Florida will have to fight for the postseason (Aaron E. Daye/Staff photographer)

The Back Nine prepares for rainy Nashville where there is still work to be done for the Gator basketball team. Haven’t we seen this script before?

10. Geez, is it me or is every Gator game the same game? Especially lately. Coming into the last four games, I said Florida had to go 2-2 to be a lock for the NCAA Tournament and the Gators went 1-3. In all four games, they fell into a deep hole. In one of them, they not only fought back but cruised to a win. In the other two, they fought back but couldn’t make the plays down the stretch. It goes back to what I was saying when I thought they were done after the South Carolina loss — fatigue is an issue. And this is where you say that if Ray Shipman had played more than nine minutes Sunday maybe there wouldn’t be so much fatigue. It’s a good point, but Shipman’s ball-handling skills aren’t good enough to play a lot of minutes.

11. Plus, Kentucky wasn’t going to lose that game on Senior Day. At home. We’ve seen this before from the Wildcats, how they almost always seem to play just good enough to win. The Back Nine was asked to be part of a panel by The Tennessean to vote on a myriad of hoops subjects, and I will tell you this — I changed my vote for worst SEC ref after the game. I’m not saying who I voted for, I’m just saying.

12. At any rate, here the Gators are in the same position as last year, probably needing two wins in the SEC Tournament to punch their Big Dance card. The difference is that this team is better than last year’s. Although I expect the Auburn game to go down to the wire because, well, almost all of them do. I have no doubt that Florida is good enough to be in the NCAA Tournament especially with the soft bubble that exists this year. But the best 65 don’t get in. As much as the system is better than the BCS, there are still flaws. Expansion on the horizon.

Steve Spurrier (shown in a 2005 photo) is a well-known golf enthusiast. (Alex C. Hicks Jr./Spartanburg, S.C. Herald-Journal)

13. Played golf with South Carolina’s ball coach on Monday and I can tell you he’s raring to go and isn’t going to stop coaching anytime soon. “I work out more than I did 20 years ago,” he said. He also made four birdies, three from off the green. Yes, he got into my pocket. He was talking about how he picked up The Gainesville Sun Monday and saw the men’s and women’s tennis team won and baseball won and softball won. Kind of made him nostalgic, I think, for the days when he was part of an all-around excellent program.

14. Congrats to the UF baseball team for going into the lion’s den and coming away with two wins in three games. Kevin O’Sullivan has it going with the baseball program. He has the pitching and depth to make a run at Omaha again this year, and with his freshman class there’s no reason to think it’s not going to keep going into the future.

Camilo Villegas basks in his third PGA Tour victory (AP photo)

15. And a tip of the visor to my man Camilo Villegas for running away at the Honda. The knock on Villegas is that he has struggled to finish off tournaments but he certainly finished off this one. Maybe it’s a sign of things to come. The PGA Tour needs its young stars to come through as long as Tiger Woods is absent.

16. With all these free agents and trades and with the draft coming up, you kind of just want to sit back and wait to see what each roster looks like in August in the NFL. It goes back to my experience at the Combine talking to guys who cover the league. It was more evidence that the NFL is a business and college football in fun. It’s just the way it is.

17. In order, here’s how I would rank the importance of spring football for the SEC teams — 1. Georgia; 2. LSU; 3. Florida; 4. Tennessee; 5. Mississippi; 6. Mississippi State; 7. Kentucky; 8. Auburn; 9. Alabama; 10. Arkansas; 11. South Carolina; 12. Vanderbilt. Georgia is No. 1 because of so many new coaches and breaking in a brand new quarterback. Have fun with your own rankings.

18. The iPod will be used and abused in Nashville, and here are my latest downloads — “Here It Goes Again” by OK Go, “Ready to Go” by First Things First and for the old-school rockers “Heat of the Moment” by Asia. Enjoy.

