A Couple of Upcoming Football Games

On the college side of football, it is now at about the halfway point in the season. For the University of Florida team, it is also a crucial time, with their road game later today against Auburn serving as a test determining how good (or bad) this year's Gators really are. Their first four games hinted of potential greatness, but in the last two against top-ranked schools, they wilted in just about every aspect of the game. Now Auburn is definitely better than UF's first four opponents and inferior to LSU and Alabama, the teams that flattened the Gators. So it should prove quite illuminating to see how this game turns out. Should Florida prevail, there is still some hope of them winning their East Division in the Southeastern Conference. Otherwise, they will probably label this season as a "rebuilding" year earlier than planned and shoot for a minor bowl.

On the pro side, in the National Football League, Tim Tebow will finally get his chance to start a game for the Denver Broncos when they play Miami on October 23 after a bye week. The way I see it is that something has to give: the Dolphins are still winless and will probably continue that trend against the New York Jets (at New York, or should I say New Jersey). Either they finally win a game, with Tebow and his Broncos as their hapless victims, or Tebow heroically leads his team to a victory over Miami. I suppose there is also a third option: Tebow screws up early and another Bronco quarterback comes into the game to lead Denver to victory. In any event, I wonder whether it is too late for Miami to pick up Denver's (former) first-string quarterback Kyle Orton. I'm still an Orton supporter, even if nobody in Denver is. It would be the perfect irony: the Dolphins already have former Bronco wide receiver Brandon Marshall, so upon arriving in Miami Orton would instantly have someone to whom he is well-attuned to throw the long pass. Not that either team, with one victory to share between them after five weeks of the season so far, has enough sense to do anything sensible like this with their personnel. Instead, expect continuing dissension and controversy in Denver about who gets to play quarterback while Miami continues without an effective quarterback. Well, with the upcoming game against each other, Miami and Denver will share at least one more victory this year (unless they tie)...