Brombacher pitches UF into 2nd round

Stephanie Brombacher had her good stuff going for her Friday night. Brombacher’s fast ball was overpowering and that curve ball she couldn’t find last week against LSU in the SEC Softball Tournament reappeared, giving her a second out pitch that the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats never could catch up to. Contrast that to Bethune-Cookman ace Allison Garcia, whose game plan to slow down Florida’s high-powered offense was a constant barrage of junk and offspeed pitches. While Brombacher was throwing darts, Garcia was countering with slow, slower and slower still.

The Wildcats never figured out Brombacher, who pitched a three-hit shutout for her 30th win of the season to lead the fifth-ranked Gators to a 6-0 victory in the opening round of the Gainesville Regional of the NCAA Softball Tournament.  When the Wildcats (32-23) did make contact — not often because they struck out 11 times — it was usually a popup or a soft grounder. All three of their hits were bleeders.

Florida, on the other hand, patiently adjusted to Garcia (25-14), who rarely threw the same pitch at the same speed twice in a row. Through the first four innings, Florida’s only hit was an opposite field home run by Kelsey Bruder, driven out of the park in the bottom of the second inning when Garcia left a screwball out over the plate.

“I was just looking for a pitch that was over the plate that I could get a hold of,” Bruder said. The home run was her 12th of the season and the 97th for the Gators, who ran their record to 44-8. Following the Bruder home run, the game was put on hold for 2:25 by a thunderstorm that produced hail and 40 mile per hour winds in the Gainesville area.

The Gators used the delay to eat dinner in the locker room while waiting for the game to resume.

“Our dinner was actually delivered at 8 o’clock,” Walton said. “It was supposed to be our post game dinner but we ate that and then we came back ready to go.”

When the game resumed at 9 p.m., the Gators showed no effects of the delay. Brombacher had the only run she needed thanks to the Bruder homer and she simply mowed down the Wildcats.

Brombacher struck out seven of the first nine hitters she faced and didn’t give up a hit until the third when Tameika Jonas blooped a soft pop down the left field line just out of the reach of Francesca Enea. Brombacher had great location all night as she faced only 25 hitters, didn’t give up a walk and needed only 92 pitches.

Brombacher had the good location on her fast ball from the beginning but she also re-discovered a curveball that went AWOL last weekend in Arkansas at the SEC Tournament.

“I felt really good about my curveball and that was something last week I felt I was missing but I’ve been working on it,” Brombacher said.

Florida padded its lead to 2-0 in the fourth on singles by Brittany Schutte and Megan Bush to lead off the inning followed by groundouts by Bruder and Tiffany DeFelice.

The Wildcats threatened a rally in the top of the fifth when Joanna Hernandez was credited with a hit when she reached on a one-out tapper back to the mound that handcuffed Brombacher. One out later Jonas hit a comebacker that Brombacher fumbled and then threw away, putting runners on the corners with two out.

Brombacher didn’t panic, however. She stepped back out of the circle for a moment and regained her composure and focus. She blew Bethune-Cookman leadoff hitter Ashton Hinds away on four pitches for her 10th strikeout to end the inning and the Wildcats’ only threat of the game.

Although the Gators were hitting the ball hard in the first five innings, it was always right at a BCC fielder. It wasn’t until the sixth that the Florida hitters began finding the holes in the Wildcats defense.

With one out in the sixth, Schutte doubled to left and moved to third on a single by Bush. After Bush stole second, Bruder beat out an infield single to load the bases and DeFelice singled up the middle to drive home two runs to make it a 4-0 game. Bruder and DeFelice pulled off a double steal and came home one out later on a pinch-hit double to center field by Kelsey Horton.

The four-run outburst was a long time coming for the Gators but Coach Tim Walton knew it was only a matter of time before his hitters made the adjustments against the Bethune-Cookman junkball pitcher.

“We’ve seen that same style of pitching a lot this year,” Walton said. “A lot of people have tried to throw the off-speed pitch instead of getting harder and getting good counts they go softer so you have to give our kids credit. We do a good job of making adjustments. Maybe we’ll get out one time but typically on an average we’re hitting .338 on the year and that indicates that in three at bats we’re going to make quality adjustments and find a way to get on the board one of those three.”

