Laura Rutledge names SEC team most likely to make surprise run at College Football Playoff
Winning the Southeastern Conference is a sure-fire way for a team to punch its ticket to the College Football Playoff and while most are going to pick Alabama or Georgia to make college football’s final four, Laura Rutledge has her eye on a surprise team to make it by season’s end.
During a recent appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up,” the college football analyst shared her take that the Florida Gators could be that team that surprises this season out of the SEC.
“I think they are positioned well to potentially be there. They’ve got Kyle Trask, who figures to be one of the better quarterbacks in the SEC and Dan Mullen has just been waiting to get that offense going at an even higher clip than it already was,” Rutledge said. “They have to get past Georgia, which would be a tall task, but it’d be a great feather in their cap if they could do it ahead of the playoffs.”
The Gators won’t be far from the top of the preseason rankings once they are released but have plenty of the tools to make it to Atlanta in 2020.
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Don’t take our word for it, just ask Laura Rutledge.
If there is anyone who would really be “surprised” by that they haven’t been paying attention to college football much. Or, they are a georgia fan.
Being that the Gators would likely have to beat both UGA and Bama to do it, I’d be surprised if they made it. There’s 2 tms ahead of them and 1 about even (LSU) in their conf so not a stretch to say the Gators would be a surprise tm to make the playoffs.
Just another opinion.
Sayin’ ain’t doin’
You should know, right?
I’ve never been one to let my UGA fandom cloud my judgement of UGA or any other team including Florida. I don’t think surprised would be the right word to use to describe my feelings if Florida made it. Certainly I don’t expect them to make it over UGA or the West Champion, but they are by unanimous consent either the number 1 or 2 team in the East so it could definitely happen.
Like MattyJ I’ve never been one to let my heart make the pick and have predicted Georgia the last three years to win the East. Looking at the schedules in a worse case scenario I can see Georgia with two loses and Florida with one headed into Jacksonville. Georgia will have played both Alabama and Auburn by that point and Florida will have played LSU. Both LSU and Georgia are going to be starting new QB’s while Florida, AU and Alabama return starters. Given the fact there was no spring practice this will be a big factor for all teams. How well Florida’s offensive line comes together will dictate whether they win the East. Right now I give Georgia a slight edge until Florida reclaims the game in Jacksonville but it’s a closer race than it has been in several years. If Florida wins and UGA has 2-3 conference losses it will be interesting to see how hot it gets between the hedges for Smart and company.
@Swamp79…….I been watching and WOULD BE REAL SURPRISED!!!!!
Y’all lost most of your best players on offense and defense!!!!
UGA LOST A QB AND A FEW OFFENSIVE LINEMEN. I LOVE JAKE FROMM. BUT HIS PLAY LAST SEASON CAN EASILY BE REPLACED AND BESTED!!!!
We lost Swift but we don’t ever run out of running backs!!!!!
OUR OFFENSIVE LINE WILL BE GREAT!!!!! MUCH BETTER THAN YOURS!!!!!
UGA HAS RECRUITED THE # 1 CLASS IN THE COUNTRY 3 YEARS STRAIGHT!!!!! Florida was okay but lost the okay recruits they got!!!!
WE BRING EVERYBODY BUT 2 BACK FROM THE #1 RANKED DEFENSE OF LAST YEAR!!!!!
WE REPLACE THOSE 2 WITH ELITE PLAYERS THAT ARE AS GOOD OR BETTER!!!!
SO WHY ALL THE GLOOM AND DOOM REGARDING UGA????
Y’ALL ARE DELUSIONAL!!!!!
UGA IS BY ” FAR ” THE SUPERIOR TEAM!!!! WITH THE SUPERIOR COACHING STAFF!!!!!!
KEEP TALKING ALL BECAUSE OF YOUR EASIER SCHEDULE!!!! UGA WILL WALK THE FLOOR DRY WITH FLORIDA!!!!!! I BET FLORIDA EVEN LOSES GAMES THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO WIN THIS SEASON. WHEN IT HAPPENS. REMEMBER I SAID IT!!!!
PS. ALL THIS OPTIMISM COULD GET MULLEN FIRED AT SEASONS END. AND WE WOULDN’T WANT THAT NOW WOULD WE?????
King Negan
Isn’t Laura a Florida Alumni?
Florida has a slight schedule advantage over other SEC Contenders.
Jimbo is due to earn some of his $75 million. Can he be the sleeper this year?
