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Re: Warts and all - a look at the top five contenders

TampaGator — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:19:53 -0000

"...Urine Cryer..."

Sweet Bettina, son...talk about doin' your alma mater proud!

Usually that crap comes from some jr. high kid who stumbles along this site for the first time, and figures he's gonna' just shock us all with some clever turn of the Coach's name...

Come on, now--I expect more from the self proclaimed greatest poster ever featured on this site...

Oh...my bad....is this you doing your Jr. High "schtick"?

GO GATORS!!

Re: Warts and all - a look at the top five contenders

TampaGator — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:07:32 -0000

Yeah, UF has very little chance....

...there's talk about pulling the plug on the whole damn season....

....I'm mean, why should we even suit our guys up? We should just keep our team home to lick their wounds, and prepare for next year, right?

B/t/w: Michigan didn't really lose anyone, right?

Before last season began, I heard Coach Carr gave a pep talk about how great it would be if they could just get to the Citrus bowl, and beat UF--in order to exact revenge for the screw job from the year before, you konw?

...last year being a rebuilding year for Michigan and all....

GO GATORS!!

Re: Warts and all - a look at the top five contenders

Ramblin' Gator — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 20:55:21 -0000

Wow! You found a typo! Good for you!

FWIW, I tend to agree with your suggestion that UF was inconsistent last year. IMO, they lost to two superior teams (LSU and UGA) and two inferior teams (Michigan and Auburn - sorry WEA!) who were better prepared on game day. All four losses can be traced to defensive failures which is exactly what I mentioned in my post above.

Now go to bed, little man. It's time for the adults to talk some football.

Re: Warts and all - a look at the top five contenders

blackdawg — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 16:48:44 -0000

RG, this is your quote.

"Consistent" means playing to your team's TALENT LEVEL EVERY GAME. UGA is playing to the talent level of their opponoents. That's inconsistent."
YOU MISSPELLED OPPONENTS BY THE WAY. Since your so into perfection.

I'm sorry for questioning your comments, you should know consistency. Consistency is losing in September, twice in October and once in January. That is dang consistent.

Re: Warts and all - a look at the top five contenders

Ramblin' Gator — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 16:14:03 -0000

BD sez...

We struggled early, then improved.

Funny, that sure sounds like a fine example of inconsistency to me, but I must be wrong. Us techno-geeks don't no english to goodly.

Re: Warts and all - a look at the top five contenders

blackdawg — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 15:13:32 -0000

All I'm saying is that we had problems at key positions early, each of the last two seasons and over came them. In other words, we knew we had big questions at QB (2006), and we lost games, until later in the season when Stafford performed better. In 2007, we new that we had 3 freshman on the OL. We struggled early, then improved. I'm not singing our praises, I'm just saying that it was a natural progression. I believe we played up to our abilities and improved with game experience.

Re: Warts and all - a look at the top five contenders

blackdawg — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 15:11:49 -0000

I thought I was leaving a message above but appeared down here must be a newbie snafu, my bad.

Re: Warts and all - a look at the top five contenders

1Tomcat — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 12:48:50 -0000

Hey UofSC1978 I'm kinda glad that you Sir, are indeed consistent with your annual predictions.
Yall have a good a chance as anybody and you should not waiver with your convictions of loyalty.
There are always alot of really good teams that are not given much consideration as being held in contention for national championship.2007 was a truly remarkable year in CFB and 2008 could be even more phenomenal in terms of upsets and the chances of some other teams considered darkhorses to emerge as contenders for the MNC crown.
Hookem-Horns

Re: Warts and all - a look at the top five contenders

Ramblin' Gator — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 12:08:51 -0000

Sure, I can look at the "circumstances". Stafford completes 55% of his passes and throws a lot of picks. My UGA friends assure me that this is due to a weak receiver corp, not due to any problems with Stafford's passing. As I don't watch all of the dawg games, I can only comment on the games I've seen which included Stafford throwing a number of mid-range passes in the dirt and a number of long passes sailing way over the receiver. Either way, there's some inefficiency in UGA's passing game and thus they may still have "some key holes to fill". Mo-Mass can't be expected to be the only reliable receiver on the field.

Maybe UGA will make it to the BCSCG on Moreno's legs. Maybe a good defense (e.g. Auburn, LSU, Tenn) will shut down UGA's ground game and the inefficiency of the passing game will be their downfall. I don't know, but I do know that the name of this thread refers to the "warts" on the top 5 teams and (IMHO) UGA has been inconsistent the last couple of years.

Re: Warts and all - a look at the top five contenders

U.of S.C.1978 — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 08:55:49 -0000

I maintain, as always, that any pre-season poll, is just so much bull hockey. Here's how I see the number one team at the end of week # 3. South Carolina defeats Georgia, again. This time at home. By virtue of this win, U.S.C. vaults into the number one position.
I don't make this prediction without some study. The Cocks are getting bigger, another year of solid recruiting. Mr. Spurrier has made some coaching changes, under his own terms. Good athletes, great coaching, why should a Gamecock fan take a back seat to anyone?