The win advances Florida into a 1 p.m. winner’s bracket game with UCF, which pounded out a 7-1 win over Florida International Friday afternoon. If the Gators can get past UCF they won’t have to play again until Sunday afternoon and they will need to win only one of two games to advance to an NCAA Super Regional for the third straight year.

Bethune-Cookman and FIU will square off in a loser’s bracket game at 3:30 Saturday with the loser eliminate from the tournament and the winner facing the loser of the Florida-UCF game at 6 p.m.

SOFTBALL

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE / FINAL STANDINGS

Eastern Division Conference Overall

Team W-L Pct. W-L Pct.


Florida 20-4 .833 43-8 .843

Georgia 18-8 .692 43-11 .796

Tennessee 17-8 .680 42-13 .764

Kentucky 13-15 .464 31-25 .554

South Carolina 1-27 .036 11-40 .216

Western Division Conference Overall

Team W-L Pct. W-L Pct.


Alabama 23-4 .852 48-9 .842

Louisiana State 20-8 .714 44-14 .759

Auburn 11-17 .393 30-24 .556

Arkansas 10-18.357 28-29 .491

Mississippi 8-19 .296 29-27 .518

Mississippi State 7-20 .259 26-29 .473

NCAA DIVISION I SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Seeds (records as of May 18): 1. Alabama (SEC) 48-9; 2. Michigan (Big Ten) 46-6; 3. Washington (Pac-10) 45-6; 4. Florida (SEC) 43-8; 5. UCLA (Pac-10) 40-11; 6. Georgia (SEC) 43-11; 7. Texas (Big 12) 42-13; 8. Georgia Tech (ACC) 49-9; 9. Missouri (Big 12) 46-11; 10. Arizona (Pac-10) 43-11; 11. California (Pac-10) 41-17; 12. Louisiana State (SEC) 44-14; 13. Arizona State (Pac-10) 41-15; 14. Oklahoma (Big 12) 43-10; 15. Tennessee (SEC) 42-13; 16. Hawaii (WAC) 44-13.

REGIONALS / Double-elimination tournaments at campus sites

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. / University of Alabama / Alabama Softball Complex

FRIDAY / May 21


Game 1: Lipscomb 4, UAB 1

Game 2: (1) Alabama 9, Alcorn State 0 (5)

SATURDAY / May 22

Game 3: Lipscomb (49-11) vs. (1) Alabama (49-9), 2:30 p.m.

Game 4: UAB (36-21) vs. Alcorn State (24-25), 5 p.m.

Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, 7:30 p.m.

SUNDAY / May 23

Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 2:30 p.m.

Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 5 p.m. (if necessary)

STANFORD, Calif. / Stanford University / Smith Family Stadium

FRIDAY / May 21

Game 1: (16) Hawaii 10, UC Davis 2 (5)

Game 2: Stanford 5, Texas Tech 4

SATURDAY / May 22

Game 3: (16) Hawaii (45-13) vs. Stanford (37-17), 3 p.m.

Game 4: UC Davis (26-28) vs. Texas Tech (36-17), 6 p.m.

Game 5: Game 4 winner vs. Game 3 loser, 9 p.m.

SUNDAY / May 23

Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 4 p.m.

Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 6:30 p.m. (if necessary)

COLUMBIA, Mo. / University of Missouri / University Field

FRIDAY / May 21

Game 1: Illinois 4, DePaul 2

Game 2: (9) Missouri 3, Creighton 2

SATURDAY / May 22

Game 3: Illinois (44-6) vs. (9) Missouri (47-11), 1 p.m.

Game 4: DePaul (38-17) vs. Creighton (37-22), 3:30 p.m.

Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, 6 p.m.

SUNDAY / May 23

Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 2 p.m.

Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 4 p.m. (if necessary)

ATLANTA, Ga./ Georgia Institute of Technology / Mewborn Field

FRIDAY / May 21

Game 1: Oregon 1, Auburn 0

Game 2: (8) Georgia Tech 5, Jacksonville State 3

SATURDAY / May 22

Game 3: Oregon (34-19) vs. (8) Georgia Tech (50-9), 12 p.m.

Game 4: Auburn (30-25) vs. Jacksonville State (30-18), 2:30 p.m.

Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, 5 p.m.

SUNDAY / May 23

Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 1 p.m.

Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 3:30 p.m. (if necessary)

LOS ANGELES / University of California, Los Angeles / Easton Stadium

FRIDAY / May 21

Game 1: San Diego State 3, Fresno State 2

Game 2: (5) UCLA 11, Saint Mary’s (Calif.) 4

SATURDAY / May 22

Game 3: San Diego State (34-14) vs. (5) UCLA (41-11), 4 p.m.

Game 4: Fresno State (39-20) vs. Saint Mary’s (30-22), 6:30 p.m.

Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, 9 p.m.

SUNDAY / May 23

Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 3 p.m.

Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 5:30 p.m. (if necessary)

BATON ROUGE, La. / Louisiana State University / Tiger Park

FRIDAY / May 21

Game 1: Louisiana-Lafayette 5, Texas A&M 0

Game 2: (12) Louisiana State 6, McNeese State 0

SATURDAY / May 22

Game 3: Louisiana-Lafayette (43-16) vs. (12) Louisiana State (45-14), 1 p.m.

Game 4: Texas A&M (42-15) vs. McNeese State (38-26), 4 p.m.

Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, 7 p.m.

SUNDAY / May 23

Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 2 p.m.

Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 5 p.m. (if necessary)

AMHERST, Mass. / University of Massachusetts / UMass Softball Complex

FRIDAY / May 21

Game 1: (13) Arizona State 6, Boston University 1

Game 2: Long Island 3, Massachusetts 1

SATURDAY / May 22

Game 3: (13) Arizona State (42-15) vs. Long Island (38-16), 2:30 p.m.

Game 4: Boston University (34-21) vs. Massachusetts (42-9-1), 5 p.m.

Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, 7:30 p.m.

SUNDAY / May 23

Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 5 p.m.

Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 7:30 p.m. (if necessary)

GAINESVILLE, Fla. / University of Florida / Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium

FRIDAY / May 21

Game 1: UCF 7, FIU 1

Game 2: (4) Florida 6, Bethune-Cookman 0

SATURDAY / May 22

Game 3: UCF (36-21) vs. (4) Florida (44-8), 1 p.m.

Game 4: FIU (36-20) vs. Bethune-Cookman (32-23), 3:30 p.m.

Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, 6 p.m.

SUNDAY / May 23

Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 1 p.m.

Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 3:30 p.m. (if necessary)

SEATTLE, Wash. / University of Washington / Husky Softball Stadium

FRIDAY / May 21

Game 1: North Carolina 1, Nebraska 0

Game 2: (3) Washington 3, North Dakota State 0

SATURDAY / May 22

Game 3: North Carolina (41-18) vs. (3) Washington (46-6), 6 p.m.

Game 4: Nebraska (29-28) vs. North Dakota State (33-24), 8:30 p.m.

Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, 11 p.m.

SUNDAY / May 23

Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 5:30 p.m.

Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 8 p.m. (if necessary)

COLLEGE PARK, Md. / University of Maryland / Robert E. Taylor Stadium

FRIDAY / May 21

Game 1: (14) Oklahoma 10, Syracuse 0 (5)

Game 2: Fordham 2, Maryland 1

SATURDAY / May 22

Game 3: (14) Oklahoma (44-10) vs. Fordham (48-10), 12 p.m.

Game 4: Syracuse (32-25) vs. Maryland (33-23), 2 p.m.

Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, 4 p.m.

SUNDAY / May 23

Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 12 p.m.

Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 2 p.m. (if necessary)

COLUMBUS, Ohio / Ohio State University / Buckeye Field

FRIDAY / May 21

Game 1: (11) California 10, Bucknell 0 (5)

Game 2: Kentucky vs. Ohio State, suspended (Kentucky leading 3-0 in the top of the fourth inning)

SATURDAY / May 22

Game 2: Kentucky 6, Ohio State 5

Game 3: (11) California (42-17) vs. Kentucky (32-25), 2:30 p.m.

