From Hoops To Helmets Florida Is #1

[KFDM COOP]

From hoops to helmets, Florida is No. 1  

If you're a graduate, current student or hands-on backer of a particular school's football program, it's a pretty safe bet that you're investing some discretionary time into the hoops team as well.

That's especially true when the month on your calendar tells you it's March. If that program happens to be Florida or Ohio State, for instance, the odds are even better that you haven't stopped grinning since Labor Day. As a fan, your school has given you plenty of reasons to smile, sing fight songs and pump out your two-tone chest over these past six months.

Some campuses like Auburn, Oregon State and Rutgers have had little to crow about since the bowl season ended. Countless others, such as Kansas, Memphis and North Carolina couldn't wait until the football season was over and Midnight Madness commenced. And then there are Oregon and Washington State fans, neither of whom can understand how their football teams dragged down the basketball squads in 2006. Only the truly fortunate have feasted their eyes and their emotions on quality products in both major sports.

As in the past, the focus of this exercise is to uncover those fans that have had their cake and dunked it too. They bowled in the winter and now they're preparing to soft shoe on into the Big Dance. It's time to deliver the Top 25, Hoops and Helmets style (Last year's ranking is in parentheses).

1. Florida (7)

Is there even room for debate? Florida already has one national championship and is poised to make a serious run at another within a three-month stretch. In Urban Meyer's second season in Gainesville, the Gators went 13-1 and dismantled top-ranked Ohio State in the National Championship game. The reigning national champs in basketball are back at it again, fresh off a third straight SEC title and seeded No. 1 overall, thanks mainly to the frontline of Al Horford, Corey Brewer and Joakim Noah.

2. Ohio State (2)

One loss. One hideously one-sided loss to Florida in the National Championship game is the difference between being a runner-up and this year's Hoops and Helmets head honcho. Before losing by 27 to the Gators, the Buckeyes did start 12-0 and stake claim to Heisman winner Troy Smith. The basketball team has had a main attraction of its own, freshman sensation Greg Oden, who's helped lead top-seeded Ohio State to 30 wins and the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles.

3. Wisconsin (8)

Maybe the most underappreciated program in America, the Badgers won 41 games between September and March without an appropriate amount of fanfare. Getting 20 points a game from Alando Tucker and defensive pressure that's become synonymous with Badger basketball, Wisconsin entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed but was upset in the second round. Life after Barry Alvarez began with an improbable 12-win season and a 17-14 win over Arkansas in the Capital One Bowl.

4. Louisville (20)

The Cardinals' historically significant football season ended with a win over Wake Forest in the Orange Bowl, the program's first appearance in a BCS bowl game. The Big East champions had signature wins over Miami and West Virginia, despite spending almost the entire season without star running back Michael Bush. Rick Pitino did one of his best coaching jobs in some time, guiding a young collection of talent to a 24 wins before getting bounced in the second round.

5. Texas A&M (35)

For a change, the big story this year in College Station was Billy Gillespie's basketball team, which rose to No. 6 in the country behind the electrifying play of senior guard Acie Law. The third-seeded Aggies, NCAA Tournament qualifiers for the first time since 1987, beat Louisville to reach the round of 16. During the fall, A&M rebounded from a 5-6 campaign, winning nine games, including a monumental victory over Texas that snapped a six-game losing streak to the hated ‘Horns.

6. USC (27)

There were hiccups along the way, such as the inexcusable gag to UCLA with a title berth at stake, but this was largely a successful season for the Trojans. Football still won 11 games, a fifth straight Pac-10 title and a Rose Bowl that could launch it as a preseason No. 1 in 2007. USC hoops is a program on the rise, having reached the NCAA round of 16 as a No. 5 seed with an athletic lineup that finished third in a deep league and made it to the finals of the Pac-10 tourney.

7. Texas (1)

Last year's top Hoops and Helmets team has slipped in 2006-2007, but not out of sight. The ‘Horns didn't figure to contend for another national championship once Vince Young bolted for the NFL, but late-season losses to Kansas State and Texas A&M knocked them right out of a January bowl game and into the Alamo Bowl. On the hardwood, Texas has a bona fide mega star in freshman Kevin Durant, who led the team to 24 wins, but may have played his last game after the Horns lost to USC in the second round of the NCAA tourney.

8. BYU (50)

By all accounts, it has been one of the most memorable winters in decades for Cougar fans who've witnessed a sweep over rival Utah and Mountain West titles in both sports. John Beck's toss to Jonny Harline on the final play at Rice-Eccles Stadium to beat the Utes will go in the BYU time capsule alongside the Las Vegas rout of Oregon a month later. The basketball team captured its first regular season league title in almost two decades, but lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

9. Notre Dame (22)

If only the Irish could win a really big football game, perhaps a bowl game. Notre Dame went 10-3 and copped a BCS bowl bid, but will be remembered more for losing badly to Michigan, USC and LSU, games that kept them from mining deeper into the top 10. The surprising hoops team, though, was a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament but bowed out in the first round.

