I'm not too happy with this scenario: ASK CFN By Pete Fiutak Fire over your questions to me at pete@collegefootballnews.com. I might not be able to answer them all, but I promise they're all read. Any e-mails sent to this address may be published or edited unless requested otherwise. (Please put ASK CFN in the subject line, and PLEASE keep the questions short ... it makes my life easier.) Who’s this year’s Tennessee? You know, the highly ranked team that’s going to fall flat on its face? – CQ A: One team stands out as having all the makings of being this year’s mega-flop … Florida. Expected by just about everyone to win the SEC, or at least the East, and being talked about as national title contenders, the Gators 1) don’t have a running game, 2) have a shaky, shaky, offensive line, 3) have a powder keg waiting to blow if star freshman quarterback Tim Tebow is merely competent and if Chris Leak struggles at all, and 4) has a schedule that would make most teams forget about playing the season altogether. Remember, Tennessee really wasn’t that bad, and, of course, neither is Florida. Before the end of last year when the Volunteer snowball was unstoppable, Tennessee lost at Florida, to Georgia, at Alabama, in a nail-biter to South Carolina, and at Notre Dame. That’s not anything to cry about. Florida could be one of the ten best teams in America and still finish with five losses having to play at Tennessee, at Auburn, at Florida State, at home against Alabama, LSU and South Carolina, and in the World’s Largest Outdoor Gathering That Has Nothing To Do With Cocktails Or Alcohol In Any Form against Georgia.
Yeah well just about any highly rated team is a potential Tenn. The thing is that the seeds for the Tenn slide last year were the tumultous off season followed by neither Ainge or Clausen ever playing very well at QB. They played pretty damn tough defense all year, but the offense just never got out of the gate. I don't see the same seeds at the moment for the Gators, while Chris Leake maybe didn't take to the UrbanSpread like people thought he would. He's still a good college QB if Urban just doesn't make him try to be Alex Smith. Terry
I don't buy this article at all other than the fact that we have a brutal schedule. Writers want us to have a QB contraversy, it gives them something to write about. But in my opinion it does not happen. Gator Bill
I don't get a QB controversy out of "have a powder keg waiting to blow if star freshman quarterback Tim Tebow is merely competent and if Chris Leak struggles at all." If the article read, "if Leak struggles and will Meyer yank him for All-World QB Tebow" that might be sparking QB controversy. But it is a reasonable question as the talented Leak wasn't comfortable with Meyer's new system last season. And considering the schedule with No Citadels to break in a freshman QB, if Tebow as relief QB is merely a good freshman and not All-World -yet, UF is going to struggle and the fans will blow up like a powder keg with another 5 losss season. The expectation level is higher. The honeymoon's over. Fans expect significant improvement over the Zook years not more of the same results. And it's Year Two of the Urban Meyer Plan. Bowling Green, Utah, The Magic Happens in Year Two - at least the fans think so. Didn't UF graduate 4 OL starters? That should make the OLine shaky. Wasn't the running game less than Meyer required last year? I think a comparison to Tenneessee though isn't valid. The Vols always seem to have an All-World WR. I don't think they've had anyone close the past two years. They use to have a stable of RBs. Not last year. The loss of Banks the year before was severe and it was downhill since. There QBs were exposed in the ND '04 game when a not very well coached ND team with less talent beat the Vols on a fortunate INT TD off a in the grasp desperation heave that shouldn't have been thrown. QB will imrove with Cut back. Comparing UF to last year's Michigan might be more appropriate. Michigan was in every game they played. They lost a bunch of close games. Henne and Hart still aren't the players they were supposed to be. UM had some key injuries and "just" didn't get it done. UM and UF have more talent than most of their competitors.
:idea: Tennessee's offense had been sliding downhill for years. There were many indicators that the Vols were overrated at #3 and headed for a fall. I don't see anything like that on the horizon for Florida... Having two outstanding QBs is not a problem. That will all work itself out on the positive side. Of more immediate concern is the OL. That always takes a little time to come together and OL is where experience is most important. On the other hand, Meyer's option offense doesn't require a great OL to be successful, as long as the QBs are mobile...and they are. ..............JO'Co :wink:
"Comparing UF to last year's Michigan might be more appropriate. Michigan was in every game they played. They lost a bunch of close games. Henne and Hart still aren't the players they were supposed to be. UM had some key injuries and "just" didn't get it done. UM and UF have more talent than most of their competitors" This about the only scenario I could envision for a Florida fall simply because of the schedule. There is a true abundance of talent at UF and with Caldwell returning from injury and the development of Dallas Baker there may not be better WRs in the SEC. UF will definitely have a running game that is better than last year and Chris Leak is one of the best UF Qbs in history and one of the best in the country this year. He is absolutely the Man and Urban learned late in the year how to effectively use him and that will not change just because...hey...it's Urban's second year and by God his system oughta work now that it's year two. I don't think Urban got to where he is by being that stupid.