"Ohio State might be the best team in America. Heck, Boise State might be the best team in America. It doesn’t matter. If Florida gets through a schedule against Southern Miss, UCF, at Tennessee, Kentucky (who’s going to a bowl), Alabama, LSU, at Auburn, Georgia, South Carolina, at Florida State and the SEC Championship game unbeaten, it deserves to be considered the number one team in the country. It will have earned it on the field, and not because it was put there in the preseason" From MCG: I absolutely agree "In three years, the San Francisco 49ers are going to be asking for an upgrade on its spread quarterback and want this version … It’s all cute and fun to watch Florida backup QB Tim Tebow pound over defenders like the second coming of Ron Dayne, but how happy is everyone going to be when he’s taking smack after smack next year when he’s the franchise? Right now, he’s a fantastic spark plug who’s quickly turning into the big story of the SEC season, but quarterbacks who take the shots he’s taking have a short shelf life." From MCG: I have to say I agree with this also. Tebow is a tough, tough kid...the toughest Qb I have ever seen play in person. But...I will be nervous next year every time he plows into a line like LSU's.
I doubt if Fla will have played any better teams than Texas, Iowa, Penn State and Michigan by the time the season is done....I'll give you that Fla will have played a tough schedule, but not necessarily tougher than Ohio State. And you have to no longer count FSU as a tough game, everybody including Troy is taking those guys to the woodshed for the most part. LSU is going to lose some more games, as will Alabama, Auburn and Georgia. They are all good teams but just not the great teams that they looked like on paper before the season started. Good lord Colorado almost beat Ga at home. Terry
At FSU to end the season stacks up against every team OSU plays other than Texas and Michigan. It's a tough out for UF always. It's about even compared to at Iowa. That leaves at Tenn and LSU at home to compare with at Texas and Michigan at home and maybe because of Michigan...maybe...OSU has a slight edge there but don't underestimate LSU. Otherwise, Alabama, Georgia and at Auburn are far better than anyone else on OSU's schedule....far better.....and then throw in an improving SC and Kentucky, USM and UCF for filler and you tell me how OSU's schedule compares.
Terry has a point. The same thing happened to ND last year. The schedule looked brutal to start but unraveled as the season went on. The same may happen to you this year.
It's all debateable, and I don't want to imply that UF hasn't or won't play a tough schedule, one that if they make it through undefeated will be a great accomplishment. It's just not any tougher than a tough B10 schedule. As I said you keep wanting LSU, Auburn, Georgia, Alabama to be seen as better than they really are, they aren't better than Wisconsin, Penn State and probably not much better than Purdue. So.Car, Kentucky, Vandy, Ole Miss, Miss State would be the bottom of the B10 just like they are the bottom of the SEC, they'd be the bottom of the B12 and PAC10 as well. They just aren't good teams. But come on F$U a tough game? That's just crazy talk, they are horrible this year. If it's a tough game it'll be because UF comes out flat and uninspired, not because F$U is good. Terry
"LSU, Auburn, Georgia, Alabama to be seen as better than they really are, they aren't better than Wisconsin, Penn State and probably not much better than Purdue." Terry...you must be kidding me...right? If you don't think at FSU is a competitive game compared to at Iowa.. (hmm....Iowa has lost to OSU and beaten..in 2 OTs no less...Syracuse???) They did just smoke your other tough...SEC upper echelon comparable team Purdue..hmmm) OK....put FSU back in the middle of the SEC pack with Ga and Alabama and let's try to imagine why Auburn is a 2.5 point favorite over #2 Florida. Maybe UF isn't any good I guess because Auburn is not as good as Iowa I would think in your book. Then again...UF beat Tenn for the Vols only loss and they smoked the supposed hot team to beat in the Pac 10...Cal. I will make a stand right now and predict the SEC will be no worse than 5-2 in the bowls this year and the Big Ten will be no better than 3-4.
All that said Terry I am not convinced at all that this Florida team can run the table. Their work is cut out for them all the way to the end and I am just hoping the Gators get the chance to play for the SEC title in Atlanta much less the BCS title in Tempe. An SEC East title is the most important thing the Gators can realistically hope to win right now.
If the Gators don't run the table it will be the offense that causes the problem. I think your defense is up to the challenge.
There is no way to measure the southern teams because they never leave the south. I don't take it on faith that they are automatically better than the better teams from other areas of the country.....
Ah but they do leave the south. Arkansas played USC (even though they lost) and Tenn played Cal (and they won). Vanderbilt played Michigan (Lost), Ole Miss palyed Missouri, Tennesse played Air Force (win), UGA palyed Colorado (win), Miss St. palyed West Va. (loss), LSU palyed Arizona (win) and will play Fresno St. Auburn played Wash St. (win), that's just off the top of my head and is not a complete list by any means.
Hold on now George... Maybe not all southern teams, but most everyone would agree that Tennessee travels all over to play non-conference games. :?
Frankly I don't care if we are the number one team in the BCS polls prior to the BCS Championship game. Number 2 will do just fine.
Really it doesn't make any difference wheter you are #1 or #2 as Bill says..just get into the Championship game. And Tom is right Tenn, comes north to play ND on a regular basis as well as travels to the West Coast. I think they've even made it to Syracuse. Terry
I've felt for several years that the SEC is the best top-to-middle conference. However, this year I believe that - <emphasize> so far - the Big 10's 1-2 combination (OSU/MI) is better than the SEC's (FL/TN) with TN's struggle to beat Air Force followed by a close loss to FL being the clear deciding factor. IMO the next 4 Big 10 teams (IA, WI, Penn State, Purdue) are in a dead heat with the SEC (GA, Auburn, Arkansas, LSU), with the SEC maybe holding an ever-so-slight edge. After that, it's a who-cares comparison. Time will tell with half the season left. I understand the concern shown by a team's fans for the conference opponents (cite FL vs. Auburn), which can infer that the fans think the opponent is better than it is. I attribute that to the conference mentality and the long history of bushwack jobs by seemingly lesser conference foes. We NDers have a different mentality, which is based on the knowledge that every opponent on the schedule, regardless of home conference, circles the ND encounter as one the most important games in its season.
fl has a good team this year and no matter what you say I think my vols are just as good if not better. FL shut down our running game and you guys still beat us by 1!! You can say that you have the best team in the nation but you beat us by the skin of your teeth!! I believe we need to play again and if you win you will have my full support for your national title run.
Gort, Tenn is a story this year to be sure and I wouldn't want UF to play em again...especially in Knoxville. Great comeback by UT this year. That said... in reality UF is 2-0 vs. Tenn and in my own opinion the Gators are 3-0 vs. the Vols including 2 wins in a row in K-ville. I don't feel Fla has anything to prove versus Tenn right now.
Most folks underrate Wisconsin and Iowa. But, Wisconsin pretty much woodsheded Auburn in its bowl game last year and Iowa, its last two bowl games, beat LSU and lost to Florida in a highly controversial result. The Syc. game did go two overtimes but Iowa played that game without Tate, their star quarterback. Also, those assuming that Ohio State will run the table might be in for a surprise....