10. UCLA (4)

The Bruin football team was only 7-6, but shocking USC when the Trojans were closing in on the title game made it feel like about 11-2. On the hardwood, highly ranked UCLA stumbled at the end of the regular season but was a No. 2 seed in the tournament and reached the Sweet 16 in hopes of returning to the NCAA title game.

11. Virginia Tech (41)

For the past decade, celebrations in Blacksburg were relegated to Lane Stadium, however, Cassell Coliseum has been hopping since the basketball season began Nov. 10. Everything came together this winter for the Hokies, a senior-led team that beat Duke on the road and North Carolina twice and danced for the first time since 1996.The Hokies, though, lost in the second round. Football won ten games, but missed a chance to rule the ACC in a down year for the league and gagged in the second half of a Chick-fil-A Bowl loss to Georgia.

12. Tennessee (25)

Credit this positioning to coaches Bruce Pearl and David Cutcliffe. Pearl has energized the Volunteer basketball team the last two seasons, coaxing 22 wins, a No. 5 seed and a spot in the NCAA round of 16. Of course, it's helped having junior guard Chris Lofton, an All-America candidate. Cutcliffe's return to Knoxville re-energized the career of quarterback Erik Ainge, a huge reason UT rebounded from a dreadful 5-6 season with nine wins and a New Year's Day bowl game.

13. Maryland (44)

Surprise, surprise. The Terps have gone 33-12 since the football season began in September, getting better than forecasted results from both teams. Football snapped out of its two-year funk, manufacturing nine wins, including the last one over Purdue in a Champs Sports Bowl rout. Behind senior guard D.J. Strawberry, basketball went on an absolute tear in February, beefing up its resume and sealing an NCAA tournament bid that resulted in a second-round loss.

14. Boston College (6)

The Eagles were terrific in their ACC debut a year ago. They've been almost as good this go-round, winning ten games plus a bowl victory for the seventh straight year in the fall, and getting another 20 wins, 11 in the ACC, from Al Skinner's hoops team. Senior forward Jared Dudley has been anything but a dud this season, pumping in 19 points per game and leading the conference in rebounds. The Eagles lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

15. Kentucky (54)

You know it's a bizarre year in Lexington when the Wildcat football team carries the basketball team to the school's first top-20 H&H finish since Jerry Claiborne was roaming the sidelines in the 1980s. While Tubby Smith's kids labored much of the season and lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Rich Brooks' team enjoyed a breakthrough season, unexpectedly winning eight games behind the passing of Andre Woodson. Included was a Music City Bowl upset of Clemson for Kentucky's first post-season win in almost a quarter century.

16. Georgia Tech (71)

Tech football was one of this year's pleasant surprises, beating division favorites Miami and Virginia Tech to take the ACC Coastal and getting the New Year's Day spotlight for the first time in seven years. On the hardwood, Yellow Jacket fans have been treated to an exciting glimpse into the future. Freshmen Javaris Crittenton and Thaddeus Young are the main reason the team received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, where they lost in the first round.

17. Oregon (53)

The high-flying Duck basketball team was solid all season, but against USC in the Pac-10 title game, they were positively transcendent, bombing the Trojans 81-57 en route to a 26-7 record and a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Ducks haven't cooled, reaching the Sweet 16. Mike Bellotti's squad, however, was far less memorable, going 7-6, losing badly to BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl and creating very few highlights once September turned into October.

18. Arkansas (57)

Houston Nutt's crew started 2006 with a blowout loss to USC and ended it with three straight defeats, but in between, the Hogs reeled off a 10-game winning streak featuring Heisman runner-up Darren McFadden. Hoops got hot at a most opportune time, using an unexpected burst to the SEC title game to get to 21-13 and one of the final at-large bids in the NCAA Tournament.

19. Texas Tech (58)

Tech football went 8-5, but waited until the final game of the 2006 season to deliver a truly memorable moment. Trailing by 31 points to Minnesota in the Insight Bowl, the Red Raiders engineered the biggest comeback in bowl history, winning a thriller 44-41. Bob Knight's kids lost five straight at one point in the season, but 21 wins was enough to put them in the dance, where they lost in the first round.

20. Nevada (9)

Years from now in Reno, Nevada fans will remember this period as a very special time to be a Pack backer. For the second straight winter, victories have flowed for the school from September to March. While football went 8-5 and nearly had a landmark bowl win over Miami, basketball rolled into the tournament as WAC regular- season champs with All-American Nick Fazekas leading the way before getting knocked out in the second round.

