A Puncher’s Chance

Funny how a night’s sleep can somehow “put a new slant on things”.
I won’t say that the change in my thinking is “like night and day”, exactly—No, in this case more like “flicking the porch light on”!
To wit:
I have been harping pessimistically on that whole “cliches/K.I.S.S./Just WIN”-thing, but not really fully applying it to my OWN outlook.
The thing is, if I step back and really DO SO, then it becomes clear that, as implied by the title of this thread, with our current offense, improving defense, and WHOLE TEAM getting healthier as we approach the end of the regular season, the Coaching staff MAY have this TEAM PEAKING at just the right time.
I don’t KNOW how good we can or will be some weeks from now—but this offense alone, like ANY high-flying offense with a hot-handed QB, ITSELF has “A PUNCHER’S CHANCE” of beating ANYONE, OUTSCORING them on “ANY GIVEN DAY”!
So what do y’all say? Maybe sit back and ENJOY this next few weeks and SEE WHAT HAPPENS?
Let’s reevaluate come the week of the SEC Championship, anyway.
That’s what I’m gonna try and do.
I mean, HEY: We are finally at the VERY least “re-ENTERING” the national spotlight once more—and who doubts at this point that whether we reach our goals THIS season or not, we can now reasonably look forward under Mullens to more and more certainly, SIMILARLY be “in the mix” next season and for years to come?
So here we go: And with “a puncher’s chance” for now at least stand a chance at OUTSCORING JUST ABOUT ANYONE—which, though admittedly precarious and (no doubt) at times crushingly frustrating when it’s not enough, is also immensely exciting when you can pull it off!
It’s NOT something you can repeatedly count on though—so all we can do is hope the whole TEAM continues to evolve and improve, and in the meantime try to relax, enjoy the victories that DO come, and HOPE that our “puncher’s chance” can somehow carry us along at least SOME of the way—past The Tide at LEAST! And then, we’ll see.

Florida it's easy, WIN OUT. Bama's D isn't as invisible as it once was. The Gators should do some damage against them. Will it be enough? Who knows until December.

Leakfan12 said:

Florida it's easy, WIN OUT. Bama's D isn't as invisible as it once was. The Gators should do some damage against them. Will it be enough? Who knows until December.

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Yup.
You gotta know how I feel about it by now...Let’s try to enjoy the ride, even as we try to remain clear-eyed and self-honest at our limitations if and when they arise.
For now, that means “taking another step” this Saturday when we meet, and BEAT UK.
“It’s GREAT to BE a FLORIDA GATOR!”

It just got easier (unless the Big 10 changes it's minimum)

Michigan-Ohio State football game called off due to COVID-19 cases with Wolverines (espn.com)

Leakfan12 said:

It just got easier (unless the Big 10 changes it's minimum)

Michigan-Ohio State football game called off due to COVID-19 cases with Wolverines (espn.com)

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Except for one thing:
This “buncha suits” who comprise the “CFB Playoff Committee” have an obvious hard-on for the Buckeyes. Something tells me they well might STRAIN THEMSELVES in their efforts to rationalize including them REGARDLESS!
I HOPE not—not JUST because (1) They’d be ignoring their own stated criteria before now in deciding such things (as implied by Dan Mullens when this point was raised in his latest presser), or (2) I just don’t LIKE ‘em, but simply this:
They just don’t deserve it. They haven’t played enough opponents nor GOOD ENOUGH ones to give any sort of valid “data set” that even comes close to what ANYONE ELSE IN THEIR OWN “TOP 15” has had to face.
Whether that changes anything for US (except make us feel all the WORSE “shafted” if we were to lose a very CLOSE game in Atlanta and not make it in as a result) is a theoretical point I sincerely wish and hope we can somehow eliminate ON THE FIELD—by WINNING OUT!

True, however, if the Big Ten stands firm on their six-game limit then the committee has to pick someone else because Ohio State won't win their conference and Ohio State's SOS won't justify them being in the playoffs (unlike TAMU who has a better SOS). Then again, the Big 10, they'll probably going to say "Screw it" and have Ohio State play in the big 10 title game anyway because the Big Ten has a lot to lose if Ohio State doesn't get in (unless Indiana wins the Big Ten title but Indiana Football Team, come on? Though I did see their QB play in high school). Even, if that happens, I still don't think Ohio State should be there big 10 title or not however I'm not a part of the committee and don't have a vote. Saying that I'm sure the committee doesn't want to put two SEC teams and two ACC teams (one and a half really) in the same playoffs. Yes @DRU2012 they would have a hard-on for Ohio State because they're a traditional powerhouse and A&M not so much. Granted yes, we got to wait and the games this weekend and next weekend. If the Gators win the SEC, A&M is out and Bama probably going to stay in because they're Bama.

Your thinking is sound, LF—MORE “sound” than the Committee’s, I fear...
and that’s the problem here:
I just get the feeling that they will use whatever “reason” is at hand (in this case, the whole “Year of Covid”-thing: PICK your rationalization/twisted logic) to satisfy their deeply embedded inclination to put O-State IN there...
Another case of “Hope I’m wrong, BUT...”
Let’s face it...While I’m probably raising this point a few days early (we need to “take care of business THIS COMING SATURDAY” first!), but once Malik dropped that ball late in the 4th against TAMU and our D couldn’t quite stop them from getting the few yards then needed and letting them kick it, well, “Winning out and beating Bama” was the only straight-shot path to the playoffs we held cleanly, clearly in our own hands—and nothing has happened since to CHANGE that.
We each have our own thoughts about THAT—probably “mixed ones” at BEST.
But there it is; we’ll turn to that when the time comes, as will our TEAM.
It’s all we can DO.
This is a flawed Gator team—but one that nonetheless has given us a lot of satisfaction and reason for pride.
And WE ARE CLOSE.
Had it NOT been for this weird “Year of COVID”, who can say how it might have all played out?
But here we are, and HERE WE GO!!!

In a move surprising no one, the Big 10 is relaxing their 6 game rule to allow Ohio State play in the game.

Leakfan12 said:

In a move surprising no one, the Big 10 is relaxing their 6 game rule to allow Ohio State play in the game.

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This is my surprised face:

Escambia94 said:

This is my surprised face:

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Is there an “exploding head” imoji?
Failing that, your “green 3-eyed alien Lizard” will do quite nicely, I suppose.

Leakfan12 said:

In a move surprising no one, the Big 10 is relaxing their 6 game rule to allow Ohio State play in the game.

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What’d I tell ya?
Quite aside from the fact that it would best suit US, of course, what could be more FITTING at THAT point than for us to deliver the “no one expects THIS” smack down victory over the Tide in Atlanta, arguably sending the whole playoff line-up into chaos—At which point ONLY our winning out, beating all comers and ultimately crowned 2020 CFB National Champions would then adequately resolve all crazily conflicting analyses .
(At which point Gators EVERYWHERE get to settle back and LAUGH OUR BUTTS OFF THROUGHOUT THE WINTER/SPRING of 2021, at LEAST!)