POST-Season For Gators

[DRU2012]

This could be approached several different ways: With serious analysis or glib, wise-cracking humor. Long-winded or quick, sharp and OUT, or somewhere in between--and I KNOW y'all expect the former from me, or something down at that end of the spectrum at LEAST....but you'd be at least partly wrong, this time...No, not the other end, either, though I could easily do that: "POST-Season for Gators"? =1 hour of post-Doak celebrating, 3 hours of post-celebration futile hand-wringing and butt-clenching, 5 weeks of practice and wistful muttering, then One Night of Pretending "It MEANS Something"...and SEVEN MONTHS OF CHOMPING IN PRIVATE AT THE CHANCE TO GET BACK TO IT!!!
Not bad, that--but I've got a bit more I want to say here (No surprise, right?...Bear with me here, though). I want to say again how PROUD I am of this Gator team--and, I'm embarrassed to admit, it actually wasn't until that 2nd-half last night that I fully "GOT there", got to where we ALL should have already been for this TEAM that accomplished so much with so much working against them and so much they had to DO to even get our attention, gain our trust, admiration, and finally TRUST. I'm sorry they had to go so far and through so much before I really SAW it, how GREAT a team this already is, as well as "on the way to being".
It's good to know that we really are "on the way" to all the things that we wanted and hoped for back when Urban Meyer was falling apart, and insisted on making sure he took our program down with him, before leaving THAT mess behind when he was ready to start over (more on THAT "piece of--"... well, "--work" is the word we'll use here...in a moment) in a NEW "Life-long home here in..." (turns out "Ohio" this time), but I was already fairly certain of all that.
What maybe ALL of us lost sight of was that at some point this stopped being a team "just getting by" (you don't "just get by" in the SEC--you either win or go home!), or even a "collection of over-achievers arriving a year early" (though that is at least CLOSER to the truth). It's on all of us that we couldn't see or accept, just couldn't trust our gut or their RESULTS enough too see it until the SECOND HALF of the LAST GAME: This is one of the toughest, gutsiest, and just plain most-determined group of Gators that have ever been whipped-into-shape by any Coach&Staff we have ever had. That's right: this has been a team-effort--both players and coaches have made this happen (especially the last year, when the real winning-team was assembled--from the conditioning coach, working with them year-round in the weight-room, on up and through every position coach to the OC that balanced AND matched our Head Coach in talent, passion, and complementary talents & interests).
We are going to have "better", as in "more talented" teams in the years ahead, especially better offenses, of course, as that squad finally balances the superb level that the other two have achieved, have HAD to somewhat compensate for until last night. "Last NIGHT" we saw a demo of what this Gator program will soon do to any team, anytime, from the opening KO on game-in/game-out, season-in/season-out over the years directly ahead. We are going to win steadily and easily, and we will come to take it in stride, take it for GRANTED, even. We are going to be that good, BUT: We will NEVER experience the heart-wrenching, gut-ripping, up-and-down, "what's-gonna-happen-NEXT" thrills that THIS Gator team has blessed AND cursed us with in this, the strangest and most unexpected of successful seasons. Did I say that clearly enough, or did I "bury the lead"? Let's try again:
"Thank You, Gators, for the best, worst, most frustrating and thrilling season I can recall in more Gator seasons than I care to admit!!!", "Thank You, Will Muschamp, for 'coming home' and giving us all some 'tough love'--starting but not ending with your TEAM!", and "Thank You J. Foley (FOR- and then WITH-Will M.) for Coaches Pease, Quinn and ALL-of-'em right through DJ Durkin, after Coach Boom the 1st and tonesettingly smartest hire of ALL..."

