NCAA 2006 Season Recap

Florida Gators...Champions of The College Football World

WVU Captures Orange Bowl Title;
Rebels & Huskers Fall on NewYearsDay
Nest jettisons to Knoxville while Stopiak mulls move to College Station
-Phoenix, Arizona
As Ole Miss and Nebraska collapsed at the end of the season, West Virginia strenghtened and pulled together after a loss to the Huskers to knock off Oklahoma in two consecutive games. They knocked off the Sooners 14-7 in the regular season finale and in the Orange Bowl they pulled out a 23-17 victory in overtime.
While West Virginia was cementing themselves into the upper echelon of college football teams, Ole Miss provided further proof why they continue to be on the cusp of greatnest but unable to pull together and Nebraska showed that their old style of play on both sides of the ball is out of date and that they have fallen from the elite.
Nebraska stood one game away from a national title, but after letting a 9-0 lead slip away to Oklahoma they were defeated 13-12 despite forcing 6 turnovers. Nebraska fell from the national title game to the SBC Cotton Bowl against lowly Mississippi State. Being favored by nearly 3 touchdowns, the Huskers were shocked 13-3 by the Bulldogs, and ending the season ranked No. 16 and with two consecutive losses.
Stopiak had a chance to lead his Rebels in the role of spoiler but Florida proved to be too much for them, and escaped the SEC Title game with a 17-14 win over Ole Miss.
The Rebels were relegated to the Capitol One Bowl to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Gophers laid a shallacking on Ole Miss 24-3.
The Florida Gators completed their perfect season by winning the SEC Championship and earning the greatest BCS Computer score of all time, 1.64.
In the BCS Title Game, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, the Florida Gators scored a fourth quater touchdown to defeat the Ohio State Buckeyes, 31-24.
Boise State Quaterback P.J. Morant was awarded the Heisman Trophy over WVU ROLB Herbert Woodson.
In off-season news...
Before the ink on David Nists record 8-year contract extension with West Virginia was even dry, Nest took his Orange Bowl Title and ran to Knoxville, accepting a three year deal with the Tennessee Volunteers. He was courted by Texas and Minnesota as well.
Stopiak turned down offers for the second year in a row. This time it was Texas A&M and Michigan, but both did not offer enough to lure Stopiak away from Oxford.

Final Rankings
#1 Florida
#2 LSU
#3 West Virginia
#4 Ohio State


Final Records and Ranking
#3 West Virginia Mountaineers 11-2 (6-0)
#16 Nebraska Cornhuskers 11-3 (9-1)
#23 Ole Miss Rebels 9-5 (7-2)

Heisman Trophy
2004 Braylon Edwards WR Michigan
2005 Joe Sykes ROLB West Virginia
2006 P.J. Morant QB Boise State

National Champions
2004 Oklahoma Sooners/Florida State
2005 West Virginia Mountaineers
2006 Florida Gators

It has been an icredible season, capped off by another perfect season and a chaotic and wild finish to the season.
The offseason has already proven to be intriguing as Nist has jump shipped and many players from the top teams are expected to declare for the NFL draft, leaving it wide open next year.
Just to prove that nothing is for sure in College Football, the Michigan Wolverines, No.1 in preseason polls and all over SI covers ended the season at 6-6 with a bowl loss.
Florida Gators bring the first national championship to Gainseville but it will not be hard to repeat with Heisman runnerup Chris Leak headed to the NFL and a good portion of their secondary graduating as well.
Will Ole Miss ever make the jump to a top 10 team?
Will Nist be able to bring the same success that he brought to Morgantown to Knoxville?
Is Nebraska no longer an elite in college football, and are N. Corleone's days number, coaching in Lincoln?
All this and more in NCAA 2007




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