I Told You Why I Like Tennessee; Here's What's Wrong With Florida

[UTGhostHunter]

A couple days ago I posted my blog entry about Tennessee and a few people brought up Florida and why they can't be overlooked. I tried to let them know what my issues were, but I've decided to post my concerns on here in full. It's just my opinion based on my analysis of them, so take it for what it is.

Why Florida Can Win Eight Games But Won't

The Florida Gators are a program that I am not fond of. No matter when it is or who’s coaching them, I can’t stand the Gators. That said, I pride myself on my ability to separate being a fan from being an analyst. Still, I think it is only fair to state that I have a personal prejudice as it relates to the Gators. That will allow you, the reader, to decide if I’m being fair or not.

I love the Gators’ defense this season. There are future pros at every position (or there were before Ronald Powell’s ACL injury). I believe they have talented pass rushers, strong linebackers, and a secondary that can match up with most receivers if not all. They’ve recruited well on the defensive side of the football and look like they will be able to have a superior rotation of players compared to last season when they simply wore down late in games.

However, I still don’t like the Gators’ offense. There are too many questions at too many positions. You can look at any skill position on their offense and never find a name you’ve heard of. Andre Debose it the top receiver. Never heard of him; well, you probably should have by now, but he’s had more injuries than big plays. Their top running back appears to be Mike Gillislee. If you haven’t heard of him, it’s because he’s so talented that he couldn’t beat out two 175 pound scatbacks for the job. The top quarterback is…throw a dart at a board with Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel’s names attached to it and see where it lands. You’ve probably heard of these two because they struggled mightly last season get anything done when forced into action. But hey, at least the offensive line is good. That way the skilled guys will be on their feet while they don’t make plays.

Now to be fair, the spring game numbers weren’t that bad. To be honest, all that yardage came in the fourth quarter. Since the defense was split up, I have to believe that the lack of a rotation led to the defensive players wearing down due to decreased substitution and the offense took advantage in the fourth quarter to the tune of 34 of the 41 total points and 279 of the 619 yards. To put that into perspective, that is 45% of the total offensive production and 83% of the scoring all in the fourth quarter.

That all sounds pretty bad, but it isn’t quite as bad as it sounds. Yes, the defense wore down, but they were split up and subbing was probably decreased significantly. Also, there are some players from the last recruiting class who are expected to contribute immediately who hadn’t enrolled yet. On top of that, there were receivers who seemed to step up, and both quarterbacks had solid numbers for the day. All that came with a new offensive coordinator at the helm, so the numbers aren’t horrible. In fact, once put into perspective the numbers are solid and so were many of the performances. By the time the season hits week five, the offense should be running at 100%.

So why won’t Florida win eight games? I’ve given you reasons to like them, so what’s the problem? The schedule is brutal. Within the first three weeks of the season, they have road games with Texas A&M followed by a trip to Knoxville. That is nearly three thousand miles of travel in just two weeks. In fact, the trip to College Station is a round trip totaling 1,848 miles. There is a great potential for one or more losses in that time span. They also have to take on top teams like LSU, Georgia, and South Carolina. Then they wrap up the season with a road trip to Florida State. That makes it very likely that they’ll lose at least five games, maybe even six. I don’t dislike this Florida team, but they’ve got too much to contend with.

There’s my opinion; take it for what it is. If you think I’m just being hateful because I dislike the program, that’s fine. Maybe I am being vindictive without realizing it. I try to be fair (even to Alabama and South Carolina, who I hate worse), but bias is a hard thing to overcome.

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[OrangeHammer]

I wonder how many epic meltdowns we will see from Muschump during the season? Can i get an over/under?

[volroadwarrior]

A talented team like Florida is always dangerous. They recruit 4 and 5 stars right out of their back yard. It will be a tough game to win even in Neyland.

[OtterFH]

7

[Rocky_Top_Vol13]

I'll say 9...

[TDTennessee]

Originally Posted by orangehammer

i wonder how many epic meltdowns we will see from muschump during the season? Can i get an over/under?

21.5

[VolsMcGee]

Originally Posted by OrangeHammer

I wonder how many epic meltdowns we will see from Muschump during the season? Can i get an over/under?

[stevenrich2003]

His heart aint gunna be able to handle it. he will be gone by christmas.

[sittinginclass]

You earned a like from me at "Why Florida can win eight games but won't".

[bigeasy]

I stopped reading once I clicked to open the thread....can I get an overview of the dissertation?

[UTGhostHunter]

Originally Posted by bigeasy

I stopped reading once I clicked to open the thread....can I get an overview of the dissertation?

Schedule too hard, no have playmaker. Now go find a thread that only has a couple small words in it so you can read it yourself!

[JAllen18]

Is this the year we finally beat Florida? I believe it's 8 years and counting...

[d3ft punk]

Think I'll just leave this here...

[Vol Main]

Originally Posted by JAllen18

Is this the year we finally beat Florida? I believe it's 8 years and counting...

To beat the gators this year, we'll have to score more points than they do.