Re: Warts and all - a look at the top five contenders

Zac — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 00:26:21 -0000

Looking at the 5. . .

On the basis of schedule, OK arguably has the easiest road to the NC. With the exception of TX (Played on neutral ground - See, I remembered.), OK's toughest games are at home (Cinci, TCU, KS, NE, & TX Tech), with 3 potential traps away (KS St, TX A&M, and OK St). USC is next hosting OSU, OR, ASU, Cal, & ND, with potential traps at OR St & UCLA. (I had to throw ND in there as they will be. . .ahem. . .vastly improved. Just ask their fans.)

We already know how bad GA's schedule is; FL's isn't much better. OSU's isn't a cake walk either. Remember; they visit USC, not to mention WI, MI St, & IL-one of only 2 teams to beat them last year.

On the basis of personnel, OSU gets the nod. 90% of this team has been together for 3 years. Arguably, they have the personnel & depth to get through their schedule unscathed. Trips to USC & WI will tell all. USC arguably follows. They don't have as many returning starters; they do have depth to burn. GA is a very close 3rd here, but their defense took a larger hit than USC's. OK's offense will look great, but their "D" took a bigger hit than GA's.

We already know the issues with FL's "D" (gave up too many points) and their "O" (one man show). Still, can't count em out; they did win 9 last year, after all.

If I had to rank them, it would be USC, OK, OSU, GA, FL. USC has a way of showing up for those big non-conference games. If they can prevent what has recently been uncharacteristic bone-headed losses (2 in each of the last 3 years), they're in.

OK has a favorable schedule (I didn't say easy; only favorable.). If they hold the fort and keep from stumbling on the road, they'll likely repeat as Big-12 Champs & once again enter the dance.

OSU could still stumble (It'll have to be close.) at USC. So long as that's it, they could still make the dance against either OK or USC. We could see a rematch of OSU/USC in January 2009.

GA & FL: I put them together as, in my opinion, their schedules and personnel combo's don't favor them in the least. That said, GA is the better of these 2 and should take the SEC East, if not the SEC. If GA gets through its schedule with 1 loss, it could leap-frog over a higher ranked one-loss OK, OSU, or USC into the NC game.

Others to consider (some, if they went undefeated): Auburn, ASU, BYU, Clemson, FSU, Fresno, MO, Penn St, S FL, UT, WVU, WI. Of these, Auburn, ASU, MO, & WI have the best chance. Were it not for a new QB, I would have placed Auburn at #5 over FL.

Re: Warts and all - a look at the top five contenders

Zac — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 23:11:09 -0000

New QB makes that kinda tough.

Re: Warts and all - a look at the top five contenders

blackdawg — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 22:59:00 -0000

I think that you have to look at the circumstances. In 2006 we were playing most of the season with a true freshman QB and we took a few on the chin until Stafford got comfortable. Last year we had three freshman on the OL and no depth on the line. We struggled early but when they finally got up to speed we were successful. Actually the last two years we've had some key holes to fill.

Re: Warts and all - a look at the top five contenders

Ramblin' Gator — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 22:18:59 -0000

Inconsistent...

2006 UGA beats Auburn and VT, but loses to KY and Vanderbilt
2007 UGA beats UF and Auburn, but loses to USC and Tenn (by 21)

"Consistent" means playing to your team's talent level every game. UGA is playing to the talent level of their opponoents. That's inconsistent.

Re: Warts and all - a look at the top five contenders

blackdawg — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 21:42:33 -0000

No disrespect intended RG, but I think UGA has been pretty consistent. 5 top ten finishes in 6 years. We have won the SEC twice in that time and have played in 3 BCS games. This is only the 2nd time in Richt's career that UGA has had a unanimous preseason ranking in the top ten, even with our final ranking history.

Florida Georgia
2002 - ( 8-5) ranked 24th USA 2002- (13-1) 3rd both polls
2003- (8-5) ranked 24th AP, 25th USA 2003- (11-3) 7th AP 6th USA
2004- (7-5) ranked 25th USA 2004- (10-2) 7th AP 6th USA
2005- (9-3) ranked 12th AP,16th USA 2005- (10-3) 10thAP 10th USA
2006- (13-1) ranked 1 in both polls 2006- ( 9-4) 23rd AP Unranked USA
2007- (9-4) ranked 13th AP, 16th USA 2007- (11-2) 2nd AP 3rd USA

Re: Warts and all - a look at the top five contenders

Zac — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 21:16:17 -0000

Tell ya what, WarEagle, your boyz win in Morgantown, They're headed for the show! Remember, you heard it here 1st.