Yes, Laura graduated from Florida. Jimbo won’t sniff being a contender until and unless he gets another great quarterback.
Nashvillle…..Good point. Kellen Mond has just been too inconsistent. Lots of ups-n-downs during games.
Lots of inexperienced and inconsistent talent around him last year. Doesn’t mean it will be like that this season.
Of course Laura is a Florida alumna. Where did you think she went? Mississippi, or something like that? Good thing she wasn’t there when I was–I had enough problems the way it was.
Yes
Yes
No
She’s a babe
A babe, yes….a prognosticator….methinks not.
Don’t be that guy
Florida is not a surprise pick. I agree she is babe.
I don’t have a problem with a Florida fan picking Florida but she needs to accurate in her analysis. They would have to win the east and beat whoever represents the west. Florida could lose to Georgia and still win the East.
She didn’t pick them. She said she thought they had a shot at it.
If we play CFB this year Florida is not making the playoff. She can have her opinion but they won’t beat both Georgia and Bama, or whoever else they need to beat to be there. They will go 10-2 and win their bowl game. Jawja will have a better QB and defense.
If Georgia wins the East again this year, which I think they will, it will not be because they have better QB play than the other contenders. Florida returns the best QB in the SEC coming into 2020, and I don’t really buy the Newman hype considering his poor performances against decent ACC teams.
UGA is said to have the best D in the nation. But they don’t have a single QB on their roster that’s better than Kyle Trask
I like the way things are setting up. Thank you Laura for your contribution.
We’ll have to sic Maria Taylor on her (:
There you go. My money is on Maria!
Go Dawgs!
I personally love all this Gator love these click baiters are throwing out! Till you do it on the field it is all just talk. My wig loved Mullen at Miss State. Easy win!!!
#underdogs
I don’t see them beating Bama for the playoff…Mullin is ofer against Satan. But Laura is insanely hot. I do believe they can beat the leghumpers this year.
They need to spend more, right
What gets me is nobody would disrespect Alabama this way before the season. But they are NOT ahead of UGA in my book!!!!
So Alabama won those last 2 meetings. THEY NEEDED A MIRACLE BOTH TIMES!!!!
Last season they couldn’t beat AUBURN that UGA OWNED!!!!!
Again Alabama did NOT even make the SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME or the playoffs!!!! While UGA DID MAKE THE SEC CHAMPIONSHIP. Winning the SEC EAST for a third straight time!!!!!
UGA HAD 3 TOP #1 CLASSES IN A ROW!!!! Alabama got it according to 247 in 2019. BUT ONLY BECAUSE UGA RECRUITS WERE ” MYSTERIOUSLY ” DEVALUED AT THE LAST MOMENT. FROM 5 STARS TO 4 STARS!!!! Even after electric performances in the ALL-STAR GAMES!!! It wasn’t fair!!!! RIVALS DID RANK UGA RIGHTFULLY #1 IN THE 2019 CLASS!!!!!
So barely winning by BAD CALLS AND NO CALLS FROM THE REFS. To me that says NOTHING!!!! The same thing COULD POSSIBLY HAPPEN. Since we are playing in TUSCALOOSA this year!!! BUT UGA COULD OPEN A CAN OF WOOPA$$ ON THEM TO!!!!!
UGA will have the TOP SECONDARY BY FAR!!!! And top overall defense again if they don’t take a step back!!!! ITS ALL ABOUT WORK!!!!
UGA has achieved just as much in the regular season as Alabama. While playing much harder schedules!!!! NOBODY WOULD DARE DISRESPECT ALABAMA OR SABAN. BUT THEY DISRESPECT UGA AND THE REAL DYNASTY MAKER. COACH SMART ALL THE TIME!!!!
I’ll tell the truth. Dan Mullen is not in the same league as Kirby Smart, PERIOD!!!! Look at their record playing each other at miss state and Florida. Going all the way back to Alabama!!!!
Attempting to make flashy plays and score points over complete games. That does NOT make Mullen a better coach. That makes him stupid!!! QB RUN FROM THE SHOTGUN NEEDING LESS THAN 1 YARD??? NOT BRILLIANT!!!! Same thing attempting to throw for the first down needing less than 1 yard. NOT BRILLIANT AT ALL!!!!
PS. JUST BECAUSE MULLEN IMPERSONATES SPURIER. THAT DON’T MAKE HIM SPURIER!!!! He is a WANNABE GOOF!!! I’m glad to know he is a gator!!!!
King Negan