(POST-RANT AfterThought:
--As promised re "The Liar, the Crier, the BUYER", ensconced now at "We-Dot-the-'i'-in-IDIOT-U": After all the SH*T we've had to stomach, more-and-more of this "F*ckeye"/AP #1-crap in COUNTERpoint to my other worst-case-scenario, ie. the coronation of Notre Dame, this morning I was flipped by The Sports Reporters just in time to hear them talking glowingly about his "now confirming his superiority..." (no sh*t--and it gets WORSE), one of 'em saying "...if anyone wasn't sure of it already, with his taking this OSU team to a perfect record THIS season with all its hurdles, THEN, with a young team and a soft schedule NEXT year taking them to a 2nd one in a ROW, Meyer will be seen by ALL as The Greatest Coach of all TIME!!!"
This last may be the secret key to his eventual downfall. The guy plays-on-the-edge, lying and manipulating with a kind of blithely arrogant, wide-eyed openness that, along with public attention, just sets you up for The Big Fall...Evidently, though he memorized the first part, he stopped reading the "Celebrity Playbook" just before the last chapter, entitled, "The Higher They Set You Up, The More Gleefully They Will Tear You DOWN". It's just a "feeling", something over-the-horizon, but the man has too much ambition to go with WAY too little honor or ethics, and a way of exploiting his seeming charm and honesty (really a cold, calculating nature masked by a need-to-ingratiate himself, then USE the very people who come to trust him in the most DIShonest way possible) that ultimately and invariably leaves them feeling betrayed in his dust when he "moves on". THIS time there'll be nowhere "higher" or far enough away to escape to, and "the Betrayed" will be only too happy to join in "the fun" of his long fall. My only concern THERE is that his doubtless long trail of "buried bodies" doesn't include anything REALLY bad here at UF--or better yet doesn't lead that far back.)

 

[DRU2012]

Listening to these IDIOTS from ESPN discussing the prospective "Plus One" Championship Game, they really just don't GET it: Do they really BELIEVE this BS?!! They are almost ALL picking Notre Dame, "especially if they play Alabama"...Silly. At least they are getting the "The Florida Question" right: They all agree that "Florida has the biggest gripe...probably SHOULD be at #2 now..." and each of them breaks down their opinion from a slightly different POV...The one that is most disturbing has to do with the "simple fact that if it weren't for the 'human Polls' putting them down there at #5, they'd already BE either #2, or #3 at LEAST and ready to move INTO #2, unless one of the 2 teams playing in the SEC Championship was particularly impressive in beating the other"...and then they proceed to all agree that yes, "the human voters" were "punishing the Gators for a couple of LESS-than-impressive wins against lesser opponents the last few weeks" and they all nod and a couple mutter examples, including a couple of them pointing to "having to win at the very end by running in a blocked punt against LOUISIANA LAFAYETTE!!!"--completely ignoring the fact that SO many of the BCS teams, and their beloved #1 Undefeated Notre Dame HAD A WHOLE SCHEDULE PACKED with "lesser teams" that they just "got by"--what about having PITT with a 33yd. kick-to-WIN against them in a 3rd OVERTIME that the kid MISSED, allowing them to STEAL that one after ALL? Only Robert Smith stepped up here and noted all the ways, head-to-head and common opponents that showed how the Gators DO have the stats that show they match up favorably against every team ahead of them, how and why the COMPUTERS unemotionally pick them a SOLID #2, how the emotional side favors Florida as well, or SHOULD, and finally that bottom line, people ("including people on this panel") are going against what they all normally claim they feel is the way to examine and credit a team's performance, and that is to examine whether they WIN the 'little games' ("even if they sometimes play down to them--they FIND a way to WIN them") and "show up BIG on the Big Stage, to play well in the BIG Games against the really BEST TEAMS, and Florida has DONE THAT"...At least they show how, though the "human polls" for whatever reasons wrongly punish them in their placement for a shot at the Nat'l Championship, the COMPUTER polls DO "protect" them from getting "iced out of" a place in a BCS BOWL, which can, does and this year probably WILL move someone highly ranked with just 1 win, probably an SEC-team, OUT of the BCS this year.
SO we're almost CERTAINLY getting the Sugar Bowl, but we have a real gripe about the "Plus One"--unless you're among those who feel "You MUST play in and WIN your CONFERENCE Championship Game", at THIS point "Florida is the BEST TEAM coming out of the BEST CONFERENCE" is the consensus even among THESE confused and self-contradicting ESPN "experts" (and again, I am SO sick of Jesse Palmer and his "fear to show in ANY way, anytime that he USED to be a Gator"...JESSE: It's OK to be honest...they will not demote a healthy, handsome and articulate ex-jock like yourself for openly conceding your pride and love for your alma mater, the team you once QB'd for, especially if it's TRUE...After all, "It's GREAT to be a Florida Gator!").
They finish here by analyzing who would be THEIR picks for the "4-Team Plus One Plat Off" starting in 2014 if it were in effect THIS year--and Florida would be their #4 (further solidifying their own opinions about UF's "claim to a spot in THIS season's Championship, given their resume", btw, as they go thru' this exercise). Here is their theoretical line-up: #1 Notre Dame plays #4 Florida in one semifinal; #2 Alabama plays #3 Georgia in the other--and only Robert Smith actually picks a winner out of that "starting point"--and he picks FLORIDA, whom he claims (as I have said, BTW) "If they played from here on out as they did last night, showing offense to go with that Top 'D' and Special Teams, Florida beats EVERYONE."

