GatorMania

The last line of the NCAA response is telling, considering that the SEC & B1G just formed a commission to address just this thing. There is ample opportunity for NCAA members to pursue rule changes through the policy-making process in which all 1,100 schools voluntarily participate." The SEC & B1G schools may not be "volunatrily participating" in the NCAA for very much longer! Go Gators!!

UF beat aTm on the road in 22, not 21. Billy was not at UF in 21, but we know what you're saying. Go Gators!!

CBN doesn't necessarily HAVE to win this game UF just needs to play high level, disciplined ball. No more shoot yourself in the face penalties and bonehead coaching. The Swamp will be electric for this game!! Turn out was much better than I expected for the home opener, and with UT in town it will be a circus. Tre Wilson is going to be special at WR. Not fair to put Sat night on his shoulders, but before he is done he will go down as one of the greats. Kid is fast and shifty, very fun to watch. I thing we have a legit shot at winning, but for now I just want a well coached, well played competitive game to show we are on the right trajectory. Go Gators!!

Well research & the med school are the reason UF is there. The athletic programs exist because of the university (ie academic programs), not the other way around. UF's academic budget is $3.4 Bil/year UF's athletic budget is $164 mil Two completely separate entities

He is not.

Went WAY out on a limb with that prediction didn't you!! If he can hit a barn he will be more accurate than AR.

I stand corrected, I missed the week 2 "4th" ranking after the Utah miracle!!

All you have to do is look at your own "QB Power Ranking" to see what AR is. Middle of the SEC pack QB. He didn't show terribly well last year when he had opportunities (as a back-up or a starter). He hasn't shown terribly well THIS year either. His best ranking the SDS tracker is 6th and his season average is right around 8th. If he isn't in the top tier of SEC QB's he sure isn't in the top tier nationally. I'm not sure what there is to indicate he will have the big "leap" year that Joe B had at LSU with "getting" it all of a sudden. Sure, as someone mentioned before, he can sell "potential" in this years draft. If he returns and the lights don't come on he will be lucky to be drafted at all. That's why I think he declares. AR seems like a really good guy, and is a G'ville kid made good. Whatever he decides to do I hope it works out for him, shortcomings aside he has represented UF well. Go Gators!!

"Josh Heupel is excited for the return of the Florida-Tennessee rivalry to the level it enjoyed years ago, particularly in the 1990s." Umm, this game hardly rises to that level. UF is in year with of a rebuild with a new coach and average roster. This hasn't been much of a rivalry the last 20 years (especially the last 17). UT NEEDS this win in the worst way. Loose to a struggling UF at home and everything falls apart. IF UF looses, it was expected and part of the process. There is a bit of a trap feel to this game though. UT believes they are riding high after 2 cupcake games. And while it was a "L", UF was dominating the UK game right up until the point that AR started giving it away. AR doesn't throw that pic late in the 2nd and UF goes into the half 23-7 and it's a completely different game. I get it, UF didn't get it done but not because it couldn't, but because it made mistakes. UT is counting this as a win but this could very well be a "not so fast my friend" moment in Knoxville. Go Gators!!

Picking #13 Miami over #24 aTm doesn't really sound like a "Bold Prediction" to me...

This is spot on. It was obvious early that AR was not "on" Sat night, and CBN still pressed that game plan. Our running game was having good success and we should have pounded that. Prior to the late 1st half int, UF was dominating KY. Yes, I said it. KY had negative rushing yards and with the exception of a questionable TD on a long pass were having limited success throwing the ball. If UF continued to pound the ball that late drive, UF likely goes into the half 23-7 and it's an entirely different game. But as the saying goes, "If "ifs" and "buts" were candy and nuts"... Not taking anything away from KY, they are a really good team that had a really good plan. They executed and UF didn't. Hopefully a very young UF team and coaching staff learn from this and improve. If not... Go Gators!!

Don't look for a big passing day from AR this week either. CBN is going to pound the ball with our big O line and 3 headed rushing attack (5 if you add in Lingard & AR). I would say the match ups that are going to matter this weekend are: 1. Can the UK O line keep the UF pass rush at bay and Levis on his feet? (with a limited rushing attack you know UF will come early and often). Can the UK front 7 contain the UF rushing attack. You can say what you want about Utah, but they are a solid team and we racked up 280+ yards on the ground. If the answer to either of these questions is "NO", then AR isn't going to have to pass his way out of anything in this game. It will be another case of take what's there and don't give anything away. My greatest worry in this game is can our RB hang onto the ball and not fumble our chances away. We had 2 against Utah, one that cost us dearly and one that we caught a lucky bounce that could have been devastating. Can't wait for SEC play. Go Gators!!

