BCS Busters Look Impressive

Will the real contenders please stand up?

The mighty Gators, and perhaps more importantly Jean Shorts Jesus, continue to look positively pedestrian.  The only game in which Florida has looked good against a real team was their 41-7 win over Kentucky.  Really.  Look at their schedule.  23-13 over Tennessee when the Volunteers weren't really trying to win.  13-3 over LSU.  While the headlines may have been about Tebow's magical comeback from the concussion, it was once again Florida's defense that won them the game.  We all know about the Arkansas game, and last night against the Bizzaro Bulldogs, they continued to struggle on offense.  While the statline shows Jean Shorts Jesus scored just 1 TD, he accounted for 3.  Don't worry though Gators, you're facing a defense that gave up this:

Image from Hey Jenny Slater

Alabama, a team that many think should be ranked number 1, hasn't looked good of late either.  If it weren't for a couple of blocked kicks courtesy of Mt. Cody, the Tide would have rolled right out of the top 10.

Texas is the only one of the big boys that looks like they want to play for the BCS Championship.  They destroyed Missouri, 41-7.

On the other hand, it was the smaller guys that played liked they wanted a chance at a BCS title.  Cincinnati, continues to look great, even with a backup quarterback.  They beat Louisville, 41-10.  Earlier in the year, they went out west and beat Oregon State, a team that nearly knocked of USC, in Los Angeles.  It remains to be seen if the Bearcats will get any love from the pollsters-human or computer.

TCU now has two impressive road wins after going to Provo, Utah and beating BYU 38-7.  They also traveled across the country earlier in the year and beat the bi-polar Clemson Tigers.  They've scored 30 or more points in 5 of their 7 games, while opponents are averaging just under 13 points against the Horned Frogs.  They may not be the media darlings that Boise State is, but to paraphrase Les Miles, that TCU team is a damned good football team, and they deserve serious consideration.

Other teams flying under the radar:  Oregon, Georgia Tech, Pitt.

Mythbusters: BCS Edition

Myth #377 about the BCS:  It makes the regular season better.

Reality:  The BCS gives the impression that every game in the season means something.  While this may or may not be true, schools perceive this to be true, and schedule accordingly.

In 1981, you know way back before the BCS existed, there were 16 non-conference games played between ranked teams.  In 1982 there were 18.  In 1983 there were 12.  In 1984, that number was back up to 18.  In 2008, there were 5.  That's right, just 5.  The BCS has taken away somewhere between 7 and 13 great games per year.  The big boys (like Florida and Texas) have absolutely no reason to schedule other big programs.  Instead, they end up with games against Charleston Southern or Louisiana-Monroe.

The BCS has created a system where it's more important to win against a patsy that to play a compelling matchup.  Wouldn't it be nice if we had a system that instead of rewarding the scheduling of a cupcake, rewarded Texas playing Auburn or Florida playing USC.  How many would like to see Oklahoma play Michigan instead of Central Michigan?

-Dex

Change We Can ALL Believe In

Well, it's happened.  There's a political action committee we can all get behind.  The PlayoffPAC will help to elect pro reform (that is, pro playoff) candidates.

The BCS sucks.  You know it.  I know it.  The whole word knows it.

Give early, give often; it's your duty as a college football fan.

Conspiracy Theorists Unite?

Ok,

So I like to think that I'm the kind of person who not just loves the Georgia Bulldogs but college football as a whole.  Nothing matches the pageantry, tradition, passion, meaningful games.....

Over the last few weeks frustrations have mounted as not only have the Dawgs been less than spectacular but a much deeper and more troubling thought has crept into my mind.

Flashback:  LSU/UGA '09 playing in a barnburner.  UGA gets a TD to get lead and the ridiculous flag comes out.  You can say what you want but I am going to say there's a 10% chance LSU wins this game without the flag.  The kickoff strategy changes.  Even if LSU gets the ball after the same long kickoff they are at their own 45.  Starting at the 45, they don't run the ball and they don't pass all that well either so the game is much different.  However that's not the point.  The point is that LSU/FL was the next weekend, and if LSU loses, college football loses a huge spotlight game.

