Predicting every SEC team's final record for 2020
By now, I hope you’ve read every last SEC Crystal Ball. It’s not every day that you get to look into the future, especially in 2020. Hopefully if you haven’t yelled on me at social media about your team losing a game, you can do so after reading this!
Just kidding. Don’t do that. I promise I don’t hate your team, but I’d much rather you tweet me after one of my picks is wrong to let me know how dumb I am. It humbles me.
Predicting records in a year in which we’re going to have quarantine absences and perhaps no real rhythm to a season seems, at best, like a crapshoot. We’re talking about teams as if we know what their roster will look like in late-November or early-December. We don’t.
So all of these Crystal Balls were simply based off the information we have. Having said that, it’s perfectly fair to wonder about a team’s depth late in the season. We can’t project which players will miss time, but we can project which teams would be in the roughest shape assuming that everyone is going to have to deal with a fluid roster unlike any other year.
Keep that in mind as you get upset about these predictions for your team’s record:
Alabama
Record: 9-1
Wins: Mizzou, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Mississippi State, LSU, Kentucky, Auburn, Arkansas
Losses: Georgia
The shock of the Georgia loss ends up being somewhat of an afterthought for Alabama, which still makes it to an SEC Championship with a Playoff berth up for grabs. It’s easy to forget that the past 4 times they won national titles, the Crimson Tide suffered a regular-season SEC loss. All of those came against divisional foes, which wouldn’t be the case if the season played out with a Georgia loss.
That’s the silver lining for Alabama in this conference-only slate. The odds of the SEC’s division winners having a loss (or 2) have never been greater than they’ve been with this 10-game conference schedule. Alabama might be chasing perfection, but really, there doesn’t need to be a “sky is falling” reaction to a loss in a year like this.
Arkansas
Record: 1-9
Wins: Mississippi State
Losses: Georgia, Auburn, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Florida, LSU, Mizzou, Alabama
Baby steps. I realize this is easy for me to say as someone who isn’t emotionally invested in the program. I totally get that. But try to have some context with this season. The bar is incredibly low. But watch out for things like:
- Significant run defense improvement
- Having 1 starting quarterback all 10 games
- Improving by a full touchdown in average margin of defeat (-22.5 per SEC game in 2019)
These are basic things that are important first steps to make in this rebuild. That’s what it is. It might not be trying to go from a Bret Bielema team based on size to a Chad Morris team based on speed, but it is building the program back up to respectability. It’s probably still not fair to use Florida, LSU, Alabama and Georgia as actual barometers. The rest of the conference is fair game. At least it should be.
Auburn
Record: 6-4
Wins: Arkansas, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Texas A&M
Losses: Kentucky, Georgia, LSU, Alabama
Instead of that bye week turning into a time to crumble, I think we see a much better squad down the stretch after some early growing pains against the likes of Kentucky and Georgia. If Auburn closed the year with a 6-2 mark after an 0-2 start, I tend to believe the Bo Nix buzz would grow immensely.
I’d be higher on Auburn if I believed in Chad Morris. I’d be higher on that offense if it didn’t have such turnover on the line. Is a 6-win season going to change how people feel about Gus Malzahn? No. But is having a winning record against an all-SEC schedule a pretty decent accomplishment? I’d say so.
Florida
Record: 9-1
Wins: Ole Miss, South Carolina, LSU, Mizzou, Georgia, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Tennessee
Losses: Texas A&M
If you’re a Florida fan, this is as good of a regular season as you can ask for. I say that because I don’t think it’s realistic for anyone to go 10-0 in conference play — even Alabama — much less the program that hasn’t won a conference title in 12 years. A 9-1 mark with a Georgia win would, in theory, give the Gators a Playoff shot even with a close loss in the SEC Championship.
Maybe, in this bizarre offseason in which continuity and veteran leadership on both sides has never been more important, Florida finally has the right formula to make that happen. I believe they do, and I haven’t thought that at any point during the post-Urban Meyer era.
Now is Florida’s time.