Contact Pat Dooley at 352-374-5053 or at dooleyp@gvillesun.com. You can listen to The Pat Dooley Show weekdays from 4-6 p.m. on 104.9 FM. And follow at Twitter.com/Pat_Dooley.

Trojan man no more.

The Back Nine comes at you after a wonderful weekend that included my famous $50 chili, loads of sports on TV and a wife who understood that it’s OK to spend two days in sweatpants.

1. Don’t hate Pete Carroll for leaving the college game behind. He really had no choice. Carroll wanted a new challenge and there are millions of reasons to go to the next level. If Kurt Warner retires, it’s a winnable division and he has two high first-round draft picks. Now we sit back and see what happens at USC. Remember that the Trojans had become irrelevant before he turned Southern Cal back into an elite program. This is a huge hire for Mike Garrett. Whoever becomes the new coach may be inheriting NCAA sanctions as well as a bar that has been raised incredibly high. The first name that came to mind when the news broke was Lane Kiffin. He knows USC, is a powerful recruiter and, let’s face it, it’s easier to win in the Pac-10 than the SEC. Imagine the angst Tennessee fans are dealing with right now. I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but it might. Especially now that Mike Riley is out of the picture.

2. The Back Nine was rooting for the Pats to win Sunday, but you have to be happy for Greg Mattison. The former co-defensive coordinator at Florida was catching heat this season as the new coordinator at Baltimore, but not today. His defense seemed to know everything that was coming. The Ravens made Tom Brady look very ordinary at home in a playoff game, and that never happens. I’m not going to write off New England like some have done, but it has been a difficult two seasons in Foxboro.

3. Of course, one of the touchdowns New England scored was after a blown call on the fumbled punt. You combine that with the miss of the facemask grab by Michael Adams on the winning score for Arizona, and it wasn’t a good day for the NFL zebras. Still, Arizona-Green Bay may have been the best NFL game I’ve ever seen. And it cemented Warner as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

4. The weekend wasn’t so good for Billy Donovan, who saw his team score 85 points and lose. Look, Vandy is better than Florida because the Commodores’ bigs are better. But it’s still difficult to explain how the defense could be so pitiful. It seems that this team does one thing poorly in every game and Saturday it was interior defense. Meanwhile, Kentucky stays unbeaten by finding a way to win again over a Georgia team that is a lot better than most expected. And Tennessee pulls a stunner with six scholarship players. The East is a beast this year.

5. Bumped into Urban Meyer on Saturday night at a local restaurant, and I have to say he looked a lot better than he did in New Orleans. He said he’s feeling better, too. Getting those three commitments Saturday can make a guy feel good. I asked Meyer if it was true that he has been in his office during the “leave of absence” and he said, “Every day.” Talked to new defensive coordinator George Edwards as well. Very impressive guy. Meyer said hiring Edwards was a “home run.” There are a lot of balls leaving the park for UF right now. I still believe that impressive showing against Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl was huge for Florida to keep the momentum going in the right direction.

6. Word out of Mobile, Ala., is that ticket sales spiked since the news that Tim Tebow will play in the Senior Bowl on Jan. 30. They sold 3,000 over the weekend. Senior Bowl CEO Steve Hale told Mobile columnist Tommy Hicks, “In my 16 years with the game, I’ve never seen a single player spark so much interest.” Welcome to our world.

7. Now that Maurkice Pouncey is going to the NFL and Mike is staying at Florida, at least we won’t be confused anymore as to which Pouncey is which. It’s going to be a different Florida team next year, for sure, but we knew it was coming.

8. Next year we will have new coaches at Notre Dame, USC and Florida State. That’s just weird.

9. For you iPodders, this week’s musical suggestions — “Let’s Go Surfing” by The Drums, Ringo Starr’s new CD “Y Not,” and old schoolers need to get “Mississippi Queen” by Mountain, the soundtrack of my first year of college.

Contact Pat Dooley at 352-374-5053 or at dooleyp@gvillesun.com and follow at Twitter.com/Pat_Dooley.