With that thought in mind, I turn to Saturday night.  I watch Arkansas go ahead with 6 minutes or so to go.  Florida is driving, which is expected, but as they get closer to the red zone Arkansas' defense stiffens. 
First, an AWFUL pass interference call where the ref was looking right at the guys.  The defender never even touches the freeking guy.  Right after that there is this WRETCHED personal foul call where the DL from Ark was being charged by the OL from UF and he gets flagged for defending himself!!! 

Florida of course goes on to score.  Technically you can't blame the refs right?  The defense still has a chance to stop them, they missed a field goal, bla bla bla.  Look, I get the argument but it's a lousy one.  Each play hugely impacts the game down the stretch so a free 30 yards is completely unacceptable and a major, major gamechanger.   

So looking down the road....UF and Bama #1, #2 in the SEC championship?  Talk about some serious dollars at stake.  What if UF loses against Arkansas and then someone else and say South Carolina goes to the SECC?  MILLIONS of dollars are lost on that one.

Am I just a pissed off Dawg fan this year?  Perhaps.  But this horrid officiating on "judgment" calls has got to stop.  There has to be some serious accountability for this nonsense.   Otherwise more and more people are going to hop on the conspiracy bandwagon and it takes decades to overcome that.

-Docta D


Oh, and it would be really nice to see Senior Tebow get a flag for acting like a little punk after something good happens.  The rest of the players have to deal with it... quit giving special treatment to the kid because he cuts off foreskins of Filipinos!

Should Sylvester Croom be Georgia's Next Defensive Coordinator?

Over at Dawg Sports, there is a movement afoot to bring Sylvester Croom back to the SEC as Georgia's new defensive coordinator.

First, it should be noted that the Georgia Bulldogs do not have a current opening for defensive coordinator.  However, if we look at the last 12 games (a season's worth), UGA opponents have scored 30 or more points 7 times.  In that same time, Vanderbilt has only given up 30+ points once.  I'm not any sort of job security expert, but it seems likely that the Dawgs will have an opening for defensive coordinator sometime between now and January.

Croom is an interesting choice.  He has experience in the SEC, having been a position coach at Alabama for 11 years, as well as his 5 year stint with the Bizzaro Bulldogs.  His tenure at Mississippi State was a mixed bag, having won SEC coach of the year in 2007 after going 8-5, but was 13-33 in his other four seasons in Starkville.  By many accounts, including this one, Croom is a great guy.  He would probably fit right in with Mark Richt's staff.  While he didn't seem to be an all-star recruiter at Mississippi State, he was after all at Mississippi State.  The Georgia Bulldogs have lots of advantages not enjoyed by the Bizzaro Bulldogs: lots of money, lots of home grown talent, and a history of winning.  Besides, Georgia's problem isn't recruiting.

Here's the biggest problem with hiring Croom as the next defensive coordinator at the University of Georgia: he hasn't coached defense since 1986.  By next year, there won't be a single defensive player at Georgia that was even alive the last time Croom coached defense.  That's not to say that Sylvester Croom wouldn't be a great defensive coordinator.  He is however, a bit of an unknown commodity as a defensive coordinator.

Croom has great intangibles and would bring a lot of excitement to the Georgia Bulldog's football program.  However, his appointment to the defensive coordinator position should be conditioned on his affirmative responses to the following questions:  Are you willing to make changes when what you are currently doing stops working?  Can you adapt your defensive scheme to changes in the opposing team's offensive schemes?  Will you blitz, at least occasionally in 3rd and long situations?  Will you commit to turning the defensive players into mean, hard hitting dudes, like this:


Notice the blitz, too.

-Dex

The Times, They Should be a Changin'

When the season started, some Dawg fans thought that Joe Cox could pull a D.J. Shockley and lead Georgia to the SEC Championship game.  While Joe Cox has had his moments this season, the Georgia Bulldogs are not going to play for the SEC title this year.  To be clear, Joe Cox and the play of the offense is only part of the problem with UGA this season.

Although the defense had some good games against LSU and Arizona State, they have otherwise looked pretty bad.  The Dawgs are giving up 377 yards per game, and nearly 31 points per game.  This Georgia Bulldog squad is giving up about the same number of points as such storied sorry programs as Louisiana-Lafayette, Bowling Green, and San Jose State.  Under Mark Richt, this is not the company the Dawgs are used to keeping.

