Yeah....that's what LSU thought too until Tebow popped up and threw a 35 yard TD dagger to Louis Murphy that changed the entire tone of that game in 2006 where LSU was actually favored with Jamarcus Russell at the helm. On UF w/o Tebow....not as good to be sure but with that defense this year I think UF competes very well anyway. Hope we don't have to find out.
MCG, I'm sure Tenn didn't think the '98 Vols would be as good without Peyton Manning, but it turned out to be a magical season. It's still a team game and while loss of a star player always hurts, other guys step up. I think as long as you have Urban and continue to recruit like you have, you will win 10 games at least every year. You have to be a little bit lucky to go undefeated, that Tenn squad benefited from the inexplicably dropped ball by the Ark QB, and I'm sure other undefeated teams have had their moment as well. USC has been unable to avoid the upset for several years now, and it's really hurt them. Terry
whoa whoa whoa whoa... I'm throwing a major bullsh*t flag on that one. You can say that USC has been 'unable to avoid the upset' the past few years, but by all means... please list all of Florida's undefeated teams below. In each of their last 2 NC seasons, Florida was 'upset.' Last year they were beaten by Ole Miss and their title team 2 years ago was beaten by Auburn. Spurrier's NC team was beaten by Florida State and won the title in a rematch game with them.
Nobody said Fla has been able to avoid the upset. Most of the time we are looking at least one of the teams in the BCS champ game having 1 loss, and usually there is more than 1 team who has 1 loss. Last year was the classic, with Texas Tech, OU, Texas, UF, Penn State, Alabama, and USC all finishing with 1 loss. Yet of the 7 only 2 can go to the title game. So it becomes a cluster F&#k to determine fairly who those 2 are, it can't be done. So things like who did you lose to, did you lose early, mid, or late. We all know that losing late is bad, unless you are LSU. Losing early is best. Losing like USC and looking bad, even if it was to a good team in Oregon State is really bad. Beating the team that goes to the NC game on a neutral site solidly, well that just doesn't count if you lost to another undefeated team on the road in a miracle last second play.
How did USC lose badly? They lost 27-21 and the game came down to the onside kick that allowed Oregon State to run out the last 1:40. Oregon State ran out to a 21-0 lead and then held on for dear life. Florida fell behind early, then roared back to take a 17-7 lead, only to watch Ole Miss reel off 17 straight points..it was back and forth from there with Mr Heisman not converting a 4th down run, fumbling and making bad passes. They both had their stinker moments. I am confused, what game was played at a neutral site? Florida lost at the Swamp. You twice referred to USC as 'losing badly' when they played basically 1 awful half of football... no worse than Florida did against Ole Miss. The two teams lost the same weekend. USC lost that Thursday, Florida lost Saturday. Using your checklist: -Lose earlier: Tie -Lose pretty: Advantage Florida (since you somehow insist that USC lost badly) -Loss Location: Advantage USC (USC lost AT Oregon State and Florida lost at home) As an ND fan you surely must see through the ever evolving and never consistent 'checklist of criteria to determine who plays for the big dance. Its just hypocrisy. How do you say the 21 points USC gives up to Oregon State in the 1st half are any worse than the 17-0 run Ole Miss went on Florida in the 3rd quarter? This isn't ice dancing.
Corey....it's simple. The game you detest the most....the SEC title game was the deciding factor last year for UF getting into the BCS title game. A win over 12-0 and #1 ranked Alabama the day before the BCS decision was a guarantee for Florida....and I said as much at the time but I took a lot of flak for that guarantee and in fact shortly thereafter I was banned for week on Skybox mostly because of my strong opinion about UF and the way the BCS was playing out.