Georgia
Record: 9-1
Wins: Arkansas, Auburn, Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Mizzou, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Vanderbilt
Losses: Florida
Yeah, I think it finally happens for Florida. I think we see the Gators finally end their 3rd-down woes and take advantage of a new-look Georgia offense in the massive showdown in Jacksonville. That’s the Dawgs’ lone blemish.
I believe that the Dawgs will have a legitimate Playoff case at the end of the regular season, regardless of what happens with the quarterback situation. I think this defense is so deep and disciplined that Georgia will be able to stomach some offensive struggles, though obviously not to the degree we saw in 2019.
Kentucky
Record: 6-4
Wins: Auburn, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Mizzou, Vanderbilt, South Carolina
Losses: Mississippi State, Florida, Georgia, Alabama
If 6-4 happens, Kentucky fans should be ecstatic. A winning record in the SEC this year is nothing to scoff at. Again, accomplishing that feat for the second time in 4 decades would be remarkable. And while that might not feel the same as 2018 did because of how out of nowhere that season was to the masses, this year is sort of Mark Stoops’ proof of concept with this ground game and defense.
To have a winning SEC record 2 times in 3 years with a largely different roster would be a remarkable achievement for a program that couldn’t reach that feat for 40-plus years. I cannot emphasize that enough.
LSU
Record: 7-3
Wins: Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Mizzou, South Carolina, Auburn, Arkansas, Texas A&M
Losses: Florida, Alabama, Ole Miss
I think the floor in Baton Rouge has absolutely been raised. And while some predicted doom and gloom following the news of Ja’Marr Chase opting out, I was a bit more on the optimistic side. A 3-loss regular season might sound like a letdown to some, but in a year when I don’t think any SEC team gets to the conference title game undefeated because of that 10-game conference schedule, a 7-3 season will still be good for 2nd place in the division.
Even with that Ole Miss loss, as deflating as that would be, LSU would probably be in position to go to a New Year’s 6 bowl for the 3rd consecutive year. Keep in mind that before 2018, they hadn’t been to a New Year’s 6/BCS Bowl since the 2011 season. That would still matter.
Mississippi State
Record: 4-6
Wins: Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Mizzou
Losses: LSU, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia
There’s something that I keep coming back to with MSU in this conference-only schedule. For starters, it’s not a full Mike Leach roster. In Year 1 at Texas Tech, he went 3-5 in Big 12 play. In Year 1 at Washington State, he was 1-8 in Pac-12 play. Leach needs time to recruit to his system. It’s seen as a bit of an excuse for coaches in Year 1 and Year 2, but there’s certainly something to it.
There’s also the fact that we’re talking about an MSU program that has 1 winning season in SEC play in the 21st century. If this, of all seasons, becomes the 2nd time that happens then that would be quite the flex for Leach. I still wouldn’t bank on that. I’ll instead wait on my “fly in the ointment” assessment of a Leach team until Year 2 or Year 3 in Starkville.
Mizzou
Record: 2-8
Wins: Vanderbilt, Arkansas
Losses: Alabama, Tennessee, LSU, Florida, Kentucky, Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi State
I really didn’t expect to settle on 2-8. I didn’t. Mizzou is the team that I’m most scared will make me look dumb by season’s end. If they do go 2-8, I’ll probably bang the drum that the Tigers are the cliché “better than their record suggests.”
But ta 2-8 record is a result of my concern that Eli Drinkwitz has had the deck stacked against him since he arrived. Someone with 1 year as an FBS head coach didn’t get a normal spring by any means, and he won’t even get those cupcake nonconference matchups to get his feet wet. I worry about how that could impact the confidence of a team in transition if it gets off to a 1-5 start.
Ole Miss
Record: 4-6
Wins: Arkansas, Vanderbilt, A&M, LSU
Losses: Florida, Kentucky, Alabama, Auburn, South Carolina, Mississippi State
What a strange year this would be.