Chandler Parsons' prayer was answered.

1. OK, so where does it rate? Parsons’ heave from 75 feet was an improbable ending to a bad basketball game neither team seemed to want to win. We may look back and see it as the difference between Florida being in or out of the NCAA Tournament. I still say the best shot in UF hoop history was Mike Miller’s against Butler because of what it turned into. Corey Brewer’s against Georgetown in 2006 has to be up there. But for pure drama, Parsons was the best in Gator history. Forever, he’ll be remembered for that shot. But it doesn’t disguise the warts on this basketball team. The ugliest one with the hairs growing out of it — Florida can’t shoot a lick. The Gators are shooting 29 percent from 3-point land and have threatened their streak of 593 games with a 3 on too many occasions. Trouble is, they’re not talented enough to put up a lot of points other ways. You saw at the end of regulation when Erving Walker dribbled around until the clock was winding down and launched a bomb. This team already has more significant wins than last year’s but even in another weakened SEC, the Back Nine is looking at a .500 season. We’ll see.

2. Maybe the problem was they were shooting from too close. Maybe 75 feet is Florida’s range. By the way, Florida’s RPI is still a low 77th in the nation. UF probably needs 10 wins in conference play to make the field.

Gator fans enjoy the Crescent City.

3. New Orleans had everything. Decadence, angst, deadline, rich food, beads cascading off balconies, controversy. Everything but sleep. I saw three young men arrested on Bourbon Street and some other things I’d rather not talk about. I found out Cincinnati fans will do the Gator chomp for beads. (Their lame cheer was about to drive me crazy. I kept waiting for a Gator fan to yell out, “Earl’s in trouble.” It’s a college baseball reference so most of you won’t get it.) One of the neatest things I did out there was sitting in the Cajun Cabin with oysters watching three TVs on Jan. 1 next to a table of Auburn fans who got to celebrate a win three times. Very entertaining. That was easily the best of the bowl games so far.
Maybe it’s just because I was in New Orleans for a week, but are Georgia Tech and Iowa still playing in the Orange Bowl? I haven’t heard a peep.

Tim Tebow takes to the air.

4. We probably should have seen Florida’s onslaught of Cincy coming for two reasons. 1. While Florida was going through a coaching upheaval, Charlie Strong was still there. Urban Meyer was still there. Brian Kelly was long gone. 2. This was the first time all season the Gators played without pressure weighing down on them. They were loose and relaxed. So was the offensive coordinator. Somewhere in Baton Rouge, Billy Gonzales had to be shouting at his TV, “Oh yeah, NOOWW you throw it all over the place!” I said all along that I thought Meyer and Steve Addazio coached tight all year with what was on the line. One reason Gonzales is gone is that he became frustrated that his receivers were mostly asked to block.

5. If you are scoring at home, Drew Copeland smoked me in the bowl picks. Hey, when I picked Cincinnati, it was three weeks before the game and I thought the Gators would be facing Alabama Syndrome. Look at all that happened after I made the pick. I know, excuses are for losers and assistant coaches. Congrats to Drew.

HBC blues

6. A week ago, if you had polled the media that covers the SEC, I’m pretty sure South Carolina would have been the pick to win the SEC in 2010. Now, not so much. One day, the Gamies will realize that you can mix business and pleasure on bowl trips. Until then, you’re going to see the kinds of performances you did Saturday. Nice effort. The SEC could use an Alabama victory in the title game. The league is 5-4 right now and 5-5 wouldn’t look so hot.

7. It will be interesting to see where Florida winds up in the final poll. If there is a blowout in the final game, I’d bet on third. If not, fourth. If Ole Miss doesn’t sneak into the last poll, the SEC will have only three teams ranked.

Montee Ball had a ball vs. the 'Canes.