{SH*T F*CK P*SS I WISH WE COULD PLAY UGA AGAIN NOW!!!}

 

[Escambia94]

Florida put itself out of the national conversation by losing to UGA. There is nothing left to argue. I wish there were some leverage for the Gators other than the resumè, but there is nothing left to change our BCS ranking. The only unfair thing that could happen would be to deny the Gators a BCS bowl. So far most pundits put us in the Sugar Bowl. No complaints here.

 

[Escambia94]

On other forums I see a lot of hatred towards former Gator QB Jesse Palmer on ESPN, but he has been a strong supporter. Here is what he said of his former team:

"When they run the football the way they did against LSU and Florida State, they are the best team in the entire country with that defense,'' Palmer said of the Gators. "They beat the team [Texas A&M] that Alabama lost to. They smashed the team [South Carolina] that smashed Georgia."

Either way, the Gators picked the wrong team to lose against, UGA.

 

[miltongator]

On other forums I see a lot of hatred towards former Gator QB Jesse Palmer on ESPN, but he has been a strong supporter. Here is what he said of his former team:

"When they run the football the way they did against LSU and Florida State, they are the best team in the entire country with that defense,'' Palmer said of the Gators. "They beat the team [Texas A&M] that Alabama lost to. They smashed the team [South Carolina] that smashed Georgia."

Either way, the Gators picked the wrong team to lose against, UGA.

I agree. I just have to go back to the beginning of the year. If you asked me then if I would be happy with 11-1 and a Sugar Bowl berth, I'm sure I would have said "Damn straight".

BTW, I discovered more of Muschamp's sense of humor. At his post-game he was asked if he'd be rooting for USC that night and he replied "You know I've always been a big Lane Kiffen fan". That broke up the room.

 

[Escambia94]

Honestly, if you had asked me back in August how I thought the season would end I would have said 8 wins plus or minus one. I am happy where we are. I cannot find another division 1 team in history that finished in the top ten with only one loss and an offense ranked this low. Imagine what the Gators could have done if the offense had not regressed at UGA... or just be happy that we are likely spending New Year's in New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl.

 

[NaffGutts]

Even the human element in the BCS have it wrong, here is why ...

- we've played 5 ranked teams, 4 that really matter
- we rushed for 150+ yards against all of them
- we've held all of their offenses to their lowest average
- our D cause a total of 10 turnovers in those 4 games combined
- 2 of those games, which were on the road, we had come-back wins
- UGA/Bama are 2-4 vs Top Ranked teams
- Florida is 4-1 vs Top Ranked teams