Game 4: Bucknell (28-19-1) vs. Ohio State (37-13), 5 p.m.

Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, 7:30 p.m.

SUNDAY / May 23

Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 2:30 p.m.

Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 5 p.m. (if necessary)

ATHENS, Ga. / University of Georgia / UGA Softball Stadium

FRIDAY / May 21

Game 1: Florida State 10, Radford 1 (5)

Game 2: (6) Georgia 10, Elon 4

SATURDAY / May 22

Game 3: Florida State (44-16) vs. (6) Georgia (44-11), 12 p.m.

Game 4: Radford (36-16) vs. Elon (38-20), 2:30 p.m.

Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, 5 p.m.

SUNDAY / May 23

Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 12 p.m.

Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 2:30 p.m. (if necessary)

AUSTIN, Texas / University of Texas / McCombs Field

THURSDAY / May 20

Game 1: Brigham Young 1, East Carolina 0

Game 2: (7) Texas 6, Iona 0

FRIDAY / May 21

Game 3: Brigham Young 9, (7) Texas 8

Game 4: East Carolina 3, Iona 0

Game 5: East Carolina 1, (7) Texas 0; Texas eliminated

SATURDAY / May 22

Game 6: Brigham Young (45-11) vs. East Carolina (44-17), 2 p.m.

Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 5 p.m. (if necessary)

TUCSON, Ariz. / University of Arizona / Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium

FRIDAY / May 21

Game 1: Hofstra 8, Oklahoma State 6

Game 2: (10) Arizona 9, Cornell 0 (5)

SATURDAY / May 22

Game 3: Hofstra (44-10) vs. (10) Arizona (44-11), 5 p.m.

Game 4: Oklahoma State (43-15) vs. Cornell (37-14), 7 p.m.

Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, 9 p.m.

SUNDAY / May 23

Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 3 p.m.

Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 5 p.m. (if necessary)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. / University of Tennessee / Sherri Parker Lee Stadium

FRIDAY / May 21

Game 1: Virginia 1, Louisville 0

Game 2: (15) Tennessee 5, Ball State 0

SATURDAY / May 22

Game 3: Virginia (34-21) vs. (15) Tennessee (43-13), 1 p.m.

Game 4: Louisville (39-18) vs. Ball State (43-15), 3:30 p.m.

Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, 6 p.m.

SUNDAY / May 23

Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 1 p.m.

Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 3:30 p.m. (if necessary)

ANN ARBOR, Mich. / University of Michigan / Alumni Field at Wilpon Softball Complex

FRIDAY / May 21

Game 1: Notre Dame 1, Illinois State 0 (8)

Game 2: Wright State vs. (2) Michigan, suspended (Michigan led 8-2 in the bottom of the fourth when the game was suspended)

SATURDAY / May 22

Game 2: (2) Michigan 11, Wright State 2 (6) (Resumption of game suspended Friday by weather).

Game 3: Notre Dame (46-10) vs. (2) Michigan (47-6), 12 p.m.

Game 4: Illinois State (32-19) vs. Wright State (30-29-1), 2:30 p.m.

Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, 5 p.m.

SUNDAY / May 23

Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 1 p.m.

Game 7: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 3:30 p.m. (if necessary)

SUPER REGIONALS / Best-of-three series at campus site of higher seed / May 28-30

Stanford, Calif. Regional winner vs. Tuscaloosa, Ala. Regional winner

Columbia, Mo. Regional winner vs. Atlanta, Ga. Regional winner

Baton Rouge, La. Regional winner vs. Los Angeles, Calif. Regional winner

Amherst, Mass. Regional winner vs. Gainesville, Fla. Regional winner

College Park, Md. Regional winner vs. Seattle, Wash. Regional winner

Columbus, Ohio Regional winner vs. Athens, Ga. Regional winner

Tucson, Ariz. Regional winner vs. Austin, Texas Regional winner

Knoxville, Tenn. Regional winner vs. Ann Arbor, Mich. Regional winner

WOMEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES / Oklahoma City, Okla. / ASA Hall of Fame Stadium / Two-bracket, double-elimination / June 3-6

THURSDAY / June 3

Game 1: 1 p.m.

