"MY THOUGHTS – Rankings are only a number!

Barrons Sideline - www.WoodbridgeFootball.com 10-31-2007 By: CHARLES MCDEVITT

Rankings are only a number assigned to a team by some arbitrary process. Talent cannot be overlooked, but I believe the true measure of a special team is what lies within their chest. HEART!

Game Day isn’t about hanging in the locker room before the action starts listening to loud music, smiling, laughing, and just going through the motions! It’s about preparing mentally for the contest you are about to engage! It’s about placing yourself into a zone of confidence in yourself and your teammates. It’s about building a controlled rage that you will unleash on your opponent when the whistle sounds! These are the things teams with HEART do prior to a big contest. If you and your teammates have the HEART to dedicate yourselves to a task at hand, good things can happen regardless of the opponent.

Below are examples of HEART at work!

• LSU (1) defeated by Kentucky (17) 43 – 17 (3 OT)

• California (2) defeated by Oregon State (unranked) 31 – 28

• USC (2) defeated by Stanford (unranked) 24 – 23

• South Florida (2) defeated by Rutgers (unranked) 30 – 27

• Michigan (5) defeated by Appalachian State (unranked) 34 - 32

• South Carolina (6) defeated by Vanderbilt (unranked) 17 – 6

• Kentucky (8) defeated by Florida (14) 45 – 37

• Florida (9) defeated by Auburn (unranked) 20 – 17

• Florida (9) defeated by Georgia (20) 42 - 30

• Oklahoma (10) defeated by Colorado (unranked) 27 – 24

• California (10) defeated by UCLA (unranked) 30 – 21

• South Florida (11) defeated by U Conn (unranked) 22 – 15

• Kentucky (14) defeated by Mississippi State (unranked) 31 - 14

• Cincinnati (15) defeated by Louisville (unranked) 28 – 24

• South Carolina (15) defeated by Tennessee (unranked) 27 - 24

• Illinois (18) defeated by Iowa (unranked) 10 - 6

• Florida State (19) defeated by Clemson (unranked) 24 – 18

• Wisconsin (19) defeated by Penn State (unranked) 38 – 7

• Tennessee (20) defeated by Alabama (unranked) 41 – 17

• Rutgers (21) defeated by Maryland (unranked)

• Penn State (21) defeated by Michigan (unranked) 14 – 9

• Florida State (21) defeated by Wake Forest (unranked) 24 – 21

• Cincinnati (23) defeated by Pittsburgh (unranked) 24 – 17

• Kansas State (25) defeated by Oklahoma State (unranked) 41 – 39