The chances against Texas A&M have increased. They're not looking too good.
(
@Escambia94,
@Leakfan12, :
If previously read, please REREAD this post/response, my having since seriously extended it with heartfelt analysis)
Yep: Despite the weaknesses witnessed in our own program, it isn't as if perfection has been rampant elsewhere...
In fact, it hasn't exactly been a consistent feature even among the 2 or 3 so-called "ELITE" teams at the TOP of the CFB rankings so far this season.
In spite of everything, even WITH all my criticisms and reservations previously stated, I do see a possible sequence of events that might bring us eight, even NINE wins after all this season...
However, there is a part of me that truly FEARS such an outcome--should it come to pass, while as a fan I would rejoice with all of Gator Nation at our unexpected early success, in my heart of darkness I would in truth be counting instead on the wisdom and longterm insights of our Coach to recognize the fruits not of our progress so much as the current weakness underlying the shallow if flashy apparent strengths with which these "future opponents" are now dazzling the rest of the college football world.
Not that I foresee this coming to pass, but should it turn out that way my deepest, secret hope would be that this program would somehow be protected from its effects.
There is a LEARNING PROCESS, a procession of FAILURE that is the valuable bedrock of eventual success--and I fear that the strength and joy of that evolutionary experience might be lost...
At the very least, it will be a more difficult, unlikely road to negogiate WITHOUT it, regardless of the Coach's skills.
So in a small way, I WELCOME this "one more uneven year" (I ALMOST referred to it as "one more BAD year"), sensing that any success born of the true underlying weakness of others in fact, in the long run, CHEATS us. In this case might cheat us of our destiny.
It all depends on our Coach. It is he who will have to properly oversee how we negotiate that road, whichever one we find ourselves eventually on.
We've seen where the poor handling of somewhat undeserving early success can lead in the repeated short positive-to-negative arcs of the last SEVERAL UF coaches.
I somehow sense that THIS one is prepared to deal with WHATEVER realities our path presents: That is why he came here. He had many and repeated ongoing opportunitues, and chose US.
Billy will do his best to prepare us for each opponent, for each game--but I believe that it all, every bit of that preparation, is in the longterm service of our eventual real and true longterm SUCCESS.
NOT just winning A GAME, but winning CHAMPIONSHIPS--and not just ONE, but many.
To compete at that level for years to come.
Who does this sound like? I won't say it--but we all know who I mean.
And that is where he consciously has in mind to take us. It will be a different path, a different FLAVOR (a "GATOR flavor", right?), but the ultimate goal is the same.
The fuse has been lit. Take cover.