Game 2: 3 p.m.

Game 3: 6 p.m.

Game 4: 8 p.m.

FRIDAY / June 4

Game 5: 7 p.m.

Game 6: 9 p.m.

SATURDAY / June 5

Game 7: 12 p.m.

Game 8: 2 p.m.

Game 9: 7 p.m.

Game 10: 9 p.m.

SUNDAY / June 6

Game 11: 1 p.m.

Game 12: 3 p.m.

Game 13: 7 p.m. (if necessary)

Game 14: 9 p.m. (if necessary)

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES / Best-of-three / June 7-9

MONDAY / June 7


Game 1: 8 p.m. (ESPN2)

TUESDAY / June 8

Game 2: 8 p.m. (ESPN2)

WEDNESDAY / June 9

Game 3: 8 p.m. (if necessary) (ESPN2)

RANKINGS

May 11, 2010

GATORCOUNTRY.Com TOP 25 / NCAA regional openers


The GatorCountry.com Top 25 college softball teams for May 11, a cumulative ranking using the ESPN.com/USA Softball Division I and USA Today/NFCA Division I polls. First-place votes are in parentheses (There was no USA Today/NFCA Division I poll May 17):

School (Record) NCAA opener (regional)

1. Washington (46-6) beat North Dakota State, 3-0. Next: Saturday vs North Carolina (41-18) at Seattle, Wash., 6 p.m.

2. Michigan (47-6) beat Wright State, 11-2 (5). Next: Saturday vs. No. 25 Notre Dame (46-10) at Ann Arbor, Mich., 1 p.m.

3. Alabama (49-9) beat Alcorn State, 9-0 (5). Next: Saturday vs. Lipscomb (49-11) in Tuscaloosa, Ala., 2:30 p.m.

4. Arizona (44-11) beat Cornell, 9-0 (5). Next: Saturday vs. Hofstra (44-10) at Tucson, Ariz., 5 p.m.

5. Florida (44-8) beat Bethune-Cookman, 6-0. Next: Saturday vs. UCF (36-21) at Gainesville, Fla., 1 p.m.

6. UCLA (41-11) beat Saint Mary’s (Calif.), 11-4. Next: Saturday vs. San Diego State (34-14) at Los Angeles, 4 p.m.

7. Georgia Tech (50-9) beat Jacksonville State, 5-3. Next: Saturday vs. No. 21 Oregon (34-19) at Atlanta, Ga., 12 p.m.

8. Georgia (44-11) beat Elon, 10-4. Next: Saturday vs. No. 24 Florida State (44-16) at Athens, Ga., 12 p.m.

9. Oklahoma (44-10) beat Syracuse, 10-0 (5). Next: Saturday vs. Fordham (48-10) at College Park, Md., 12 p.m.

10. Arizona State (42-15) beat Boston University, 6-1. Next: Saturday vs. Long Island (38-16) at Amherst, Mass., 2:30 p.m.

11. Missouri (47-11) beat Creighton, 3-2. Next: Saturday vs. No. 18 Illinois (44-6) at Columbia, Mo., 1 p.m.

12. Texas (43-15) lost to Brigham Young, 9-8, and East Carolina, 1-0. Next: Season over.

13. California (42-17) beat Bucknell, 10-0 (5). Next: Saturday vs. Kentucky (32-25) at Columbus, Ohio, 12:30 p.m.

14. Louisiana State (45-14) beat McNeese State, 6-0. Next: Saturday vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (43-16) at Baton Rouge, La., 1 p.m.