When you make 3 SEC title game appearances in your first 5 years, expectations go up.  The comparisons to the Ray Goff and Jim Donnan eras are irrelevant.  Do you think that if the Texas Longhorns start the year 3-3, Texas fans would say, "well, at least this isn't the John Mackovic era."  Of course they wouldn't.  Since Mark Richt arrived at Georgia, only 5 teams have a better win percentage.  Richt and his coaching staff has had a top 10 recruiting class every year since he has been in Athens.  This is why a 45-19 loss to a Tennessee team not quaterbacked by Peyton Manning is so shocking, and so frustrating.  Dawg fans simply aren't used to seeing a Mark Richt coached Georgia Bulldog team look so bad.

Mark Richt will have to take a long, hard look at his coaching staff.  Being a head coach means making the tough decisions.  That's going to include firing coaches that you care about.  Willie Martinez may be a nice guy, but his defense is simply not getting the job done.  The players clearly have talent, but they are often out of place, which is a coaching problem. 

For me, the play that epitomized the Willie Martinez defensive play calling came early in the first quarter against Tennessee.  The Volunteers had the ball, 3rd and 9 at their own 30.  Instead of putting pressure on a quarterback that has looked completely lost this season, Martinez decides to rush only 4.  With what seemed like a good hour's worth of protection (it was probably closer to 4 or 5 seconds), Crompton was able to find an open Luke Stocker for a 26 yard completion.  3rd and 9 against a below average quarterback should be an automatic blitz situation.  Somehow, Willie Martinez has not figured this out.

It's time for accountability.  A team that has been as good as the Georgia Bulldogs have been over the past 8 years, a team that is as talented as the Dawgs are simply should not lose 45-19 to anybody, let alone a team that is in rebuilding mode.

-Dex

Upset Alert, Week 6

Last week I said that there would be few upsets, and that turned out to be right.  The exception was Oklahoma, going down to Miami.  This week doesn't present many upset opportunities either, but these are the three that I think we should keep an eye on:

1. #12 Iowa (vs. Michigan).

Michigan has had some pretty inconsistent play from their defense (sound familiar Dawg fans?).  The Wolverine offense on the other hand has been nearly unstoppable under the leadership of freshman quarterback Tate Forcier, averaging about 34 points per game.  Iowa looked great against Penn State, but has barely escaped against I-AA Northern Iowa and Arkansas State, a team that isn't very good even by Sun Belt standards.  This game is being played in prime time, and Forcier is looking to make up for throwing an INT in overtime against Sparty.  Michigan's defense will keep Iowa in the game, but look for Forcier to make a play late.

2. #1 Florida (at #4 LSU).

Is there a more exciting and fun place to be on Saturday night than LSU's Death Valley?  It's a night game; the fans in attendance will have spent all day consuming various brands of bourbon, and oh yeah, it's a match up of two top 5 teams.  Even if you don't believe LSU is really a top 5 team, you know they're going to be pumped up to play this game.  Last week ESPN showed a statistic that LSU has won something like 23 straight night games.  Even if Jean Shorts Jesus rises from the figurative ashes, is he really going to be able to pound the ball the way he normally does?  Also, I make no secret of my dislike for Florida, so while Drew may prefer an LSU blood letting, I prefer a Florida blood bath. 

3. #3 Alabama (at #20 Ole Miss).

Alabama has looked great this year.  They haven't just been beating people, but beating them down.  The quarterback and offensive line were supposed to be question marks this year, but both may be better than last year.  McElroy could start to get some Heisman consideration with a big time performance in this game.  I list this game not because I'm especially convinced that Alabama is going to be in danger of the upset, but what fun is picking Kentucky to beat South Carolina?  Besides, isn't this the spot where everyone says Houston Nutt is at his best?  After forgetting to show up against South Carolina, the Rebels have been more or less forgotten about nationally.  Ole Miss has the talent to play with Alabama, but they're going to have to play their best game of the year if they want a shot at knocking off the Tide.


-Dex

Tebow Uses Powers to Smite

It's unclear if Tim Tebow used his God-like powers to exact retribution, or if Corch Meyers ordered a hit, but Florida left tackle Matt Patchan is now out for the season. 

Patchan, the backup left tackle, was playing and missed the block on Kentucky defensive end Taylor Wyndham who delivered the hit on Tebow.

I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'.