8. Most surprising bowl game — Wisconsin over Miami. I’d have bet the farm on the ‘Canes which is why I don’t gamble or own a farm. Best moment — Bobby Bowden being carried off the field. Most embarrassing moment — tie between Ann Bowden trying to make out with Bobby so she could get in the pictures and the field conditions at the Capital One Bowl. Next time someone tells you that the student-athlete’s safety is what matters most, show them a clip of that disgraceful situation.

9. Heard some great music in New Orleans, especially at Mulate’s. But for you iPodders I am recommending this week “Here’s Where the Story Ends” by The Sundays, “Hooray For Beer” by Bowling For Soup and an old school download of George Harrison’s “This Song” never hurt anyone.

Contact Pat Dooley at 352-374-5053 or at dooleyp@gvillesun.com and follow at http://Twitter.com/Pat_Dooley.

It was his McKnight

The Back Nine after a Saturday that didn’t turn out to be so stinky after all.

1. Everyone is raving about the performance of USC freshman quarterback Matt Barkley against Ohio State, and it was impressive in that atmosphere. But, really, the guy that deserves most of the credit for that last drive that won the game is Joe McKnight. I watched the replay on the U Sunday (yes, while NFL games were going on) and, well, was a little more able to analyze. McKnight accounted for 53 yards on the drive and scored the important two-point conversion. He’s on my Heisman Trophy radar.

2. There are a lot of reasons not to gamble, but it was illustrated to me and my good friend Sam Dolson on Saturday night why it’s not a good idea. The over/under on South Carolina-Georgia was 38. Were we gamblers, we’d have bet our kids’ college funds on the under. And it ended up 41-37. This game also illustrates a point I tried to make last week. Take nothing from opening games. They are window dressing. They are like bowl games because the teams prepare for weeks, sometimes months. College football is not about week one, but weeks won.

Desperate for a fourth-quarter call

3. For instance, take Florida State. Please. After looking like a team with a potent offense against Miami, the Semis struggled mightily with Jacksonville State, trailing 9-7 late in the fourth in front of a half-filled stadium. That doesn’t sound like a team that is back to me. It really could have been another embarrassing weekend for the ACC. Carolina had to rally to beat UConn, Duke trailed Army, and Stanford was up on Wake Forest. All three rallied to win. The league still reeks.

4. And what are we to make of Tennessee? For some reason, everybody got all excited when the Vols thrashed an awful Western Kentucky team. But then Jonathan Crompton remembered that he is Jonathan Crompton. He threw interceptions on three straight series and finished with 98 yards. And it’s not like UCLA is a dominating defense.

5. Don’t look now, but one of the hottest teams in college football is coached by an old friend. Larry Fedora’s Southern Miss team has now won seven straight games and has Virginia (0-2) next at home. I never doubted Fedora would do a good job there, and the real question will be how long he’ll last.

Save your breath, Al Groh

6. Hey, I know one job that will be open next season. Not only has Virginia been awful in a season where Al Groh was already feeling the heat, but the mascot fell off the horse entering Saturday’s game. That’s when you know things are going bad. If I’m ranking coaches on the hot seat right now it would be 1. Groh; 2. Dan Hawkins, Colorado; 3. Ralph Friedgen, Maryland; 4. Charlie Weis, Notre Dame; 5. George O’Leary, UCF.

7. Meanwhile in the NFL, did you see the touchdown that won it for Denver against Cincy? The ball was tipped into the air and Brandon Stokley grabbed it and ran for the 87-yard winner. But what I liked was the Stokley was so in the clear he had the smarts to run along the goal line and kill time before scoring. Really, that felt almost like a college ending. And nice effort by the teams from our state. I’m telling you, none of them will finish over .500.

No drama with a focused Tiger on the prowl

8. You gotta love Tiger Woods. It was almost like he said to the field, “Uh, fellas, this has been fun and everything, but I have decided I’m going to go ahead and win this FedEx Cup thing. So you can either withdraw or play for second.” And then he shot a 62 in the third round and blitzed the field. Only Tiger.