OU was beaten soundly by Texas at a neutral site....how soon you forget! BTW when I watched that game, I saw an underdog team come out and bust USC in the mouth and the Quizz and his brother make the USC defense look silly in the first half. Yeah the USC offense got going finally, but when the game was over I felt that that the team loaded with 5*'s and the best or 2nd best coach in america had been soundly outplayed by a couple of 5'6" kids from the Houston area. I thought that the Ole Miss loss by Fla was just as bad, but circumstances and the current feeling that the SEC is just head and shoulders above all the other conferences let UF play for the title. OU getting ahead of Texas even though OU was soundly beaten by Texas on a neutral field...well it was just dumb...but them's the breaks. If the Tech kid doesn't make miracle play Texas plays, if the Texas freshman safety doesn't drop a sure INT then Texas plays...dems the breaks. Every school that went 11-1 and didn't get in, has a beef of some sort. Terry
Hey Corey I have to throw a major Bulls**t flag on one of your statements and a minor flag on another. First the major, Terry is right and those USC teams were in a reload situation which Florida had not reach by 2007. Yes we lost 4 games that year but it sure wasn't Tebow's doing, it was a very weak defense that couldn't make the stops when necessary. Tebow did his job and won the Heisman that year. Major flag for putting 4 losses at his feet. As to Chris Leak being the starter in 2006, that is true but again Tebow was much more than a gimmick. He made a major difference in that team. Maybe you don't see it that way but Gator fans and Gator coaches sure do. Other than that I am glad we agree on the difficulty of comparing this generation players to prior generations.
BTW, I stipulate that I am not unbiased in this discussion. I am B12 centric, with the typical B12 region bias that beyond USC the PAC10 isn't as tough as the B12 or SEC. I could be wrong though. :wink:
I just rewatched the Texas/ou game tonight. .... I might have been a little overboard with the "soundly" defeated OU. It was a dogfight to the end. I guess my memory isn't what it used to be. :wink:
Terry, I remembered it as a very good game with Oklahoma leading early and Texas leading when it counted. I'm watching the replay of Florida vs FSU in the 97 Sugar Bowl where we won our first National Championship. Loving it again.
I can't watch that one Bill, I always felt like Neb was the best team in the country and FSU/UF rematch was not a real NC game. Stupid lame Texas team coached by even lamer John Mackovic took advantage of the Huskers team that had played a huge game the week before with Colorado and had some flu type problems for a big upset in the first B12 Championship game. But dem's the breaks! Enjoy the Sugar Bowl! :twisted:
Didn't Nebraska lose to Az. St. that season also? I think Tommie Frazier was hurt almost all of the season as well with a blood clot. In any event '96 UF was a very dominant team that just got nipped by a very tough erstwhile unbeaten FSU team in Tallahassee. Also.....one thing that Florida had going that was hugely different than the '95 Gators that were thrashed by Nebraska is the shotgun formation for Weurffel. It was very difficult for teams like Alabama in the 1996 SEC title game to tee off on the Fla QB as Nebraska did in the '95 NC game.
I think the Huskers were just bummed to not get the shot at the NC that they deserved and didn't show up for the Bowl game. I have no doubt that if SOS lined Weurfel up in that formation again the Neb DCoord would have eaten him up just like he did in '95. Neb was a bad match for UF. But like a lot of Nat'l Champs there's always somebody who thinks (like me) that the best team didn't get a shot. Terry
The 1996 Crimson Tide defense gave up only 11 ppg for the season but allowed 45 to a UF team that featured Danny Weuffel in a shotgun formation that frustrated their fierce pass rush. Spurrier was stubborn.....but not stupid. He learned a lot from that ass whuppin in the Fiesta Bowl.
The SEC then was a far cry from what it is today. I watched the '83 Sugar Bowl, #1 Georgia vs #2 Penn State. Frank Broyles was doing the commentary and actually said...these Georgia boys just can't match the speed of the Penn State offense. Just the opposite of what you'd say today. The mid 90'sCrimson Tide might have been a good SEC team and all, but that Black Shirt defense would have eaten up the UF version of the spread....again. Of that I have no doubt.
Nebraska lost their two games that season by a combines score of 56-27. UF lost on the road by a slim 7 points and had a shaky call of holding keep them from the tying TD over #2 ranked...unbeaten FSU. UF had the top ranked schedule that year. I contend the shotgun would have made a huge difference for UF and Nebraska '96 was not the same team as Nebraska '95 while UF was an improved team over '95. All opinions but that's mine.