-Dex

Week 5 Most Surprising Results

1. Almost Everyone Agrees that the Excessive Celebration Penalty was Excessive 

Everyone from Mike and Mike in the Morning to Mr. College Football to Douche McDoucherson himself has spoken out against the awful call on AJ Green at the end of the Georgia/LSU game. Tim Brando went on one of his tirades and basically said that SEC refs are racists and that they only throw excess celebration flags against black players. Shockingly, even the SEC issued a statement saying that they screwed up. I don't remember many instances where the league has issued a statement at all regarding a call in the game, let alone an admission that they got it wrong. It's kind of nice and refreshing to see people come to UGA's defense on this one - the last time we got this much national media attention was when people were railing us for what indeed actually counted as "excessive celebration ."

Ironically, the only person who is being a Negative Nancy about the call is Vince Dooley, who went out of his way to defend the existence of the rule instead of agreeing with everyone that, yeah, it was a bullshit call.

On Sunday I was concerned about the long-term ramifications that the incident might have. Our 2009 team is so young and prone to mood swings that, much like 2007, we need to maintain the passion and intensity level as much as possible. Would there be a negative effect on our guys' effort if they knew that after an amazing play they had to walk on eggshells? Who is able to turn off their motor that quickly? It's just not human. But after this firestorm I think the SEC has no choice but to calm the f*** down on calling these things. Because this is a conversation that Tim Brando does NOT want to have, but damnit he will if he has to!


2. Check Out the Teams at the Top of the ACC Standings 

Oh, Maryland and Virginia, you crazy ACC teams you. You spend the month of September competing for "worst BCS team outside of Washington State" but then somehow after last week you're both undefeated in conference play.  And Maryland, explain to me how you're actually leading the ACC Atlantic, aka the most ridiculously wide open division in all of college football. It makes about as much sense as that guy who thought he could get away with blackmailing Letterman. Really, 2 million doesn't even seem like it's worth the trouble and the certainty that you'll go to jail. Letterman makes like 30 million a YEAR, you would think if the guy was gonna go through with this idiotic scheme he would have at least asked for a Dr. Evil over-the-top type figure.

3. Florida State fans in Meltdown Mode

So after listening to Florida State fans complain on talk radio for two straight days about the assistant coaches that Bobby Bowden has hired this decade, I can certainly empathize with them ( cough John Fabris cough). But I still think that Bobby and Joe Pa have earned the right to go out on their own terms.

Every power program has gone through some lean years...Michigan, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Tennessee, and even Miami have all had worse seasons and reached lower depths than Florida State in this decade!  Alabama was like a yo-yo before Nick Saban got there, and in 2007 they actually did lose to a Jacksonville State type school, whereas Florida State just flirted with it this year. USC, Oklahoma, and Texas were kind of irrelevant for most of the 90s. And from 2000-2004 while Bobby was winning 3 ACC titles,  Joe Pa and Penn State were suffering through 4 losing seasons.

Just because other teams imploded is it OK for yours to suck? Of course not. But it's unrealistic for Florida State to sustain the level of dominance that they achieved for 14 years ( in other words, as dominant as Pete Carroll has been this decade he's only halfway there). Florida State won the ACC as recently as 2005 and they probably still have a shot at it this year ( see #2 above). Bobby Bowden is the third greatest college football coach of all time. If you don't think he's quite able to guide Florida State back from the abyss like Joe Paterno did at Penn State earlier this decade, he's at least earned the right to try.

If I'm an FSU fan, the biggest problem I have is not with Bowden but with coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher. What has this guy done to inspire confidence, when all of FSU's glory years were before he got there? Since Jimbo Fisher arrived in 2007, Florida State has been an anemic 80th and a mediocre 54th in total offense. That sounds even worse when you consider that Jimbo Fisher is FSU's offensive coordinator. Obviously the coach-in-waiting thing is not working out, and I think that situation is to blame for all the turmoil and unrest. If FSU was free to go pursue Cincinnati's Brian Kelly or whoever the hot commodity is whenever Bobby retires, I doubt that FSU fans would be as concerned or alarmed as they are now.

4. Oklahoma is the first "Double Elimination" team to be Eliminated 

As my colleague Dexter so astutely pointed out, there are certain teams in college football, like Boise State and Cincinnati, that can't afford to lose a single game if they want to play for the national title. Other teams like Ohio State can possibly afford one slip-up and yet still reach the title game. However, there are three "double elimination" teams that one cannot rule out of the national championship game until they have 2 losses: Florida, Oklahoma, and Texas. This rule could potentially work for any SEC or Big 12 Champion, but it's hard to imagine voters giving Kansas, Missouri, or Ole Miss the benefit of the doubt like they do the Big 3.

