I know all of the arguments for and against this match-up tonight and you know what? I don't give a ****! My team is number 2 in the country and they get to play number 1 for the National Championship. It should be a great game between two teams that are remarkably similar in scheme and talent. Roll Damn Tide!
It does seem to be a little under the radar this year......I'm not sure why.....maybe because of the start of the NFL playoffs and maybe because of the Jan 2nd New Year's bowl schedule or maybe it is the rematch factor. In any event I can't wait to watch what should be an epic battle between two excellent teams.
Yeah I don't get that why finish on Monday? It's not like all fall they didn't have to go head/head with the NFL for the Sunday finishes. That course at Kapalua really has some holes doesn't it!
If LSU wins tonight where does that put them in relationship to the other Nat'l Champions since 1970? They will have beaten the Rose Bowl Champion (Oregon ranked #3 at the time) at a Neutral Site, the Orange Bowl Champion (WVA ranked #16) at their place, and the Cotton Bowl Champion (Ark ranked #3) and Alabama (ranked #2) at Tuscaloosa. All told they have beaten 8 teams ranked in the top 25 at the time of the game. Pretty damn impressive. I'd have to say they are easily in the top 5 of Nat'l Champions since 1970. My top 5 in order of the year won: OU 74, Miami 87, ND 88, Neb 95, LSU '12
Pretty good list....and I agree LSU has been that impressive but why ND is '88? Were they that accomplished and/or polished?
It might be that during the season they beat #1 Miami, #2 USC, and #3 W. Va. as well as #9 Mich. and a tough Penn. St. team. Hell they not only won the Fiesta Bowl but beat both teams in the Rose Bowl. Oh and they year before they beat 6 teams that were conference champions. They were pretty good.
Good enough for me Gipper....pretty impressive team. What would you think of a team that did the following: Beat #3 team by 51-21 #8 by 49-10 #23 by 56-6 #24 by 45-15 # 1 by 31-20 # 1 by 24-14
It's very objective to say who are the top 10 Nat'l Champions, but most of them have resume's like that Gator team. How about a team that had already won 2 Nat'l Championships, and included 2 Heisman Trophy Winners and a 5 or 6 1st Team AA and a ton of future Pro HOF players. A team that never lost a game in the previous 3 years. That'd of course be the '49 Irish...who went on to win the NC again and were undefeated.
2008 UF beat up on some highly ranked teams and then beat two #1 teams back to back by double-digit margins and without checking I'll bet that was as strong a performance against ranked teams as any National Champions you'll find historically. The average score vs. these ranked teams was 52-11. The only reason I wouldn't fight harder to get them in your top 5 is because they flubbed their toe....lost focus one noon Saturday game in early October and lost to Ole Miss.
I don't think anybody can take away an obviously great season by the Gators. Maybe I should work on what were the bottom 5 of Nat'l Champions since 1970. I'd probably have the split championship team of Ga. Tech and Colorado '90 on that list. Probably would have that '96 Gator Squad on the list. '81 Clemson would be another.
1996 Florida beat the following: AT #2 35-29 ( Tenn w/ PM ) AT #12 56-13 #16 51-10 #11 45-30 #1 52-20 Note lost at #2 by 24-21 but then beat them 52-20 in rematch......with better refs calling late hits on the Qb... :wink: ....and that was for you Richard wherever you are.... 8) I guess you could say they belong in the bottom 5 but the results of the schedule don't say that and by the way it was the toughest rated 1996 schedule in the country based on opponents winning percentage.
Very few teams ever get to the NC game after losing their last game at HOME!! You guys never should have been in that game, but the system and weird circumstances lead to you being there, including a bad Texas team upsetting a Neb team that had been wracked with the flu the week leading up to the B12 CG. I doubt if the '96 UF squad would have beaten a healthy '96 Neb squad.
1996 Nebraska had a 0-19 loss pegged on it's slate by AzSt early that year so they had two losses. They were not the same team as they were in '95.....pretty good....but not the same. UF had a better running game in 96 than in '95.....a better defense and Weurfel in the shotgun by the SEC Title game and it's one reason they killed #1 FSU in the Sugar Bowl rematch....and the 1st FSU game was in Tallahassee and UF had a TD called back by a penalty that the refs just flat out refused to call yesterday.....offensive holding in the line.... :roll: :evil: