From SI.com's top 20 which has UF at #5... "With nine first-time starters on defense in '07, the Gators had trouble rushing the QB and defending the pass. And in the Florida offense's hour of need -- when a sore shoulder rendered Tebow a sitting duck in the pocket -- Georgia's Knowshon Moreno broke loose for 188 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the Bulldogs' 42-30 win. Eight of those nine starters return to make things right. Have teammates taken Spikes's postbowl comments to heart? Sophomore cornerback Joe Haden believes so. "We're trying to make plays now," Haden says. "Last year we were trying to not mess up." TB oughta like that Georgia game description..... :wink: 8)
Georgia is therefore ranked #1 Terry... The difference this year which is huge and is unavoidable for the Dawgs is that they play at LSU the week before the Florida game... How do you think ND would fare playing at USC the week before the game with Michigan? I would say Michigan might catch ND at a good time. On the other hand a variable difference between this year and last is Tebow's health. The Dawgs luckily caught TT at his most vulnerable condition healthwise as I have seen him play in any game. If he remains healthy for the Ga game the Dawgs will be surprised even though they know all about him.
If ND were a very good team, as Georgia is purported to be, the more appropriate question would be, how would our opponent - any opponent on the schedule - fare the week after playing us? It's a two-edged sword, the perspective on which is influenced by the color of one's glasses.
Well I expect that LSU will not want to face another top team from the SEC on Nov. 1st and Florida similarly on Nov. 8th. Sometimes it happens but ADs in the SEC usually try to avoid such tough consecutive runs. It's a physical conference and teams do get worn down physically and emotionally.
I have heard that before Stu but to deny it makes no difference when your star player is out or at 60-70% is not realistic. Especially in college where after the top 22 players there can be quite a drop off and when these kids play a demanding week in week out schedule without a break coupled with going to class that can wear on a team as opposed to teams that have cupcakes in between the occasional toughie. You think Oregon was near the same team without Dixon?
This just in <r><IMG src="http://www.kinetics.co.nz/newssite/PublishingImages/bubble_boy.jpg"><s></e></IMG><br/> <br/> Here we see the Florida Gators testing out their new equipment designed solely for teams in the SEC since only the SEC plays tough, physical football games week in and week out.</r>
highlights from the conference scheduling meetings of the Pac 10, Big 12, Big 10, ACC, Big East, et al and of course everybody but the SEC :lol:
Corey, Buckeye T: C'mon guys. This is the problem with this board right now. I agree and I think MCG would agree that football is tough no matter what conference you're in. Even you guys would have to agree that the task of playing LSU and Florida back-to-back is certainly unenviable. To make open ridicule of someone's posts in this way complete with pictures is a little on the ridiculous side.
Aquila, football is tough no matter what and playing two tough teams back to back is unenviable without question no matter what conference they're in..... Everybody has stretches on their schedule that are more difficult than others....I don't think anybody would disagree with any of that.
That's not my point. I think, in this case, MCG was just stating that his team would be at a possible advantage because the Gators get Georgia after a game at LSU. It is quite reasonable to suspect that the Dawgs might be emotionally and physically spent after a game against the defending national champions. I know Ohio State has rough stretches as well including this nice little four game stretch: at Wisconsin who I think will be a very tough team this year Purdue at home at an improved Michigan State Penn St. at home That's a rough stretch too and I understand what you're saying. I think you're reading MCG's post with an a priori mindset that he is always going to build up the SEC in an effort to tear down the other conferences. While you might be right on, in order to have intelligent discussion and conversation about relevant college football topics, it's best to give him the benefit of the doubt rather than automatically closing him off and obviously making fun of his reasoning.
Well the problem is that MCG has taken the position that the SEC is a very tough conference with tough games every week. The rest of the conferences not so much. You and Tom and Bill all take a more balenced approach, you guys don't run down the other conferences and their degree of difficulty. MCG has been known to do that. Nobody disagrees that playing LSU and UF back to back is potentially very tough stretch. It's just that other schools play tough games back/back as well.