So with their 2nd loss this past weekend, we bid adieu to the Sooners' title chances. It's probably the earliest this decade that they've been removed from the discussion. Oklahoma has played in the national championship game 4 times this decade, more than any other team.

Of course if the "fit hits the shan", as it does in Toby Keith's new song, and every other team has at least two losses, then Oklahoma will of course be the first two-loss team to be considered. It's pretty sickening.

# 5 -  There were only 4 Surprising Things this Week

I've scoured over the results from this past weekend and I can't find a damn thing to write about for #5. Dex you got anything?

-Drew

A Dawg Fan's Perspective on the Florida-LSU Game

As Georgia fans, who should we hope loses the Florida/LSU game. I know that sounds like a trick question because of course normally I think we all want Florida to go 0-12.  In '02, '03, and '05 we were good enough and Florida was bad enough that we still won the SEC East despite losing to the Gators.

But there's no way that's possible this year. There's no outcome in this game that changes the fact that we still have to beat Florida. Florida could beat LSU by 50 or lose to LSU by 50 and it just wouldn't matter; the Cocktail Party would still decide everything.

Some concerns if LSU wins:

1. Tebow gives some bullshit speech like he did last year after the Ole Miss game. The last thing I want is for another plaque to go up inside their stadium.  Tebow copied Varsity Blues in his BCS halftime speech and I don't even want to find out what he would copy this time.

2. How many games are the Gators gonna lose? Is there anyway they lose two games? If they only have one loss in them, then it has to come against us. The worst case scenario would be if last year's script repeats itself where Tebow rallies the troops after a loss and they go on a tear.

3. How amazing and epic would it be to knock off Tebow, Curch Meyers, and the #1 Gators ourselves? It would still be sweet to beat the #8 ranked Gators or whatever, but see 1 and 2, above. Would that be less likely to happen?

4. I know I shouldn't let this get in the way for my hatred of Florida, but I seriously hate LSU right now. I want them humbled. I want a team to "not turn their back" on LSU the entire game so that they do get blasted by 100 points. I want smug, goofy-ass Les Miles fired before Richt, and I say that not as a slam to Richt but in hopes that he really can turn things around.
The only advantage I see if LSU does beat Florida is that it would allow us to slip up against Auburn and still go to the Dome. But again it doesn't change the fact that we still have to beat Florida...and I want whatever outcome in the LSU/Florida game is gonna help make sure that happens.

What do you guys think? How does the concussion play into all this? Is Urban more likely to play a not-fully-recovered Tebow since LSU did beat us and now the spotlight is a little brighter? Does the outcome on this game have any bearing on what happens on Halloween? Who do you hope loses??? This is almost like a Florida/Ohio State or Florida/Oklahoma game for me, I will get no pleasure at all out of the outcome.
 
-Drew

Upset Alert-Week 5

While last week saw a flurry of upsets from Columbia, South Carolina where Ole Miss couldn't beat the Cocks, to Eugene, Oregon where the Cal Bears got absolutely embarrassed.  This week presents fewer upset opportunities.  While teams in the top 10 may lose, some may not really be an upset.  LSU for example is ranked number 4, but is a 3.5 point underdog to the #18 Dawgs.  So, while I don't think there will be any big time upsets this week, these are the leading candidates:

1. #8 Oklahoma (at #17 Miami).

The Sooners are a 7.5 point favorite, probably due to Miami's poor performance last week in the rain at Virginia Tech.  However, the Canes find themselves at home this week, and the forecast is free of any precipitation.  The U also catches a bit of a break with Sam Bradford's absence.  While Landry Jones may be a fine QB, he remains unproven.  Sorry, but Idaho State and Tulsa don't count.  Jacory Harris has looked pretty good thus far for Miami, and he'll have to have another great game if his team is going to pull the upset.

2. #9 Ohio State (at Indiana).

