Urban Meyer
In 2005, Urban Meyer began his reign as the head football coach of the University of Florida Gators and when he arrived in Gainesville he was looked at as a savior. In the three seasons before Meyer at Florida when Ron Zook was the head football coach there, the Gators were mediocre as Zook had a tough act to follow in Steve Spurrier who led the school to a national championship. But in Meyer’s second season at Florida he was able to restore the football program as a power by leading them to a national championship. Meyer would win another national championship at Florida in 2008 before stepping away in 2010 as he cited fatigue. But a revitalized Meyer would resurface on the college football scene in 2012 as he became the head football coach of the Ohio State University Buckeyes.
In Meyer’s first season at Ohio State, the Buckeyes went undefeated. However self-imposed sanctions prohibited them from participating in a bowl game and playing for the national title. In 2013, Meyer and Ohio State had a chance to play for the national championship, but a loss in the Big Ten Championship Game to the Michigan State Spartans derailed those plans. This past season Ohio State lost their starting quarterback in redshirt junior Braxton Miller and they also suffered a surprising early season home loss to the Virginia Tech Hokies of the Atlantic Coast Conference which appeared to dash their national title hopes. But the Buckeyes rallied to dominate the Big Ten and win the Eastern Division. The Buckeyes entered conference championship Saturday ranked sixth in the College Football Playoff standings and after losing Miller’s replacement at quarterback in redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett in the regular season finale versus the Michigan Wolverines, it appeared to be a long shot for Ohio State to be selected. But redshirt sophomore quarterback Cardale Jones stepped to the plate for Meyer and helped Ohio State dominate the Wisconsin Badgers 59-0 in the Big Ten Title Game which paved the way for them to leapfrog the TCU Horned Frogs and the Baylor Bears for the final spot in the College Football Playoff.
Some people were skeptical about Ohio State getting the last spot in the College Football Playoff. But the Buckeyes made the most of their opportunity by defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl and then finally blasting by the Oregon Ducks this past Monday to become the champions of the first College Football Playoff. In the process Meyer joined Alabama head football coach Nick Saban as being the only head football coaches in college football history to win national championships at two different schools. But the folks at Gainesville are left to ponder about what could have been for their football program.
Meyer came to Florida and it appeared to be the perfect marriage that was made in heaven. After leading the Utah Utes to an undefeated season in 2004, Meyer took a step up for a bigger challenge of winning in the Southeastern Conference. Meyer accomplished that in a short period of time as he was building his own legacy at Florida. And with all of the resources to succeed at his fingertips, he appeared to be a lifer there until 2009 when he was hospitalized for dehydration following Florida’s loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. Meyer did resign, but quickly changed his mind after talking to his players. However Meyer would leave Florida for good in 2010.
For Meyer’s skeptics they will look at the fact that Saban was beginning to beat him on the football field and on the recruiting trail as he lost top-tier recruits such as running back Trent Richardson and wide receiver Julio Jones to ‘Bama as being a big part of his decision to leave Florida. The pressure to win in the SEC is immense and after Jim Tressel was forced to resign as the head football coach at Ohio State, Meyer jumped on the chance to come home as he is a native of Ashtabula, Ohio. Meyer’s road to a national title wouldn’t be as difficult in the Big Ten as it was in the SEC which is proved by his 38-3 record in three seasons with the Buckeyes.
Jeremy Foley
Once Meyer left Gainesville, Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley sought out Will Muschamp to be the Gators next head football coach. Muschamp didn’t have any prior head coaching experience, but he had built a reputation as having a great defensive mind along with being a darn good recruiter. Muschamp’s best season at Florida was 2012 when the Gators were 11-2, but his overall record in four seasons there was 28-21 with no conference championships and under his watch the school endured their first losing season in 2013 since 1979 when they failed to win a game. Muschamp could recruit and coach defense, but his offenses were always among the worst in the nation. This past season Muschamp stepped down at Florida and he has been replaced by Jim McElwain who is looking to get the Gators back to where they were when Meyer left. Like Ohio State, Florida did play in a January bowl game. But unlike the joy of New Orleans and the Sugar Bowl, Florida played in the Birmingham Bowl which is one of the last invites that an SEC school receives which is unheard of for the Gators.
Jim McElwain
So while Meyer will get a parade in Columbus, the folks in Gainesville are trying to figure out McElwain and see what he can do as they don’t want to be a second class citizen in the Southeastern Conference. But as long as Meyer and Ohio State continue to win and if Florida continues to stumble on Saturday afternoons, the folks in Gainesville will continue to play the “what if” card.
Leave A Comment