It's football, guys...yeah, back to back tough games is a factor...just like many other factors...factors that all of us choose to ignore when they might affect other teams but keep bringing up when they affect ours... You know...tired old arguments. :wink:
Hey, Aquila, you need to look at some of these things as humorous.....sarcastic, of course.....but definitely laughable. IMO humor always is a preferable substitute for rampant emotional arguments. I think even the moderators would agree that this topic is pretty light-hearted compared to some of our more recent "discussions", a few of which got locked. MCG knows what he's saying and why. He expects to ruffle some midwestern feathers. BT's response actually was pretty funny. Whatever "problems" this board may have, I'm putting my money on the intelligence of the members (yes, even you MCG :lol: ) and our ability to toe the line......most of the time. I think we all can agree that we love it here and despite the differences among us do not want to do anything to endanger the existence of the Skybox. To quote the wise words of the immortal philosopher, Gaterzfan, Don't sweat the small stuff. :lol:
Aquila, I like your posts a lot. Seriously. That being said, with Dave you gotta look at the larger body of work. Putting a cherry on top of a pile of dog poo doesn't make it an ice cream sundae no matter how much whipped topping you throw in. He belittles everyone else. Going back years now, Florida has not been beaten since the Nebraska ass kicking in the NC game.. they LOSE those games or get cheated. There is always an excuse, always. He's just setting the table for the upcoming season. Also... we don't know how some of this stuff is going to pan out. Let's just say.. for giggles.. That for once in history Clemson is suppose to be as great as the experts say... North Carolina is an ACC front runner like many experts claim they will be under Butch Davis and ND turns itself back into a 9 or 10 win team.. all things seem possible.. I dont think any of those assumptions are that big a stretch, do you?? Well let's just say they happen... Boston College would play a stretch of Virginia Tech, @ North Carolina, Clemson, Notre Dame, @ Florida State iced off with a 2 game finish of Wake and Maryland.. two regular bowl teams as of late who have challenged or won the ACC. I'll give you some more when work slows down
Aquila, ditto what Corey says....I enjoy your presence here. I have no quarrels with you at all... As it relates to my post on this topic, I think I can draw a meaningful distinction. In my book, I challenged - with humor - the point that everybody else plays a schedule full of cupcakes without taking a shot at the SEC. I think you will agree that is vastly different than saying the SEC sucks, they are unworthy and play nobody. I'm not goring anybody's ox, nor was it my intention, just the view that everybody else plays cupcakes. Our Gator friend has a very rude annoying and incessant habit of telling everybody else that they suck.....you can challenge ideas and opinions without the need to belittle others conferences and schools. That's just common courtesy.
2 things <t>1. If Georgia goes unbeaten, they are the #1 on paper right now. That schedule is a bear.<br/> <br/> 2. Tough back to backs<br/> <br/> -UCLA plays @ Arizona State, USC.<br/> -Zona has 2 tough back to back situations but people outside the P10 won't believe it.<br/> -Arizona State plays Georgia, @ Cal, @ USC, (bye), Oregon @ Oregon State<br/> -Cal plays UCLA, Oregon, @ USC and @Oregon State<br/> -Washington plays @Oregon, BYU, Oklahoma then later Oregon State, Notre Dame, @USC, Arizona State.<br/> <br/> I could go on but you get the idea.</t>
Guys (Sid, Corey, Buckeye T), I'm well aware of MCG's tendencies. I just feel like when you guys post pictures like you did above, you encourage the very behavior you have disdain for. That's all I have to say. Take it or leave it. He tries to get a response from you by dropping a little something about the superiority of the SEC, he gets that response, and then he has reason to drop even more "SEC is awesome" posts. I think it isn't a matter of me not "getting it" or not seeing lighthearted humor. It's a matter of you falling into the very routine that encourages the reactions you love to complain about. As far as I'm concerned, as long as you keep it up, you have absolutely nothing to complain about. An example, MCG posted an article at the height of this controversy with a subject line of the Big 10 can do it again or something. No one responded to that subject that I can remember. Guess what? Nothing else was ever posted in that topic. No one took the bait. Yet when one single little sentence was seen as a reference to the SEC being the only conference where teams have tough back-to-backs, you guys took the bait and posted over-the-top responses seemingly begging for another 2 or 3 page post in which no rational argument ever gets used but the topic turns into a flame-throwing party instead. That's all I'm saying. I appreciate your concern, Sid, for my sense of humor but it's doing just fine. I'm just laying out a way to keep things civil here which is what you all claim you want but your actions say something different. As far as you, Corey, I enjoy your posts as well and I like having a die-hard Pac-10 guy to counter-balance the southern and midwest flavor to this board. That being said, you don't have to explain to me what Dave's or anyone else's intentions are. I completely understand Dave's intentions. I also believe that I understand a lot of Dave's frustration with the Big 10. You have to consider that he's an SEC guy living in the middle of Big 10 country. Dealing with the Big 10 media and Big 10 fans everyday tend to make you a little more defensive I'm sure. Hmm...who esle is in a similar situation? You are overly defensive of the Pac-10 and perhaps overly critical of the SEC largely because you get fed what you perceive as being a "pile of dog poo" on a daily basis from media and fans in the South. I understand that too. It doesn't necessarily make you rude and hard to get along with but it helps strengthen your opinions when someone is constantly telling you you're wrong when you firmly know (or at least believe) that you are right. OK, I feel like Skybox Dr. Phil and I am ending this post now before I continue to delve any deeper into anyone's subconscious.