Sorry, for me, the 2 top teams in the SEC are TAMU and Florida. I can't stand all of the doubt, even now, that we shouldn't be considered a National Title team. Even our loss should look better than most with 6 turnovers yet only losing by a TD, even after all of the BS penalty calls, and saw even more on Saturday @ Free Shoe University. I was listening to Mike and Mike this morning and he was talking about how many people that get Heisman votes, but don't really pay attention to much of College Football, even he gets a vote but says he doesn't feel like he has watched enough to surely say "this" person deserves it or not and how there are THOUSANDS that do vote just because the get to. So I can only assume that this goes on in the "human" element of BCS ranking. Alabama and Georgia have had the easiest schedule in the SEC and now they will go play in the SEC championship to represent teams that have beat them, and have more impressive resumes. Makes no sense, meanwhile, Notre Dame is lifted on a pedestal because they are undefeated after beating teams that were ranked at some point, and since then have become complete shit. Apparently they pass the eye test though with shaky wins against non-ranked FCS/Highschool teams. I can't wait until playoffs, and there should be something revamped with the way the Computers grade schedules, hence Ohio State.

Anyway, I'm guessing will see one of these teams in the Sugar Bowl ...

Oregon
Oklahoma

or

Big East team, if given berth

 

[Leakfan12]

Well hey They should have had that UGA game since both teams sucked but two mistake cost them at least nine points though the refs mistakes gave UGA 14 points. However, hey going to a BCS bowl especially since most of us though maybe winning eight or nine games is impressive. Just wish UGA boosters didn't paid off the refs (my story and I'm stucking to it). The school will make a lot of money going to the Sugar Bowl or which ever bowl they go to. I don't care who they play. As for Bama-UGA, I'm going for Bama.

 

[DRU2012]

Florida put itself out of the national conversation by losing to UGA. There is nothing left to argue. I wish there were some leverage for the Gators other than the resumè, but there is nothing left to change our BCS ranking. The only unfair thing that could happen would be to deny the Gators a BCS bowl. So far most pundits put us in the Sugar Bowl. No complaints here.

OK--Fair enough: I wish I could just fully accept that truth (and it IS "truth", even if a not completely "fair" or logical one--but who ever said the BCS was "fair" OR "logical")--it would sure help to put closure on the sour taste of a season that was/IS otherwise cause for pride, hope and even confidence in the FUTURE.
Still, I think that "104th-ranked offense"-thing is exactly why and how rankings may or may NOT be "accurate" as to how a squad is playing RIGHT NOW...we have the POTENTIAL (and always DID) to be a LOT better than that--and for the most part, for stretches later in games WHEN WE NEEDED TO, we could suddenly "turn it on" and get it done on a whole other level in a way I haven't seen before with ANY team--but you need to see a team like that actually DOING it at those times, and in that larger context, to "see and understand", but that's NOT how it actually goes with most of these "Human Poll" voters--they aren't especially well-informed regarding the details of the different contending teams, at BEST they follow their own schools and maybe the others in that Conference, but even THAT is fairly rare--they get their impressions MOSTLY from the same place as all casual fans--ESPN on TV and the various "Top sites" on the internet. The "common wisdom", which really is "the personal biases and axes-to-grind" of the guys we all see on TV in this way become the widespread accepted-view that influences these key voters--with predictable, "prepackaged" results that amount to a kind of "self-fulfilling prophecy".
As far as Jesse Palmer is concerned, I actually LIKE and respect the guy--and the one benefit of his long-standing (and sometimes over-doing the effort) "bending-over-backwards" routine to NOT be too much the ex-Gator is that when he DOES make that kind of pronouncement he made on the BCS show Sunday night he IS taken seriously. He does sometimes seem to be BURYING his affiliation and running from it, though--and it's disconcerting BECAUSE as a Gator I think he overdoes it, that's all.
In the end: I think we really ARE "deserving of consideration", are and SHOULD be a "part of the discussion", can put our resume up against ANYONE'S, and with who and along with who we beat and HOW we beat them on Saturday, we will reap the benefits of ALL of this come NSD and beyond.

 

[DRU2012]

NaffGutts, Escambia94, Leakfan12
Check out Andy Staples' latest column on SI.com entitled (Florida Won't Play in a Championship Game, But..."
(I think hits all the right points regarding us, our future, and who our coach is, how we are taking on his character--and why that is a really GOOD thing, etc.)