21. Purdue (85)

Purdue wasn't otherwordly at any time during the last six months, but by being one of the few programs to play in a bowl game and the NCAA Tournament, it sneaks into the final Top 25 slot. Football went 8-6, finishing in a fourth-place tie in the Big Ten. Behind a couple of seniors, Carl Landry and David Teague, basketball rallied down the stretch before its bubble burst.

22. West Virginia (5)

Considering the complete overhaul from last year's team, John Beilein and the Mountaineer basketball team did a swell job just to get consideration for the field of 65. With a roster comprised of 12 underclassmen, NIT-bound West Virginia was a very respectable 22-9. With all of the preseason buzz about the football team making a dark horse run to the national championship, the ‘eers slightly missed their mark in the fall, losing to Louisville and South Florida and finishing in a second-place tie in the Big East.

23. Michigan (16)

Before football lost its last two games against Ohio State and USC, the Wolverines appeared to be headed for a different stratosphere of H&H success. Still, Michigan finished 11-2 on Saturdays with a No. 8 final AP ranking, while basketball salvaged something from a disappointing season by parlaying 21 wins into an NIT berth.

24. Clemson (21)

Football underachieved, losing five games in a year it was deep enough to win the ACC. Hoops overachieved, spinning its best regular season in ten years. Put the two together, and Clemson has had a better-than-average winter. Oliver Purnell's cagers have been a big story at the university, winning 21 games and just missing its first NCAA Tournament bid in a decade. The better news for Tiger fans is that only one player getting more than ten minutes a game, guard Vernon Hamilton, won't be back later this year.

25. Oklahoma State (73)

Strong finishes have been the trademark of the Cowboys in 2006 and 2007. In football, Oklahoma State closed an otherwise mediocre 7-6 season with a momentum-building win over Alabama in the Independence Bowl, ending a four-year drought without a postseason win. In hoops, the Cowboys shook off a hideous 5-10 stretch to go 22-12 and earn an NIT bid NIT bid with a nice run in the Big 12 Tournament.

26. Kansas (17)

27. LSU (3)

28. Boise State (80)

29. Hawaii (78)

30. Pittsburgh (26)

31. Washington State (93)

32. Oklahoma (10)

33. Wake Forest (75)

34. North Carolina (18)

35. Arizona (46)

36. Auburn (32)

37. Kansas State (66)

38. Alabama (12)

56. Indiana (56)

40. Virginia (33)

41. Georgia (31)

42. Michigan State (29)

43. Cal (14)

44. Florida State (19)

45. Nebraska (42)

46. Missouri (65)

47. Rutgers (43)

48. South Carolina (30)

49. Akron (36)

50. Houston (49)

51. Iowa (11)

52. Memphis (13)

53. UNLV (84)

54. Vanderbilt (60)

55. Air Force (64)

56. Illinois (51)

57. Syracuse (63)

58. Southern Miss (102)

59. Washington (55)

60. Duke (52)

61. Ohio (83)

62. Tulsa (76)

63. Oregon State (92)

64. Penn State (28)

65. TCU (98)

66. Miami (Fla.) (24)

67. South Florida (99)

68. Ole Miss (94)

69. Cincinnati (59)

70. San Diego State (61)

71. Fresno State (62)

72. Mississippi State (82)

73. Toledo (72)

74. UConn (23)

75. Central Michigan (114)

76. Western Michigan (95)

77. Arizona State (70)

78. NC State (15)

79. New Mexico State (91)

80. Minnesota (39)

81. Stanford (67)

82. Kent State (79)

83. Utah (77)

84. Iowa State (40)

85. Navy (108)

86. Utah State (69)

87. Middle Tennessee (89)

88. UCF (87)

89. Troy (110)

90. Rice (105)

91. San Jose State (116)

92. North Texas (104)

93. Wyoming (97)

94. New Mexico (74)

95. Colorado State (81)

96. Florida Atlantic (106)

97. Southern Methodist (109)

98. Miami (Ohio) (48)

99. Baylor (90)

100. Northwestern (37)

101. UL-Monroe (112)

102. UAB (47)

103. Arkansas State (101)

104. Tulane (111)

105. Marshall (103)

106. UTEP (38)

107. Colorado (34)

108. East Carolina (113)

109. Northern Illinois (68)

110. Temple (86)

111. UL-Lafayette (88)

112. Louisiana Tech (45)

113. Ball State (107)

114. Army (118)

115. Bowling Green (100)

116. Buffalo (96)

117. Idaho (119)

118. Eastern Michigan (117)

119. Florida International (115)

[lonestar]

107. Colorado (34)

Ouch!

[Lazeek]

[move]Thats my GATORS!!!!!!!!!![/move]

[Mr. Buddy Garrity]

OU sucks, just wanted to remind everyone.  ;D