Re: Warts and all - a look at the top five contenders

Ramblin' Gator — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 18:44:47 -0000

Good point about ND. I saw several of their players running their mouths on NotreDame Broadcasting Company (NBC) sports and couldn't help but thinking how stupid they sounded, claiming that they have rebounded from last year based solely on the strength of their performance in the Spring scrimmage. Yeah, right.

I believe the Gators will be better this year than they were last year, including the rushing game and the defense. The problem for us Gator fans is UGA will be better too.

Re: Warts and all - a look at the top five contenders

War_Eagle_Atlanta — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 13:23:27 -0000

I'm chuckling, but just at the 'seriously serious' remark...

I think Tennessee could be a sleeper in the SEC this year...

Re: Warts and all - a look at the top five contenders

PittsburghTiger — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 12:14:10 -0000

I think UF fans need to realize that when people point out deficiencies the Gators have it is not a personal attack, chill out Al Gore. And it's not a matter of having foresight or not.

UNTIL the Gators get a running game NOT named Tebow there are question marks. Just about anyone can say they looked great in the Spring Game. Hell, ND is talking smack too. The Gators have to do it on the field and until they get to the SEC schedule everything any of us say here is speculation bordering on conjecture.

The Gators also have to get rid of the taste of the sorry performance against UM before people give them the benefit of the doubt.

That being said I pull for SEC teams.

Re: Warts and all - a look at the top five contenders

1st_and_NOLE — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 11:17:46 -0000

Unfortunately for the Gators it's been a rough off season. They've lost quite a few players on both sides of the ball due to injuries.

I believe they've lost two safeties, Harvin, Demps, and Rainy are nicked up at the moment. I believe they lost CI for the year due to a torn ACL. There are a couple more players they may have lost to injury on defense.

Sometimes the injury bug bites hard. However, you hate to see anyone get hurt.

Re: Warts and all - a look at the top five contenders

Kevin @ Fanblogs — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 10:03:20 -0000

I agree with you that UF will have to outscore opponents and that's impossible to determine how much progress the secondary will make. That said, Meyer hasn't been happy with the secondary in practice and with good reason. While the Gators offense is really good, they're just toasting the 1st string D.

UF held opponents to about 13-14 ppg during the national championship season. I think you have to get under 17 (at least) to get back to NC contention. This 25+ ppg will get you back to Orlando... not Miami.

Re: Warts and all - a look at the top five contenders

Jambleshambles — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 09:52:02 -0000

Thats a good point. I read it when you posted it earlier. I believe the key word is balance. We do not need to be the greatest defense in the world. If we can put up 35-49+ points a game (almost impossible to deny) and make a FEW (meaning at least 3) defensive stops we come out winners. Florida's coaching staff (contrary to what some believe) are not a group of stooge's. They are aware of our weaknesses and have prepared to correct those areas. The loss of three players at safety will truly ONLY make a difference in long defensive series (fatigue) because in all reality UF only has one returning stand out safety in Major Wright ( who will be solid). Will Hill may be better than previous safeties within a few weeks of practice. Lets be serious, he cant really be any worse! The real question lies in our two returning cornerbacks, Haden and Louis (who happen to have exceptional athletic ability). Would you take practice seriously if you got dogged by Michigan's receivers (multiple times) in front of the whole nation. Excellence is not inherent, it is a force of habit and repetition. I will be the first to say... only gameday will tell, but you are severely underestimating motivation, dedication and hard-work. There will be an improvement. How big? Only Haden, Louis, Wright and Hill really know.

Re: Warts and all - a look at the top five contenders

Kevin @ Fanblogs — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 09:24:28 -0000

Sounds awesome. Can any of those guys cover somebody? Because... that would really help you out this year.

Re: Warts and all - a look at the top five contenders

Jambleshambles — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 09:07:19 -0000

A Note about Florida: You all seem to like to talk about offensive playmakers at UF but fail to mention Florida's offensive line. They are the most talented and meanest o-line (during the meyer reign) and are also accompanied by ONE really good blocking tight end in Aaron Hernandez. How fast do you have to be to run through a five foot wide gap with a 6-2 240 pound lead blocker? I don't know it depends on how quick you want to get to the endzone! It does not matter whether UF puts, Rainey, Moody, Moore or Demps in the backfield. They all have the ability to follow a good block. Barring injury the running game WILL BE SOLID (thats a fact whether you have the foresight to see it or not) and not because Florida has a quad of fighter jets at running back. Put the 82% Tebow thing to bed, its not happening this year.

Re: Warts and all - a look at the top five contenders

Marko — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 07:05:43 -0000

Florida has little chance this year with Ingram out for the season and Percy Harvin looking to miss the first few games because of his heel injury. Their defense has lost its best player to the NFL and 5 more to injuries. Defense wins championships and unless Tebow starts at Safety also, the Gators are looking at a 3-4 loss season.

It's either Georgia or West Virginia this year.