College Football: Louisville Making A Strong Statement For 2011

Make no mistake, Charlie Strong is looking to return the Cardinals to their championship winning ways sooner—not later. He's already made a lot of noise this season by leading his team back to bowl eligibility (just one year shy of them finishing 4-8) and fielding a defense that was, arguably, one of the best in the nation.

Now the eyes of most college football fans turns towards recruiting where, today, Strong was able to pull off another coup by hooking former Miami Hurricane commitment, Teddy Bridgewater.

Bridgewater is rated the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the nation by Rivals and was one of the more sought-after prospects in the country this year. He will bring his teammate, and close friend, Eli Rogers along with him for the ride—both are a major 'get'.

Charlie Strong has long been lauded as a phenomenal recruiter and it is clear that he still has his nails dug deep in South Florida as he continues to secure top talent out of the sunshine state's rich pool of high school talent.

Bridgewater is an exciting player to watch, but it is clear that he still relies more on his instincts than his intelligence when it comes to making plays. He's an above-average passer with excellent mobility that can make as many plays on the run as he can standing tall in the pocket.

His potential is endless and he could be the game-changer the Cardinals need on offense.

As for Eli Rogers, he brings great technique to the field. He's phenomenal at running clean routes and making plays with the ball in his hands. He's a bit light, physically, but if he can tack on about 10-15 pounds to his 5'10" frame, he could be devastating to the passing game due to his ability to play bigger than his size would suggest.

Both players are going to make an immediate impact on a Louisville team that is steadily becoming a fierce challenger in the Big East and Charlie Strong continues to impress.

Florida State Whups Up On Florida As N.C. State Coughs Up The Atlantic

Just one year removed from the changing of the guard in Tallahassee, the Jimbo Fisher era has begun with a trip to the ACC Championship game in December—after a little help from Maryland.

The Seminoles would have been plenty satisfied with a win over the Florida Gators. Urban Meyer has gotten the better of this series over the last six years—winning six-straight. So, there was plenty of motivation entering this game, even without knowing what was happening in College Park.

The game itself got off to an inauspicious start as Florida took the lead early on a 20-yard toss by John Brantley to Robert Clark—7-3 Gators. For at least a half-minute it seemed the Florida dominance would continue. However, what wasn't known was that this would be the last time Florida would sniff the end zone.

Florida State regrouped and started to remember that they were, at least today, the better team on the football field. They had no need to feel intimidated by this Tim Tebow-less team, with it's Charlie Strong-less defense, and it's total lack of consistency at quarterback—three guys, Urban, really?

The Seminoles went on to score 21-points in the second quarter and never looked back, winning the game 31-7, and reclaiming the state of Florida's swagger—at least for this year.

Even better, the epic collapse of the, Russell Wilson led, North Carolina State Wolfpack in their game against Maryland, assured the Noles' a spot in the ACC Championship Game.

It was a good night for Jimbo Fisher and his young football team. Somewhere you have to wonder if Bobby Bowden is smiling—just a thought.

Charlie Strong Is Doing Whatever He Can To Make Louisville A Contender

The Louisville Cardinals were once a program on the rise.

Bobby Petrino took over the reigns in 2003 and led the Cardinals to four straight winning seasons—including a Big East Championship and an Orange Bowl win in 2006.

That was then, this is now.

Charlie Strong was named head coach of the Cardinals program in December 2009 and he's been hard at work trying to make the team competitive again (they finished 4-8 last year)—he's got plenty of work to do.

The Cardinals were ranked near the bottom of the Big East in nearly every offensive and defensive category last season and need help everywhere. As a first-time head coach, Strong doesn't seem shy about bringing in that help—no matter how character flawed—if it means his team could benefit.

His first major pick-up was Demar Dorsey.

The former four-star defensive back who signed with Michigan this past February, failed to qualify for entry into the Wolverines program and was released from his commitment. Charlie Strong, who recruited Dorsey while he was the defensive coordinator at Florida, was more than willing to swoop in and claim the cast-off.

He will be a nice addition to a Louisville secondary that was respectable in 2009 but lacked any significant playmakers. It was a big grab for Strong and his staff as Dorsey will make the secondary considerably better and is likely to start immediately.

He will be joined by Jordan Campbell, a former linebacker for the USC Trojans.
He appeared in six games for the Trojans last season, netting nine tackles.

His decision to transfer to Louisville had a little to do with his familiarity with the defensive scheme. The Cards run a system similar to that of USC. Plus, he won't be required to sit out a year due to the sanctions imposed on the Trojans—he will have two years of eligibility left.

Campbell was rated a four-star linebacker out of California and will add game experience to a Louisville corps that lost both of its starters to graduation.

However, he doesn't come without baggage.

Like Dorsey, Campbell also has not been a stranger to trouble. Just this past spring, he got into hot water with new head coach, Lane Kiffin, after he missed some tutoring sessions. He was given a warning and told to get his act together—to no avail.

After a second violation of team rules, it was thought that Lane Kiffin might even consider kicking Campbell off the team. Enter the sanctions and Campbell was ready to fly the coup. 

He decided on Louisville after looking at both Cincinnati, West Virginia, and Ole Miss—among others.

It is clear that Strong is making a statement about how serious he is taking his goal to rebuild Louisville into a Big East powerhouse.

If his gambles pay off, he may very well have the last laugh.