One of the most encouraging things I have heard from AR this preseason was that he doesn't feel like he has to be "super human". He just needs to do his job and be available for his team. To me that translates to run the play and live to fight another day if it doesn't work. Don't force, don't try to create something out of thin air that isn't there. What we saw last Sat. was AR being the physically talented athlete that he is. He made plays where they were available. He didn't force anything and didn't try to put the team on his shoulders. He did his job and he did it very well. As long as he keeps the discipline to do this, he will be fine. Fortunately for UF, he has CBN to help him keep his composure.

I for one wasn't sure what to expect with this years team. We have some talent on our roster, but still have ground to make up versus the likes of UGA and Bama. We looked MUCH better coached and disciplined in game 1 and we flew to the ball on D. All encouraging signs. Before the season I could have seen us going 1-3 in Sept or possibly 2-2. Now I think there is hope for a 4-0 September (not necessarily an expectation, just a hope). We could still easily drop one, or both of the games against UK or UT but I now feel much better about being competitive in both. CBN has UF on the right track and anything he does better than 6 or 7 wins is a bonus. Haven't been this excited for UF football in a very long time!! Go Gators!!

Hopefully Saban won't come down with Bowden syndrome and stay too long. His legacy is far too iconic for him to ruin it with 2-3 bad seasons as his staying power declines. Hopefully he will have a great season (title not necessary) and sign off on top. He deserves that.

Gabriel - All of that was Pre-NIL. Game has changed and SO CA has TONS of $$

It's a sad state of affairs when we have to hype up a sold out game. This used to be a given. It used to be UF & Nebraska at the top of the consecutive sell out streaks. Sadly, Chump ended that for us years ago and it's been a downhill slide ever since. Hopefully CBN puts a good product on the field and the Swamp comes alive again!! Go Gators!!

King Ferdinan of Columbia - or KFC for short!! :-P

This isn't truly a "night" game. Kickoff is at 7:00. Sunset isn't until 7:50 and it won't get dark and cool off until well after 8:00 - 8:30. There will be plenty of this game played in the sunshine. Granted it won't be like a noon game, but it won't be like an 8:30 late November game either.

9mm - Utah is coming to sea level for this one and while there may be a little bit of O2 uptake advantage, it won't be much. Salt Lake City is only 4,200' so its not super high elevation. Humidity will sap the energy from the unacclimated Utah team much worse. They better start drinking now or they will have dehydration issues as well. Now next year when UF has to travel to SLC and PLAY at elevation...that could be a different story.

A snowball has a better chance in hell than Oregon has in Atlanta!!

The Swamp was almost as difficult under Meyer as it was under SOS (almost). That has more to do with the caliber of team that UF puts on the field. When UF is good, the fans turn out and the Swamp get amped up (especially at night as the Utah game will be). When UF isn't so good (as has been the case for the last 10 years) then so goes the mystique of the Swamp. This years opener has all of the hope and excitement of what we hope will be the beginning of another great era of Gator football under CBN. The game is a sellout and I fully expect the 90+k in attendance to be at FULL THROTTLE!! If Utah gets out big early, they can quite the place for sure. But if UF is in it, or gets ahead early it's game over for the Utes!! Go Gators!!

I don't imagine the Goat takes too much s*&t from any of his players. Ever!!

That CBN has brought in a team of nutritionists (sp?) is huge. The team has gone from eating box lunches to eating meals targeted to position / needs. Hopefully we are now "good" big, not just big for big's sake!! Go Gators!!

Franks had one of the biggest arms in college football, maybe ever...(Tenn fans can attest to that) How did that work out for us? :-(

You guys have to come to the Swamp, at night. That is NEVER easy!! Should be a good game, but I really see that as a trap for UK. I believe your recent success may be your undoing. In past years you have been trying to break the curse, now it seems UK is taking a win vs UF for granted. Lots of questions to be answered for the Gators this year. If we win the opener against Utah, the following week will be ugly for UK. Hopefully it will at least be a good game. Go Gators!!

Have to disagree with you on that Phil. The Swamp at night can be a DANGEROUS place!! A full day of tailgating can fuel some pretty crazy crowds!! Go Gators!!

fsu's annual athletic budget is in the $125 mil/ year range. UF's 2022 athletic budget is just shy of $145mil. Over 10 years that's a $200 mil gap. fsu lost the arms race a long time ago.

What universe was this ranking made in? UT .76 winning percentage LSU .74 Ark .81 AL .91 Ky .90 UF .92 AU .96 I get strength of opponent matters, but so does 6, 7 & 4 losses by the top 3 respectively. SMH...

"Cringe all you want, but Brian Kelly has successfully TWERKED his reputation in 2 months on the job." There, fixed it for you SDS. :-P