 

[13SwampFoxtrot]

11-1 possible 12-1 season? I can live with that as it will be much better than I predicted coming into the season. I took a step back after the FSU game and just looked at the season and this teams accomplishments. Our QBs only threw 3 picks all season where last season the number was 13, We had a 1000 yard rusher in Gillislee, the "D" gave us what we expect out of a Muschamp defense, Our one loss we gave to ourselves, and we truly look like a team primed for sustained success. As for next season and the future, I can feel nothing but optimism. I guess all of that was short for saying, yes I would have loved to be in the title game but we put ourselves in this situation by, as Muschamp said, "not taking care of business in Jacksonville". Sugar Bowl is nothing to turn our noses up at but also isn't something to be satisfied with and I think our players are aware of that and being one game short of the ultimate goal could be the extra motivation our JRs need to stick around one more season.

 

[DRU2012]

13SwampFoxtrot
Couldn't agree more...WE are gonna be a FORCE in seasons ahead. I MEAN this: We could ALL see, as we "played out the string" (which is what this team yet tends to do, it seems: Does what it has to do to WIN, and doesn't do more unless challenged--which is exactly how and why we didn't "impress" the "human Polls") after finishing the SEC-portion of our schedule and before FSU, that we'd be nearly UNSTOPPABLE, even now, with just an upgrade-on-offense to "mediocre" overall. Well, that TRUE "Best Defense" (I think we put to rest the whole inflated "numbers from FSU's having played patsies compared to an SEC-schedule/Best "D" in nation" myth on Saturday, among other such competition-related comparisons) is about to get deeper, even more widely-talented, faster and more-athletic if a little younger and (for the moment, but not-for-long) less-experienced, and the offense (which ALSO showed on Saturday it had parts that were beginning finally to come around once healthy and consistently playing-together) is itself finally going to be getting the parts it needs to become what it needs to be (we can break that down elsewhere, at another time).
The point here is that we will be even BETTER next season, and you may well be right in how not quite achieving our true goals, and in being continually under-valued and downgraded by some even NOW will likely have a positive effect on this team in a number of ways (and not just in perhaps luring a few juniors back either). This group of players, this TEAM, knows that by the end-of-the-season they ARE right there, at LEAST "one of the best" teams in the land...and I'd be surprised if you didn't get them alone and no mikes or reporters around they'd look at each other and agree: "We play our game and NO ONE beats us now. Period." They see what's coming, and even with seniors leaving, we will be getting better and better over the months and years ahead. Even well-regarded juniors will be looking for reasons to stay, I'll bet. Oh, MAN, am I looking forward to NEXT season ALREADY.

 

[Escambia94]

Tonight we get to see the BCS bowl selections. I will guarantee that many of us are getting worked up over nothing and we are going to the Sugar Bowl. Just remember the "Kansas State rule" of 1998: the 3rd ranked team is assured a BCS bowl, or the 4th if the 3rd is an AQ conference champion.

Currently the BCS poll looks like this:

1. Notre Dame
2. Alabama
[S]3. Georgia[/S]
4. Florida
5. Oregon
6. Kansas State
7. LSU
8. Stanford
9. Texas A&M
10. South Carolina

Based on the BCS formula, 2-loss Georgia will have to be knocked down by 2/3 of the BCS rankings. Only the human element from the Harris Poll can be perturbed or corrupted by voters with an agenda. Mathematically, Georgia will end up with a BCS score just below Florida. Unless over half of the 59 voters in the Harris poll are impressed with Georgia, they cannot move the Leghumpers to #3 in their poll. The poll will have to look like the following using the BCS formula:

1. Notre Dame - BCS CG
2. Alabama - BCS CG
3. Florida - Sugar
4. Oregon - Fiesta
5. Georgia - no BCS bowl
6. Kansas State - Fiesta
7. LSU - no BCS bowl
8. Stanford - Rose (vs Wisconsin due to B1G tie-in)
9. Texas A&M - no BCS bowl
10. South Carolina - no BCS bowl

 

[Escambia94]

One more data point to kill off the notion that UGA could leapfrog Florida is that this morning's Sagarin ratings put Florida too far away for the human poll to overcome:

College Football 2012 through games of December 1 Saturday          the BCS uses the ELO_CHESS from here
                                RATING    W  L  SCHEDL(RANK) VS top 10 | VS top 30 | ELO_CHESS    | PREDICTOR 
                HOME ADVANTAGE=[  2.87]                                              [  2.90]      [  3.14]
  1  Alabama              A  =  96.26  12  1  74.15(  35)    1  1  |    3  1  |  94.00    3 |  98.96    1
  2  Notre Dame          A  =  94.97  12  0  74.83(  30)    2  0  |    4  0  |  96.86    1 |  93.16    3
  3  Oregon              A  =  94.19  11  1  74.65(  33)    0  1  |    4  1  |  92.64    5 |  95.72    2
  4  Florida              A  =  93.18  11  1  77.16(  16)    2  1  |    4  1  |  95.11    2 |  91.32    6
  5  Kansas State        A  =  93.09  11  1  76.58(  19)    1  0  |    6  1  |  92.81    4 |  93.06    4
  6  Texas A&M            A  =  90.76  10  2  75.43(  27)    1  1  |    1  2  |  88.86  12 |  92.75    5
  7  Georgia              A  =  90.48  11  2  73.07(  41)    1  2  |    1  2  |  90.04    9 |  90.63    7

 

[DRU2012]

Escambia94,
Though I know they are factually accurate, I still see Oregon and Kansas St. getting FAR too much credit in these projections, considering their schedule-strengths--while Florida and the REST of the SEC teams getting far too little for THEIRS, which makes sense here COMPLETELY...It is another, more-subtle (even covert) version of that "anti-Gator & SEC"-prejudice we're getting from Lisping Lou, a quiet and under-handed effort to hurt us now in both our rankings AND which bowl games each of us plays in this year (which has financial repercussions ALREADY), but may have an even larger, more heinous and diabolical LONG-TERM AIM: I suspect this is in part the start of a campaign to DEVALUE THE SEC, whose ultimate aim is to limit our anticipated domination of "slots" in that "Four Team Play-Off" 2 years hence. Instead of trying to work over time to get better themselves, they are trying for an easier, quicker route--to limit the number of spots open to us by using popular opinion to alter the rules...That's what "The Senile Old Coot-in-green" was really babbling about when he kept hammering on "Conference Champions" last night. Watch for any actual such changes-in-rule: There ARE no such "limitations"-according-to-Conference now..."Final Standings as determined by a mathematical consensus of a pre-agreed-upon group of Polls" is the (seemingly) simple and straightforward manner in which this is to be determined.
Looks like we'll dodge its intentions THIS season (though the REST of our fellow SEC-members can't say the same--not that I have much sympathy for THEM, anymore than THEY did or WOULD have had for US--Didn't hear or notice any of THEM standing up when it looked like Florida, with one loss and the toughest schedule in the country, looked to be in danger of OURSELVES not getting any better than a "Capital One"-berth a couple weeks back), but we MAY just have to be ready to BAND TOGETHER AND FIGHT should this vicious little conspiracy gather traction and momentum over the next 18 months or so...As it is, I figure "off-the-record"/"unofficial" agreement will tend to keep more than TWO of our SEC-members from that "Top Four Ranked-Teams" somehow, no matter HOW dominant our Conference in the last weeks of the regular-season; We might as well accept now a likely FIGHT just to hold onto a non rule-enforced access to more-than-ONE, mark my words.

 

[Escambia94]

It's official. My prediction from a month ago was accurate. The Gators will be in New Orleans for New Year's Eve as they face Louisville. The Cardinals have former Gator coaches Charlie Strong, Vance Bedford, and Kenny Carter, as well as former Gator receiver Robert Clark and TE/LB/FB Gerald Christian.

