Chomping At Bits is back to stay. It is coming to you at 9:30 a.m. Eastern or earlier most days, unless the publishing system has a hiccup. Set phasers to love me.
The "Ohio State + Urban Meyer" rundown: Ready for all the rumors to just keep coming forever and ever? I sure am! (Ugh.)
ESPN's Bruce Feldman writes ($) that Meyer would be a "grand slam hire" for Ohio State in the wake of Jim Tressel's resignation:
In the book Meyer wrote in 2008, he said that Notre Dame, Ohio State and Michigan were the only coaching jobs that his wife had no power to veto. "If those ever call, then your majority now goes to a 49 percent veto," he recalled telling his wife in a conversation they had over a decade ago. Since then Meyer has won two national titles and energized three programs: Bowling Green, Utah and Florida.
If you've read Urban's Way (I haven't), enlighten me in the comments?
Longtime Florida scribe Franz Beard, now of 24/7 Sports, writes a far less succinct and less valuable take on Meyer and Ohio State, but ultimately concludes that Meyer to Ohio State is something like an old Bear Bryant situation:
When explaining to reporters and Texas A&M boosters why he was leaving after four years in which he had built the Aggie football program into one of the best in the nation, Bryant replied, "Mama’s calling."
Spencer Hall writes that Meyer "must be considered as a first candidate" for the Ohio State job because, well, obviously.
Meyer himself says he's not heading to Ohio State in 2011, but, uh "I am committed to ESPN and will not pursue any coaching opportunities this fall" is not a particularly strong denial of future interest.
Meyer's daughters Nicki and Gigi spent much of their time on Twitter yesterday fielding inquiries and vitriol from interested parties; only a couple of key responses existed.
Current Gator Chris Martin sounded off on Meyer on Twitter, too. Remember, he's one of the few Gators recruited by Meyer who practiced under Meyer but never got to play for him.
Also, remember, Meyer has had a clause in his contract as long ago as his Utah tenure that would have allowed him to leave for Notre Dame, Ohio State, or Michigan without paying a buyout.
A longer piece on Meyer to Ohio State is in the pipeline for today, but I think you see where I might be going with that.
Tebow's book released: Tim Tebow — who, by the way, thinks Meyer will coach in college again, but not in the NFL — was in Jacksonville on Monday, signing copies of his new autobiography with Nathan Whitaker, Through My Eyes. The book itself is being released today, and it'll set you back $16 on Amazon; that's the best price I can find, too. This being a book about and by Tebow, I assume there will be much talk about the power of faith, the depths of his desire to both succeed and pass on the gospel, and a fair bit of detail about his football career. I'll read it when I get a chance, but if you're reading it this week, let me know if you want to write a review. (Side note: Whitaker's story is the one I find really interesting.)
SEC betting odds: There are newly-released SEC betting odds that include SEC East divisional odds that have Florida and Georgia as co-favorites. If you would bet on Florida to win the East over Georgia, I would encourage you to either look up the meaning of homer or check out the teams' respective schedules.
Potential breakout Gators: The Gainesville Sun's Robbie Andreu scoffs at the notion that Florida's football roster lacks talent, and identifies 10 Gators who could break out on offense in the fall. Spoiler alert: John Brantley is on the list, which is what happens when you are forced to name 10 potentially good players on a unit that is comprised of 11 players, and actually name only eight.
As always: Talk about any and all of this and/or anything else you have to say in the comments. Need more Alligator Army in your life? Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.