From CFN comes an article about the most disappointing teams to come this year and I for one am pretty surprised at the level at which us Gators must feel disappointment at: "SEC – Florida At any other school, losing (arguably) the greatest college quarterback of all-time (Mr. Tebow), a heart-and-soul defensive leader (Brandon Spikes), one of the most productive corners of the last decade (Joe Haden), the best center in college football (Maurkice Pouncey), two soon-to-be starting defensive ends (Carlos Dunlap and Jermaine Cunningham), the best tight end in country (Aaron Hernandez), and the No. 1 target (Riley Cooper) would make the idea of a rebuilding year understandable. But Florida isn’t like most programs. Because the 2010 recruiting class was jaw-dropping good, and because there are athletes to burn on both sides of the ball, the Gators should be just good enough to be around the national title hunt yet again. The backfield is unbelievable, with star recruit Mack Brown adding even more firepower to a running game loaded with talent, while John Brantley is a real, live pro passer who should add another element to an offense that relied so much on Tebow’s running and short-range accuracy. Considering Urban Meyer was able to win a national title in 2006 by throwing a slew of young players and freshmen into the mix, he’ll be expected to use some of the same magic again. Ah yes, Urban Meyer. For all the great things he has done, he has yet to go unbeaten in Gainesville and has had far more complete teams than this one. Even so, the expectations will be sky-high for another SEC East title with one brutal road game at Alabama, the LSU game at home, and nothing else to worry about the rest of the way for a team that’ll be more talented than everyone on the slate and every bit as good as the defending national champs. And that’s the problem. This really is supposed to be a season of change and adjustment (or call it reloading if you want to), but those don’t exist at Florida where it’s national title-or-bust from this point forward. Florida will be everyone’s preseason No. 3 team behind Alabama and Ohio State (or will be fourth behind those misguided enough to slip Boise State into the discussion) meaning the BCS Championship is there for the taking. Win the SEC title with an unbeaten year, or go 12-1 with the lone loss at Alabama and with a win in the conference championship rematch, and play for the whole ball of wax. It’s that simple. But will Meyer’s health go in the tank again after the first sign of adversity? He hasn’t exactly handled himself well this offseason and appears lost and rudderless whenever Tebow’s name is brought up. Will the new recruits live up to the hype after constant reminders that true freshmen win national titles at Florida? Will this year’s team be as butt-clenching tight as the 2009 version that took uncomfortable tension to a level that even a Tiger Woods press conference can’t achieve? It doesn’t matter. Florida is supposed to win the national title. Anything less is a waste of time, and no one can live up to that standard.
Fairly good analysis and I think a lot of the same things apply to Alabama, who lost a lot of starters on defense. So many things have to go your way to get to the national championship game. In that sense I kind of like Saban's attitude that if you do what you're supposed to do on the next play, then the results will take care of themselves. It should be exciting and I'm ready for the season to start.
I see similarities in Bama 2010 and Florida 2009 except I think Bama has one or two more unknowns on defense than did UF last year. It will be interesting to see how the Tide handles the pressure. The one big difference this year though is that game of "medium" fan interest ...in Tuscaloosa in early October. 8)
Have you ever been in the state of Alabama during football season?!?! These kids play on the road to get away from the pressure. The national media is, seriously, quite tame compared to what they endure locally 365 days a year.
It's funny, I just read where Jimbo Fisher said that playing an opening game against Alabama was not a priority because Florida was FSU's big game. I understand that. When FSU and Florida play (at least from FSU's standpoint) that is the game that they will have to live with for the rest of the year. The result of the Auburn game is what Alabama fans have to live with for the rest of the year....not the Florida game. Sorry MCG that's just the way it is.