 

[DRU2012]

Well, us-against-Oklahoma would have been the more exciting game, one that the whole country would probably have been more interested in seeing--though with their losses, I would have had my reservations about that one in terms of how deserving they were--BUT the way the Sooners got bumped out of there by the likes of Northern Illinois is just ridiculous, in my view...I mean, at a certain point even "BCS-logic" must shrink in head-shaking shame.
Though the ratings will likely suffer, with Louisville the Sugar Bowl folks themselves, and the New Orleans Chamber-of-Commerce, may end up satisfied...As for the actual game, I'd guess our biggest task now is keeping our guys properly psyched, ready to take this opponent seriously. If Charley Strong is still the coach come Game Day (he IS on the short-list for THREE different Big Time College Head Coaching jobs), and our players are foolish enough not to take THEIR Coach's warnings of and preparation for a Strong-led squad, they will find themselves in a tough match-up at the LEAST--and if they're not careful, worse than THAT. Approach it like they have their biggest games (well, all but ONE--and they can take lesson from THAT one, the last time it was on "neutral ground" AND national TV, BTW) and they will be fine. If Charley TAKES one of them, though, he would probably do well to "hand over the baton" to an "interim" or "Assistant/hopeful-replacement"...This smacks a bit too much of 2009-10 and our "last game with Tebow" Sugar Bowl, against the Cincinnati "Bear Cats": Brian Kelly had left for the Notre Dame job, and (in the aftermath to our heartbreaking "first loss in 2 seasons" to 'Bama to lose the SAC Championship AND our chance at a 2nd NATIONAL Championship) we proceeded to just blow them off the field! We had a REASON to do so that motivated us that day, and would have done so I think with or WITHOUT Kelly there, but it helped, overall, that he was not...We'd do well to find such motivation of SOME kind again: Let's see...Is a possible #2 ranking to end the year, the debate that would include us in AND, with our highly-ranked (possibly now "NUMBER ONE-ranked" ) recruiting class coming just a few weeks later all coming together to place us STRONGLY to start 2013's rankings, well, is that all too "intellectual"? No, let's face it, whether it's for one game or a whole SEASON, better to get young men angry, make them feel underrated and sneered at than try to appeal to all the "reasons they should have to win". So:
"You are as good as ANY of them, and you are going to SHOW it--STARTING NOW...You will beat the team IN FRONT OF YOU 'cause that's the one you've GOT to SHOW 'who how and WHAT' you are and can BE..."
"As our Coach has challenged and promised: Anyone, Anytime Anywhere!!!"

 

[Leakfan12]

It's official. My prediction from a month ago was accurate. The Gators will be in New Orleans for New Year's Eve as they face Louisville. The Cardinals have former Gator coaches Charlie Strong, Vance Bedford, and Kenny Carter, as well as former Gator receiver Robert Clark and TE/LB/FB Gerald Christian.

Congrats to Coach Strong and company but he's still going to get his @$$ kick hard. Remember the last time the Gators face off against the Big East champs in the Sugar Bowl?

 

[Escambia94]

The latest reports are that the line in Vegas starts at Gators - 16.5 over Louisville. Most also assume that Charlie Strong is going to coach the game even after he is offered a new job. Most experts do not see Coach Strong staying in Louisville after the Sugar Bowl. Coach Strong still keeps in contact with some of the current Gators that he recruited. Classy guy. I hope the best for him. I am sure he will be a proud coach when he sees his former team beat his current team.

 

[Escambia94]

I just posted this in the News Bot thread about the Sugar Bowl:

The Cardinals have former Gator coaches Charlie Strong, Vance Bedford, and Kenny Carter, as well as former Gator receiver Robert Clark and TE/LB/FB Gerald Christian. Coach Strong is a classy guy who recruited some of our current players, including LB Jonathan Bostic, LB Jelani Jenkins and RB Mike Gillislee. As long as the Gators contain QB Bridgewater, they should cover the 16.5 point spread. More than likely it will be Charlie Strong's last game as Louisville coach, since he is rumored to be a top choice for at least three jobs elsewhere.

Coach Strong's Gator connections go back pretty far. He earned a master's degree from Florida in 1985, was an assistant off and on since 1988, has been assistant head coach under Spurrier and Meyer, and has worked for Gator head coaches Hall, Spurrier, Zook, and Meyer.