- A recent judge’s ruling has left college players seeking a fifth year of eligibility, including Denzel Aberdeen, in legal uncertainty.
- Urban Meyer named the 2008 Florida Gators as the most talented team he has ever coached, reflecting on his upcoming Ring of Honor induction.
- Dooley ranks SEC teams across five tiers, with Georgia and Texas slotted as the "best in show."
By Pat Dooley
The Front 9 comes at you after I received a court injunction to allow my 3-foot putts to count as good if they lip out.
1. No, I don’t have the answers, and I say that with pride because nobody else does either. The latest judge’s ruling put all the players who thought they were going to get a fifth year in limbo again, even though there are seventh-year players in the SEC this season (try to make sense of that). I tried to tell everyone who proclaimed Denzel Aberdeen eligible when the first ruling came down that this was far from over. And it still is. Hopefully, we get a definitive answer before Aberdeen graduates from UF in December. Instead of calming down, the chaos in college sports keeps getting louder.
2. So, when I become the Czar of College Football (they had better hurry because I’m running out of time) one of the first things I will do is convince Congress to change the calendar. Not the football calendar, the real one. August and 31 days? No more. It’s too long for us to wait for the start of football. The good news is that we have a Gator Game Week on the horizon, so it’s only days before people can start complaining about how hot it is at their tailgates, why there aren’t more bathrooms in the stadium and what kind of play call was that? Ah, the sounds of fall.
3. FOMO game of the week
Yes, I have been waiting for this for a long, hot summer (could you tell?). Wake up, have a late breakfast and then settle in to watch the start of college football season at noon o’clock Saturday. North Carolina sends journeyman quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. against TCU on ESPN. I will be borderline giddy. Mainly because I can stop reading court briefs and start watching three TVs.
4. Four questions with soon-to-be Ring of Honor inductee and three-time national champ Urban Meyer
- Have you ever been around — as a coach or a broadcaster — a more talented team than you had in 2008?
Meyer: I’m obviously very biased and know the behind-the-scenes Talent/Leadership/Toughness of that team … So, no, that is the most talented team I’ve ever seen. - How often have you thought about what your emotions will be when your name goes up on the stadium for the Ring of Honor?
Meyer: From the moment I received the news! Shelley was very emotional. I’ve followed college football for most of my life and to realize the significance of this honor is beyond humbling and appreciative. - Bigger regret — leaving Florida or taking the Jacksonville job?
Meyer: N/A. (That was Urban’s response.) - Were you more nervous waiting for the final kick by South Carolina in ’06 or knowing you had just called a fake punt in the 2006 SEC title game?
Meyer: Close one! I remember both moments like they were yesterday. Probably the kick vs. South Carolina. I realized the repercussions if they made the kick.
5. Five tiers of the SEC in 2026 (of course, it’s early)
- Best in show: Georgia, Texas.
- Really good: LSU, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Texas A&M.
- So, you’re saying there’s a chance: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Missouri, South Carolina.
- Could be rough: Mississippi State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt.
- No chance: Arkansas, Kentucky.
6. This will happen this week
You will cringe when you see both ESPN “experts” picked Florida to go to the Gator Bowl in their 2026 bowl predictions. You won’t cringe because it’s in Jacksonville, but because capacity will only be 43,000 as a result of the ongoing construction that will push Florida-Georgia to Atlanta this year and the Jaguars to Orlando next year. Get your tickets now. Or not.
7. Hot take of the week
There was not an SEC team that received a first-place vote in the first AP Poll that came out last week. What disrespect! At least one hack could have gone homer and voted for the local team. I think the media who vote on the poll have missed the point. Playing a nine-game SEC season for the first time won’t make the conference too beat up to compete in the playoffs. Iron sharpens iron, right? The three-season Big Ten run stops now and we will all point and laugh at the voters.
8. Tweet of the week
From Matt Baker of The Athletic: “Former Florida/LSU OLB Jack Pyburn told me after the Bucs’ preseason game that he doesn’t really know when he’ll have to make a decision between trying to stick with the Bucs or going back to college football. What a sentence.”
9. Remote drop of the week
I pride myself in giving all music a chance and this was the movie that made me appreciate bluegrass: “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”. And, yes, I am a man of constant sorrow but that’s just me feeling sorry for myself.