Game Day Week 8: Bye Week

[Escambia94]

Good news, Gator fans! The Gators will not lose a football game today. Bad news: the Gators will not play today.

This gives us time to reflect on the team's progress in recovering from the Muschamp experiment. Most analysts expected the Gators to have two or three losses at this point. Instead, they only have a loss to arguably the strongest team in the SEC, against the likely Heisman winner.

If Florida wins their remaining three SEC games (Georgia, Vanderbilt, South Carolina) they will win the SEC East outright with a 7-1 record. If the Gators lose to Georgia they would be tied atop the East with Georgia. If just two remain tied atop the standing then the tiebreaker goes to head-to-head competition before comparing relative wins. Georgia plays Kentucky, Auburn, Georgia Southern, and Georgia Tech. Florida has Vanderbilt, South Carolina, FAU, and FSU. Florida needs to beat Georgia next week and not fall asleep on Vanderbilt and USC.

 

[DRU2012]

I WAS gonna put up my own version of the above, call this something like "Gator Gameday Week 7Plus", but hadn't " gotten around to it" yet--sorta flaked all day, lolling about (lazy rainy day w gf) WATCHING FOOTBALL, matter of fact. Personally, I count weeks in terms of GATOR games, but aside from that you covered all the important facts regarding our season and actual position in the SEC race, E-.
Of course, the REALLY amazing part is that we have that and more still in the offing.
I wanna keep this fairly short'n'sweet--because I promised to try, for one thing (lol)--and anyway both superstition AND a certain careful, determined and self-protective "take it a game at a time" approach, by one and all, team and fans, seems wise now.
One thing I want to note, though, having watched a LOT of games and teams since Thursday this week, is that NO ONE looks that impressive to me. Certainly LSU has seemed the best, most balanced team I've watched--and I believe we could beat them, given another shot at 'em. Not just talkin' bout the Utah and FSU losses (I'd actually have preferred the Moles being undefeated when we met them--just as I want LSU to win out so we CAN get another crack at 'em--but dangerous, maybe foolish to go there yet)...No, just the ol' "eye test" tells me that we are NOT gonna be "outclassed" by ANYONE. Yeah, I know about theoretical "talent differentials" between us and certain other teams (like that team that takes their name from "poison nuts", led by that drama queen we are somewhat familiar with and whom the media folks are so enamored of), but I have two things to say to that:
(1) Maybe so, but from what I have SEEN, this Gator team, healthy and, as presently constituted and coached, on a good day can beat any of them, and
(2) Mac & Co. are doing this with good, but not great playmakers (on offense, at least)--and not a whole lot of THOSE; these aren't "their guys" yet...CAN Y'ALL IMAGINE WHAT HE AND THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO once they bring in a coupla their own recruiting classes, coach 'em up and bring 'em along, build a team of their own from the ground up?!!!
Taking stock at this "turn for Home" point in the season seems appropriate: It has turned out to be a fun ride, and possibly a GREAT year still--and it's only gonna get better in the seasons ahead.

 

[Leakfan12]

I admit I was disappointed when the Noles lost, so they could face Clemson undefeated and lose to Clemson. Plus I'm going to have some upset relatives, my sister undergrad at free shoes. Speaking of Clemson, anybody see that @$$ whooping they gave to Ponzi U? It was so bad that the U fans left the game at halftime.

 

[Escambia94]

It's great to be a Florida Gator! The following teams lost:

• Forced Sodomy University: Kick-6 off the supposed best kicker in the country, as time expires. 16-22.
• Muschamp's fighting War-Damn-Tiger-Eagle defense: 46-54. His vaunted defense surrendered 457 yards!
• Thug U: 0-58 shutout loss to mighty Clemson
• Tennessee: 14-19 loss, the preseason SEC East champs!
  
• Missouri: 3-10 loss. This is the team that embarrassed Florida last year

 

[DRU2012]

It's great to be a Florida Gator! The following teams lost:

• Forced Sodomy University: Kick-6 off the supposed best kicker in the country, as time expires. 16-22.
• Muschamp's fighting War-Damn-Tiger-Eagle defense: 46-54. His vaunted defense surrendered 457 yards!
• Thug U: 0-58 shutout loss to mighty Clemson
• Tennessee: 14-19 loss, the preseason SEC East champs!
  
• Missouri: 3-10 loss. This is the team that embarrassed Florida last year

LOVE it...though the more analytical part of me wants to see past opponents AND future ones show well, for now, for the sake of our "strength-of-schedule"... Still, based on what we've seen, gotta believe we can find ways to beat every team we'll see rest of the way, and as for the rest, well, we manage to take care of business things'll work out just FINE.
Meanwhile, NO such qualms about 'Canes BAD loss, THAT was beautiful (tho' their now ex-coach didn't deserve the way that all went, getting blind-sided by the Shapiro scandal days after taking the job--typical of UM in every way--but then again, he shouldn't have touched em w a 10-foot pole in the first place!)...and of course Auburn's whole season now requires all kinds verbal gymnastics from Muschamp apologists. I love that.
Anyway, in truth even the "strength..." considerstions are mainly irrelevant at this point: For us, it's "win out and the rest will take care of itself". And that's as far down THAT road I'll go for now--for at least a month, then maybe we'll see.
Let's just go out next weekend and win the Party. Then we'll turn to the next one, and so on.

 

[DRU2012]

I admit I was disappointed when the Noles lost, so they could face Clemson undefeated and lose to Clemson. Plus I'm going to have some upset relatives, my sister undergrad at free shoes. Speaking of Clemson, anybody see that @$$ whooping they gave to Ponzi U? It was so bad that the U fans left the game at halftime.

All 50 of 'em? Lol Have ya seen what that "off campus" (as in 30+miles away) stadium looks like for (supposed) "home-games" this season? WE have an "off year", might be 5,000 to 10,000 "no shows" for a big rival... They don't draw that many "SHOWS"!

 

[DRU2012]

Closer "The Party" gets, more I'm into the Al Davis thing--somthing like: "Just win--even by 1 pt will be FINE!"

 

[DRU2012]

(But btw--Do y'all ever recall both the Cocktail Party AND The Halloween Ball (1st glimmer of "PC" coming during my undergrad yrs, when they changed the "official" name to "Halloween FESTIVAL"--and why they did THAT is a down'n'dirty tale of late-70s debauchery, and I WAS THERE) came on the same Saturday? Musta happenned a couple/few times since then, but I don't remember it...