The Mighty Have Fallen. And haven't gotten up.

From Wide Right to Off the Radar.

What in the name of Dennis Erickson and Warrick Dunn is going on here? Did you realize that Florida State and Miami will tee off today at Dolphin Stadium and virtually no one cares?

Or did no one realize "College Gameday" will be broadcasting from Nashville for Vanderbilt's home game against Auburn? That would never have happened if Butch Davis was still around and Bobby Bowden still gave a damn. It's a virtual travesty.

This whole development really makes me sad because, even growing up in the football hotbed of Texas, the best college rivalry of my youth was Florida State-Miami. And, to me, it wasn't even close - way ahead of Texas-OU or Texas-Texas A&M or Ohio State-Michigan.

Now Charlie Ward has been replaced by some guy named Christian Ponder. Or maybe it's Drew Weatherford again. I watched a little of Miami's sloppy loss to North Carolina last week and could hardly recognize any of the Hurricanes, save Edgerrin James' cousin.

Florida State lost to Wake Forest - for the third year in a row. Miami was rolled by 23 at Florida - the state's new college heavyweight - and is coming off that defeat to the Tar Heels. Neither team is ranked, nor should they be.

As has been the case in recent years, both teams have explained away their horrid offenses by trying to turn attention to their moderately stingy defenses. But we all know it's an excuse. There's no stars on these teams anymore, no matter what the apologists say. No one can take a 10-yard out and turn it into a 60-yard touchdown. I can almost assure you there won't be any drama Saturday on par with this.

And that's too bad. Like nearly everyone else, I'm looking for an excuse to care again.