9. Who was the biggest horse’s rump for the weekend? Serena Williams for her profanity-laced threat to a lineswoman that knocked her out of the U.S. Open or Michael Jordan’s bully pulpit speech at the Hall of Fame induction? Hey, we always knew Jordan was all about himself but where did that bitterness come from? Still, Serena going postal was really bad.

"I did what?"

Riley Cooper: White Lightning.

1. Can Riley Cooper run or what? “I’m going to tell y’all like this, man,” Chris Rainey said Saturday night. “That’s the fastest white dude I’ve ever seen in my life. He is super fast. Oh my god.” Seriously, we need to set up a race. And I might include Charleston Southern cornerback Jacques Bazile, who caught up to Rainey on his 76-yard touchdown run. Cooper’s speed was not affected by his illness (try slo-mo on the vomit scene as Cooper leaves the game in the second quarter).

From Pats to Patsies.

2. Think Richard Seymour had a good weekend? His Bulldogs were beaten by Oklahoma State and then he gets traded to the black hole that is Oakland Raider football. After eight years and three Super Bowl rings, he is now going to play for a team hoping to win five games and keep the head coach out of jail. From classy to classless. It’s enough to make Riley Cooper want to puke.

3. Speaking of nice weekends, how about that Atlantic Coast Conference? Virginia and Duke both lost to Div. I-AA teams,
Maryland was hammered by Cal and Virginia Tech lost the conference’s biggest game by surrendering 18 fourth-quarter points. But we don’t get any respect. Uh-huh, there’s a reason for that. The Al Groh Death March is officially under way. The Cavs turned it over seven times in losing to Bill and Mary. You just can’t do that and stay employed.

4. And one game into the season we have a jumbled mess again. Because Brigham Young showed more than just a flashy passing attack to beat Oklahoma. Funny how you penciled in a loss for Miami against Oklahoma, but now you’re not so sure. And BYU-FSU could be a huge game. Ah, the beauty of the sport.

5. Like, for instance, Northern Iowa getting two field goals blocked on back-to-back plays when either one would have won the game. I mean, you can’t make this stuff up. Or Navy having a two-point conversion to tie mighty Ohio State and it goes the other way for a pick-two. Bad call, by the way. The Bucks could not stop the option. Why throw it?

So you're sayin' there's a chance ...

6. So everybody is dismissing Sam Bradford’s chances to win the Heisman Trophy? Not so fast, my friends. If he comes back and leads Okie past Texas and into the National Championship game there is going to be a lot of sentimental voting. Now, the chances of that happening are not good. I’d say Bradford has about a five-percent chance to repeat. But I’m saying there is a chance.

Bad day for the Zooker.

7. Maybe the most surprising result was Illinois’ 37-9 loss to Missouri. “I’m embarrassed with it, but I’m sure not ready to throw in the towel,” said Ron Zook. It didn’t help that receiver Arrelious Benn left the game early with an ankle injury. But the Illini, as Zook teams tend to do, came out flat. “Something happened on the way from Champaign to here,” said quarterback Juice Williams. Maybe they watched a tape of the UF-Mississippi State game from 2004.

8. Saturday night’s game in The Swamp was the 15th time Florida has limited an opponent to seven points or less since Urban Meyer arrived in Gainesville and made the smart move of retaining Charlie Strong on the staff. OK, Charleston Southern was really bad. But Florida showed nothing tricky defensively. And it looks like they’ll need something special against Tennessee. A lot of people are jumping on the Lane Train.

The Swamp was a-rockin'.

9. An e-mailer suggested I grade the crowd in my Sunday grades of the Gator football team. If I did I would have given Saturday’s an ‘A.’ Really vocal and into it and filled the place. I think that was the best opening crowd I’ve seen in The Swamp since 1990. By the way, I could use a couple more questions for Dr. Football. And I’m tweeting now at Twitter.com/Pat_Dooley.

Contact Pat Dooley at 352-374-5053 or at dooleyp@gvillesun.com.