Indiana played Michigan tough in Ann Arbor last week, and the Hoosiers will have to have another strong performance if they want to hang with the Buckeyes.  Being at home, Indiana is in more friendly confines this week, but it will be interesting to see how they respond after coming this close last week.  While Terrelle Pryor will be the most talented guy on the field Saturday, that doesn't mean he'll play like it.  Pryor continues to be inconsistent, living up to the hype at times, and falling flat at times.  If the good version of Terrelle Pryor show up, Indiana probably will not win.  However, if the Hoosiers can keep Pryor under wraps, they have the offense to pull off the upset.  By the way, OSU is an 18 point favorite.

3. #7 USC (at #24 Cal).

Okay, so after last week there is really no reason to believe that Cal is capable of beating a Pop Warner squad, let alone the defending (for 7 years now) Pac-10 champion Trojans.  Almost no reason.  First, Cal is at home, and most teams play better at home.  Second, Cal is still a really talented team, with perhaps the best RB in the country in Jahvid Best.  Finally, USC has been less than impressive so far this year, whether their QB is Aaron Corp or Matt Barkley.  They are averaging only 28 points per game, along with the likes of FSU and LSU, two teams thought to have bad offenses.  If the Trojans continue their offensive struggles, don't be surprised if Cal pulls the stunner.

-Dex

Notre Dame May Not Sell Out Home Game?

From the files of "headlines you thought you'd never see," it seems that the Golden Domers still haven't sold out this Saturday's game against the upstart Huskies from Washington. 

Fear not though, it seems that the lack of a sellout is the result of U-dub returning some of their ticket allotment, not a lack of interest from Fighting Irish fans.

Dawgs Can Re-Define Season Against LSU

For Georgia, there were a lot of unknowns coming into this season.  Would Joe Cox be an adequate replacement for Matt Stafford?  Would the King-Samuel-Thomas RB triumvirate be able to match Knowshon's production?  Could the defense get off the field?  Would the penalties and turnovers stop (or at least slow down)?

Many in the Bulldog Nation thought that the opening game against Oklahoma State would go a long way in answering those questions and defining this year's team.  As we all know, the Dawgs ended up losing 24-10.  Georgia turned the ball over 3 times, with 2 of those leading to 10 of Oklahoma State's 24 points.  The final turnover, a Joe Cox interception, would be the final time UGA would touch the ball.

The game was marked by inconsistency for the Dawgs.  Offensively, the first drive looked great.  The offense marched the ball right down the field, with Richard Samuel seemingly picking up where Knowshon left off.  The next 4 possessions resulted in punts, including one 3 and out.  The two fumbles came when Thomas (the first fumble) and Cox (the second) failed to protect the ball, despite the obvious imminent contact.  The interception was a forced throw that didn't need to be made.

The defense was likewise inconsistent.  While going into the game, it was the Cowboy passing attack that everyone was talking about, it turned out to be the run game that hurt the Bulldogs the most.  Oklahoma State managed only 135 yards through the air, but gained 172 yards on the ground.  While Georgia limited Dez Bryant to just 3 catches on the day, 2 of those were for touchdowns, and the defensive backfield looked completely lost on the first of Bryant's TD catches.

The rest of Georgia's season has largely mirrored that first game against Oklahoma State.  The offense looked unstoppable at times against South Carolina, and especially Arkansas.  Yet, that unstoppable offense has continued to turn the ball over and put the defense in bad positions (Georgia currently ranks 95th in the country in scoring defense, surrendering nearly 30 points per game).  That same offense managed only 20 points against a middle of the pack Pac-10 team.  Fortunately for Georgia, the defense played very well against the Sun Devils.  7 of Arizona State's 17 came courtesy of a Joe Cox pick 6, and the other Sun Devil touchdown came on a 37 yard drive that followed a Caleb King fumble.

To this point, the Georgia season has been defined by its inconsistency.  However, the Dawgs have a great opportunity to redefine who they are as a team on Saturday against LSU.  The offense and defense have played well this year, just not in the same game.  The key for UGA will be to have both sides of the ball show up this Saturday.  Georgia is very fortunate to be 3-1, and 2-0 in the SEC.  They are two blocked kicks away from potentially being 1-3 and 1-1 in the SEC.  With a complete TEAM game against LSU, Georgia can go from an inconsistent and mediocre looking team to a serious SEC title contender, capable of going toe-to-toe with Florida.  To do this, the offense will have to stop turning the ball over, and the defense will have to get off the field before the other team puts points on the board.  And of course, it would be nice if the coaches continue to let Blair Walsh put kicks in the back of the endzone.

-Dex