travisduncan
Gator Fan
-Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher is a pretty good friend of Will Muschamp, heck they actually share a condo in the offseason.
Is it possible Fisher could convince Muschamp and Florida to move FSU-UF game to the start of the season.
That is what the second-year FSU coach is proposing.
"I love the end-of-the-year game, it’s not that," Fisher told the Orlando Sentinel. "It’s just that you’ve got conference championship games now and you’re playing your biggest rival in an emotional game (the week before). … That’s a tough thing for both schools to do."
While realistically Fisher expects to be in the ACC Championship game every season, the Gators may not be in Atlanta each year. Also, a late a win over Florida State does a lot of things in terms of momentum, even if the SEC Championship is out of reach for the Gators.
It would stand to reason the Gators would have the most to lose by moving the game to the first part of the season as a traditional non-conference matchup.
The Gators don't want to play a national power early, before embarking on a grueling SEC schedule, they want to the Seminoles when they are playing their best football which may not necessarily be in Sept..
And more importantly the fans always look forward to a great after Thanksgiving matchup, as do the TV networks.
Don't expect to see a change.
-One point of emphasis for Muschamp compared to Urban Meyer is that he wants everyone stronger. The coach has put a lot of emphasis on the off-season weight training program.
And the players are having fun with it.
For a lifting session earlier this week some of the guys dressed up as their favorite WWE-WWF wrestlers and posted the photos on social messaging . Click here to see a photo.
Muschamp is as much of a "down to business" coach as it gets but it's good to see that the guys can still have fun despite the challenge laid before them by the coaching staff.
The Gators will also be hosting a strength and speed competition for the football team, the Gators Charity Challenge, this Friday night at the Swamp-proceeds benefit the United Way.
-The SEC Media Poll has the Gators picked to finish third in the SEC East. South Carolina is the favorite, followed by Georgia. I personally believe the Gamecocks are probably the most vulnerable favorite in recent memories. Senior QB Stephen Garcia is a giant question mark to stay on the field and presents a bevy of off the field liabilities. The defense is solid, but most of the hope lies on the offensive passing game and an unstoppable running back, Marcus Lattimore. South Carolina also has a favorable SEC schedule this year as well, avoiding LSU, Alabama and Auburn.
The SEC Media Poll is as follows:
SEC CHAMPION – Alabama (98), LSU (29), Arkansas (18), South Carolina (14), Georgia (4), Florida (2), Ole Miss (2)
EASTERN DIVISION (First place votes in parenthesis)
1. South Carolina (114) 931
2. Georgia (38) 794
3. Florida (12) 731
4. Tennessee (2) 496
5. Kentucky (1) 340
6. Vanderbilt 215
WESTERN DIVISION (First place votes in parenthesis)
1. Alabama (111) 925
2. LSU (30) 790
3. Arkansas (23) 717
4. Mississippi State (1) 455
5. Auburn 406
6. Ole Miss (2) 214
-As it stands now, the Gators 2012 recruiting class of 15 verbal commitments is easily in the Top 5 in the Nation, however there is always the chance that those verbals, go from solid to de-commitment and then on National Signing Day the class looks a litter bit different.
2012 defensive back recruit Brian Poole committed to the Gators on June 14th, but reports are that he could be leaning towards Notre Dame after making an official visit to South Bend recently.
The Bradenton native is ranked as a Top 10 defensive back for the 2012 season.
-Muschamp will be appearing on Saturdays in the South with Tim Brando, which will air on select TV stations in the South. Muschamp's episode will air in Gainesville on Saturday, Aug. 13, at 2:00 p.m. (ET) on ABC’s network
