From MCG.... A few items of note in this article from Gatorsports online: - The Swamp remains the top site in the nation for Gameday - Florida vs. Miami still draws some interest as a rivalry - Recruiting is the chief reason as I suspected that UF doesn't add a top team from outside the region in the non-con schedule. I think the UF coaching and admin. staff realize that there is more to lose in S. Fla recruiting by never playing Miami than there is to gain by adding another game with a PAC 10 team for example.
This game would rate as a giant, polished turd but the names make it an interesting match-up.. Well, that and the fact that Miami has beaten Florida in every meeting since 1985 I think. a 5-7 team with a 2-6 record in the much maligned ACC, vs a team that went 9-4 with a 5-3 conference record indicates to me that this game stinks to high heaven of ESPN hype this year. This series was fun when Hall of Fame, cape wearing, super-coach Steve Spurrier would roll into town with the media machine behind him only to be de-pants by (insert random coach of the week on his way to the NFL here) led Miami teams. As of now, its got a long way to go. If Meyer is really saying those things.... he better check his head.. losing this game could be catastrophic in terms of recruiting as it would give Shannon exactly what he needs to show south florida recruits that....even when the U is down.. they still own Florida. This strikes me as a 'shut up and win' kinda game.
Corey, the Gators only played Miami once while Spurrier was our coach, in his next to last season as our coach in the Sugar Bowl. That was the year a lot of people thought Miami should have been in the Championship game. The game was pretty competitive until Miami pulled away in the 4th quarter, 37-20 or something like that. Miami won it all the next year. Since then they have beaten us three times, all during the Zook years. He did not coach the bowl game where they beat us because he was already the Illinois coach by then.
Thanks for setting such an askew record straight Bill. Speaking of illegitimate hype that stinks... Anyway....Miami had pretty damned good teams in 5 of those last 6 wins and not a bad one when they played a coachless Florida in the 2004 Peach Bowl. This is Meyer's first crack at the U.... UF is favored by 21 points..... Gators should win but I would be very tempted to take the points.
I'm with George on this one. The term "Trap game" comes to mind here. I just hope that tonight's game is not a trap game for Tennessee.
I'm rooting for you Tom. Tennessee has always been a favorite of mine. At the age of 54 I have finally gotten over the fact that they never offered me, a hard hitting LB and finesse blocking center, a scholarship. At 5'10 and 178 lbs. i thought I brought a lot to the table. I always loved their unis. :wink:
forgive me.. I do seem to remember that Florida team led by SOS in the Sugar bowl was suppose to set the record straight. They were the SEC champions and entered the game with a 10-2 record. You guys weren't little sisters of the poor. Speaking of straight records, just to be clear, Florida hasn't beaten Miami since 1985 right? You've lost 6 straight. 4 of those 6 losses have come since 2001 so we're not talking ancient history. In the past 30 years, Miami is 11-3 against Florida. Lord knows I'm not taking sides in this one, but at some point in time, you gotta shut up and beat them. I find Urban's words to be a bit.... premature give the situation. I'm not throwing stones here either. I love Chuckles 'swagger' but at the same time...shut up till you beat somebody. Like Tom and George, I fear you may be walking into a trap.. I think you guys clearly have the better team here. If Miami beats you, Shannon will throw up a stone wall around Florida and he can market 'the U' as the premier team in Florida.. More than anything, my girlfriend's cousin played at the "U" in their hey day...and my fishing/hunting holidays with him will become intolerable if you guys eff this up and lose to them. We're all counting on you.
Now I know what Big and Rich are referring to in the middle of their NCAA football intro song when they yell out......"NOTRE DAME!!" On the U.....In the 13 years from '75 thru '87 when the two schools played annually the series was 6-7 in favor of Miami. Only in this decade has Miami dominated the series and Spurrier coached in one, Zook in two and a fill in Strong with no offensive coordinator on hand in the last one. If The U beats Florida under the present circumstances I will begin to agree they are enjoying an upper hand but if not it's say goodbye to that line of thinking.