15. Oklahoma State (43-15) lost to Hofstra, 8-6. Next: Saturday vs. Cornell (37-14) at Tucson, Ariz., 7 p.m.

16. Tennessee (43-13) beat Ball State, 5-0. Next: Saturday vs. Virginia (34-21) at Knoxville, Tenn., 1 p.m.

17. Stanford (37-17) beat Texas Tech, 5-4. Next: Saturday vs. No. 22 Hawaii (45-13) at Stanford, Calif., 3 p.m.

18. Illinois (44-6) beat DePaul, 4-2. Next: Saturday vs. No. 11 Missouri (47-11) at Columbia, Mo., 1 p.m.

19. Texas A&M (42-15) lost to Louisiana-Lafayette, 5-0. Next: Saturday vs. McNeese State (38-26) at Baton Rouge, La., 4 p.m.

20. Ohio State (37-13) lost to Kentucky, 6-5. Next: Saturday vs. Bucknell (28-19-1) at Columbus, Ohio, 3 p.m.

21. Oregon (33-19) beat Auburn, 1-0. Next: Saturday vs. No. 7 Georgia Tech (50-9) at Atlanta, Ga., 12 p.m.

22. Hawaii (45-13) beat UC Davis, 10-2 (5). Next: Saturday vs. No. 17 Stanford (37-17) at Stanford, Calif., 3 p.m.

23. Massachusetts (42-9-1) lost to Long Island, 3-1. Next: Saturday vs. Boston University (34-21) at Amherst, Mass., 5 p.m.

24. Florida State (44-16) beat Radford, 10-1 (5). Next: Saturday vs. No. 8 Georgia (44-11) at Athens, Ga., 12 p.m.

25. Notre Dame (46-10) beat Illinois State, 1-0 (8). Next: Saturday vs. No. 2 Michigan (47-6) at Ann Arbor, Mich., 1 p.m.

ESPN.com / USA SOFTBALL COLLEGIATE TOP 25

May 17, 2010

1. Washington (45-6); 2. Michigan (46-6); 3. Alabama (48-9); 4. UCLA (40-11); 5. Florida (43-8); 6. Arizona (43-11); 7. Georgia Tech (49-9); 8. Oklahoma (43-10); 9. Georgia (43-11); 10. Louisiana State (44-14); 11. Arizona State (41-15); 12. Texas (42-13); 13. California (41-17); 14. Missouri (46-11); 15. Tennessee (42-13); 16. Stanford (36-17); 17. Illinois (43-6); 18.Texas A&M (42-14); 19. Hawaii (44-13); 20. Oklahoma State (43-14); 21. (tie) Ohio State (37-12) and Oregon (33-19); 23. Massachusetts (42-8-1); 24. Florida State (43-16); 25. Notre Dame (45-10).

USA TODAY/NATIONAL FASTPITCH COACHES ASSOCIATION

May 10, 2010

1. Washington (43-5); 2. Michigan (44-6); 3. Arizona (42-9); 4. Alabama (45-9); 5. UCLA (38-10); 6. Florida (42-7); 7. Georgia Tech (46-9); 8. Missouri (44-10); 9. Georgia (43-10); 10. Arizona State (40-13); 11. Oklahoma (40-10); 12. California (38-17); 13. Texas (41-12); 14. Oklahoma State (43-14); 15. Stanford (33-17); 16. Tennessee (42-12); 17. Louisiana State (42-13); 18. Illinois (39-6); 19. Ohio State (35-12); 20. Texas A&M (41-13); 21. Massachusetts (38-7-1); 22. Oregon (33-16); 23. Hawaii (41-12); 24. Notre Dame (44-9); 25. Florida State (41-15).

Franz Beard
Back in January of 1969, the late, great Jack Hairston, then the sports editor of the Jacksonville Journal, called me on the phone one night and asked me if I wanted to work for him. I said yes. The entire interview took 30 seconds. It's my experience that whenever the interview lasts 30 seconds or less, I get the job. In the 48 years that I've been writing and getting paid for it, I've covered Super Bowls, World Series, NCAA basketball championships, BCS championship games, heavyweight title fights and what seems like thousands of college football, baseball and basketball games. I'm a columnist and special assignments editor for Gator Country once again, writing about the only team that ever mattered to me, the Florida Gators.