KP, I do get it.....always have. Florida has several teams they play annually that will pack the stadium with Gator fans.....Tenn, Ga and FSU.....and LSU as well. Bama and Fla don't play annually and the stakes have been about as high as they can get in the last two meetings. If Bama was coming to Gainesville this year I guarantee you it would be an extremely tough ticket to get and I suspect the same will be said for the game in Tuscaloosa. And on the national scale i think the media might just have a little interest as well. I fully expect ESPN Gameday will be parked outside the stadium.....unless maybe ol Derek pulls a "Dooleyesque" stunner in Knoxville beforehand.
Yup, it will sell out, the nation will be watching, it is a key game, and many of the people of Alabama and Florida will be watching....but Auburn is playing that day also. Which game do you think the Auburn fans in Alabama will be watching? Half of the people in Alabama will be more interested in another game. When Alabama and Auburn play, almost every person in the state stops whatever they are doing to watch the game. Why? Because for the next 364 days the outcome will be talked about in some way. Not so, any other game on either team's schedule. That's all I am saying. In Florida, why wouldn't FSU be the biggest game? Is it a conference thing ? :?:
KP, I think it is more like YOU just don't get it rather than MCG. :shock: You see, you understand that a Bama vs Florida game is not the most important thing in the world to people outside of Gainesville and Tuscaloosa. MCG doesn't understand why ANYTHING connected with Florida isn't first and foremost in the minds of everyone in the world. You just don't get that do you? :wink:
Tom...if both teams live up to expectations heading into the game I'll absolutely guarantee you that ESPN Gameday will be there and it will be the most nationally hyped game of the season leading up to that Sat. That's just fact.....not my Gator bias talking. Kp....when FSU had it all together in the mid-90s it was a huge game between UF-FSU.....not only in the state of Florida but nationally as well. It's still a very big game and always will be. But more is stake for UF when a conference title is on the line against another SEC powerhouse. In the mid-90s the Tenn game was also a huge game....right on par with the FSU game with regard to fan interest.
Tom, I guess you're right, although MCG and I really sort of agree. The Alabama/Florida game is the most important game of the year to everyone...except the people of Alabama. 8)
Didn't say of the whole year Kp.....but because the game is in early October and given the likelihood of a battle of Top 5 SEC unbeatens, the 2008 and 2009 National Champions..... it's a pretty damned big game on the national scene. ....And I suspect even Auburn fans might just give it a peek.
Ask Texas and Oklahoma what game they will be watching. Ask Tennessee and Louisiana what game they will be watching. Now Washington and California will be split because Washington State travels to UCLA and Washington plays at the Coliseum. Doubt you would get any votes from ND or BC with their annual shoot out with hatred between them. I just can't buy into fans with the thought process that all eyes will be on them.
Tom, I said it "may" be the biggest game of that Saturday. Psst, don't tell anyone...I was trying to extricate myself from the thread.
KP, If and when you ever engage in the chest thumping that MCG makes his daily life, I might be tempted to throw these barbs your way. It would take about 10 years of chest thumping to get anywhere near the annoyance factor that Dave has risen to.
Listen...when a #1 ranked and defending national champion is playing a regular season game against the team that won the NC the year before....and both are unbeaten and going head to head yet again it is a big friggin game....I don't care if the two teams were TCU and BYU....which of course it is not. Yes.....Texas-OU is a big game too but each of those teams lost the NC to Florida and Bama respectively. Man....being objective and willing to acknowledge a few things about the national sports scene just escapes the both of you. How about this... If...IF both teams head into the game unbeaten......you don't have to post anything here on Skybox but do me favor and just admit to yourself when all you see on ESPN the week before the game is Tide and Gators... that ol MCG was right....there is a ton of hype for Bama-Fla 2010.
After Bama beat Florida last year, I kept thinking that this topic reminded me of something. I just couldn't put my finger on it but it just hit me. It is Spike and Chester. You know, the old cartoon. Spike (KP) is usually going about his daily routine while Chester (MCG) is always talking it up and bouncing around trying to be buddies with Spike. First minute of this video is all that applies... the rest, not so much. <object width="660" height="525"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/s0prUMtBjko&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/s0prUMtBjko&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="660" height="525"></embed></object>