You can hide behind the 'only in this decade' thing but since 1978 (the last 30 years): Florida vs Miami Date:Winner:Score 12-02-1978:Miami:22-21 12-01-1979:Miami:30-24 11-29-1980:Miami:31-7 09-05-1981:Miami:21-20 09-04-1982:Florida:17-14 09-03-1983:Florida:28-3 09-01-1984:Miami:32-20 09-07-1985:Florida:35-23 09-06-1986:Miami:23-15 09-05-1987:Miami:31-4 01-02-2001Miami:37-20 09-07-2002:Miami:41-16 09-06-2003:Miami:38-33 12-31-2004:Miami:27-10 Hell, Notre Dame leads Southern Cal 42-32-5 but we've lost 6 straight to them..despite being 15-3-1 against them prior to that... but the fact remains, they've owned our arse for a while.. So we just have to shut up till we get it done on the field.. to each their own though.
So the three straight UF won from '75 thru "77 means nothing but the two wins for UM in '78 and '79 do? Hogwash. I say none of that means crap to what will happen on Saturday night. Florida is where it is and Miami is where it is and games 20-30 years ago have no bearing whatsoever on the outcome of this one.
Dave, I happen to agree with you. They won't matter one hill of beans on Saturday. Where they will matter is Sunday and every day thereafter on the recruiting trail if Florida doesn't win. And did I mention screwing up my (drinking) hunting/fishing trips with a Cane? Seriously. Don't mess this up.
The all time series is 25-28 in favor of Miami. If Florida wins Miami can point out how they are ahead all time but Florida can say how much farther ahead UF is today as a program. Miami wins they can say they are pulling ahead or at least on par with Meyer's current program. I would say you're right in that there are some significant stakes with regard to S. Fla recruiting and as I said that along with the annual rivalry with FSU is why UF is relegated to no home and homes with other non-con BCS schools. If the NCAA lays waste to FSU then this game with da U could solidify Meyer's recruiting base in Florida for a long time to come.
You don't even see the flaw in that logic do you? Only by winning can Miami hope to claim they are pulling ahead or at least on par with Florida? They lead all-time. They have owned the last 6. They have owned the last 30 years. They have 5 national championships to your 2. Its the most frustrating thing about talking football with you. You refuse to admit that someone might be better or that anything might possibly be superior to your Gators.. and when finally, on-field results show your myth is busted... you immediately make excuses as to why this anomaly took place, and lay down a time marker... and from that moment on, Gator supremacy has been restored and on-field results no longer matter. Jesus H. Christ some of you Gators make it tough to root against Miami.
On a slightly different sub-topic, I see where Meyer has put a muzzle on one of his players who was trash talking publicly about Miami, saying something like Florida is the real "U". He (Meyer) said assertively that his players will not talk like that. Good for him.
Corey, you love to post facts and figures. Other than one game in the Sugar Bowl in 2001, please explain to me just when the above happened? That is of course you are basing your trashing of Spurrier on just one game.
Corey....I said "on par" with Meyer's current program....which is not to be confused with Ron Zook's program a few years ago. I think there is a difference and I suspect you do too.
I usually try to stay out of most of the conversations between MCG and other fans because I do understand he brings a lot on himself. But your on field stats proving your point? First see my post above about another one of your points concerning Spurrier which was not accurate. Second I could care less if you root for Miami but let's be clear about one thing, your scores posted hardly prove Miami is the better program right now because they have a winning record against Florida. If you really believe that then I guess you should be willing to make a straight up bet on the game with no points? You might also look at your stats to see when the two teams played and did not play. Miami was exceptionally strong in the middle and late 80's when we played them and in the early 2000's when we played them 4 games. But we were not playing during the middle 90's when the Gators were the strongest and Miami was down. But yes they have a winning record against the Gators. So does the University of Chicago have a winning record against the Gators, so by your logic they are also better. So since Miami is so superior to us do you want that straight up bet?