Downs and distance

Four items of interest on the college football landscape

1. Silent treatment
Florida coach Urban Meyer issued a gag order. Georgia coach Mark Richt said his team needs to focus on football and nothing else. Fat chance. When the Gators and Bulldogs meet tomorrow in the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" (although the PC police don't want this game called that anymore), football won't be the only focus. Tomorrow is the first anniversary of the "Gator Stomp," Georgia's en masse end zone celebration after its first touchdown in an eventual 42-30 win. At the time, the Gators fumed and Meyer promised payback. Now he says it's ancient history but ordered his team not to talk about it this week. Richt has also deflected all inquiries about the incident. They're about the only ones keeping quiet. "Something's going to happen in that game," said Miami coach Randy Shannon. "I'll guarantee you that." Stayed tuned for Must See TV. Ch. 4. 3:30 p.m.

2. Green with envy
I wish I had an uncle T. Boone. I know Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy and his colleagues in the athletic department are glad they have one. T. Boone Pickens, the billionaire hedge fund operator, was in the news this week after pledging an additional $63 million to the Cowboy athletic program. That's right. An additional $63 million. You see, Pickens donated $165 million in 2005. That money was for the construction of an athletic village and to upgrade the football stadium. Well, with the recent economic downturn, the fund where Pickens's original donation is held has lost money, which necessitated Uncle T. Boone forking over the extra cash. Pickens, an OSU alum who has donated more than $400 million to the university (the geology school is named in his honor), has lost over $1 billion of his personal fortune, according to reports. If only $228 million could buy a win over Texas.

3. Mediocrity abounds
Is anybody excited about the goings-on in the Atlantic Coast Conference or Big East? Certainly there's parity in these leagues, but there's little else. Florida State sits atop the ACC's Atlantic Division at 6-1, but the Seminoles aren't even bowl-eligible because they loaded up on weak sisters Western Carolina and Chattanooga to start the season. Even if Florida State reaches the ACC title game, it will more than likely go there fresh off a beating from the cross-state rival Gators in the regular-season finale. ACC Coastal leader Virginia already has three losses. In the Big Least, current pole sitter West Virginia needs to win its last five games to get to 10 wins. And the Mountaineers have road games at UConn and Pitt and face co-favorite South Florida in their finale. The Bulls might have the easiest path to a BCS berth with the West Virginia game (the de facto Big East title game?) the last real test on their docket.

4. Sickening sight
This one time at band camp . . . OK, so there's no funny punch line to this story but somebody must be held accountable for Patrick Edwards's injury. The Houston receiver crashed into a metal cart used by Marshall's band just outside the end zone in the Thundering Herd's win in Charleston, W.Va., Tuesday night. How is it that with a stadium full of people and a full complement of officials on hand, nobody recognized that parking these service carts so close to the field was dangerous? The nauseating injury was caught by ESPN and has been replayed endlessly on the Internet. Edwards, the Cougars' top receiver with 46 catches for 634 yards, suffered a broken right leg and had surgery Wednesday to have a stabilizing rod inserted. To his credit, Edwards, from his hospital bed, said he won't hold a grudge against Marshall. The same can't be said for the Cougar faithful, led by his mom, Patricia, who is considering legal action.

Correction: Because of an editing error, the location of Marshall University was incorrect in Friday's Sports section. Marshall is in Huntington, W.Va.