On one hand, it’s a 6th-place finish in the West with another Egg Bowl loss and a whopping 0 home wins. There would be some crushing winnable games that slip away like South Carolina and Kentucky coupled with demoralizing losses to the likes of Auburn and Alabama that are humbling reminders of how long it’ll take to be nationally relevant again. That, on the surface, wouldn’t fire up the masses.
But on the other hand, it’d be nearly a .500 season in the SEC — a mark that Ole Miss hasn’t sniffed since 2015 — with wins against A&M and LSU. Oh, and it’d be a 4-1 road record.
I suppose take the good with the bad and set 2021 expectations high after a quality finish.
South Carolina
Record: 3-7
Wins: Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Mizzou
Losses: Tennessee, Florida, Auburn, LSU, Texas A&M, Georgia, Kentucky
I’m not so rigid on the 3-7 because I believe the Gamecocks have about a 5-5 ceiling. I mean that. There are 3 games (Tennessee, Texas A&M and Kentucky) that could possibly swing in their favor via a key injury to the opposing team or a rash of quarantine players. That’s based on where their depth and talent stacks up.
But as of today, it’s hard to bank on those balls bouncing South Carolina’s way. The schedule is a gauntlet. There’s no getting around it. If the Gamecocks are going to have even a mediocre season, they’re going to have to win some games that they’re not supposed to. It’s as simple as that.
Tennessee
Record: 4-6
Wins: South Carolina, Mizzou, Arkansas, Vanderbilt
Losses: Georgia, Kentucky, Alabama, Texas A&M, Auburn, Florida
I had no intention of penciling Tennessee in for a losing record. I could easily be dead wrong on this. I admit that now.
I don’t think there’s much separation between Kentucky and Tennessee. If the Vols win that game with my projections, they’d both be 5-5 and Tennessee would be 3rd in the East. But I have fewer questions about the Wildcats. That’s why I view that as a major potential swing game that could shape how this season goes in Knoxville.
But in this conference-only slate, yeah, I have legitimate concerns with how Tennessee will handle it. A 2-10 record vs. AP Top 25 foes in the past 3 years doesn’t bode well, nor does the aforementioned struggles against the rivals. I mean, 3-27 against Alabama, Florida and Georgia in the past decade screams “let’s see it before we believe it” with those 3 matchups.
Texas A&M
Record: 6-4
Wins: Vanderbilt, Florida, Mississippi State, Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee
Losses: Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU, Auburn
Go figure that in a lot of ways, this year’s script could still follow the pre-2020 schedule change that many had written up for A&M. A promising start that vaults A&M into the Playoff picture … turns sour in November. I worry about the lack of depth for Kellen Mond to throw to, especially now that Jhamon Ausbon opted out. That hurts A&M down the stretch.
For what it’s worth, a winning record in conference play is nothing to be ashamed of in a year like this. If A&M still racks up some quality wins against the likes of Florida and Tennessee, that won’t be a wash. And if they’re more competitive against elite foes than last year — the bar is low for that — then that could still suggest the Aggies are trending in the right direction.
Vanderbilt
Record: 0-10
Wins: None
Losses: Texas A&M, LSU, South Carolina, Mizzou, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia
No, I don’t hate Vandy. Go back to last year when I wrote nice things about the Big 3. I promise, I wrote nice things.
But how in the world can I pencil in Vandy for a victory based on the information we currently know? This offseason is supposed to huge for continuity. Vandy replaced both coordinators and has 4 new quarterbacks, only 1 of whom got spring reps. The 3 starting offensive linemen opting out didn’t help. Shoot, Vandy’s grad transfer kicker Oren Milstein opting out didn’t help, either.
I don’t know if 0-10 would result in Derek Mason getting fired. I argued before that I thought it doesn’t make sense to make any sort of long-term decisions on coaches good or bad. That includes a coach who can’t win a game. The bar for Mason is low, but it’s so low for a reason. Now would be a good time to clear it.
Idiot.
Poor Pup, whats wrong? How dare he not predict a unbeaten record and National Championship for UGA! Its one guys opinion, it doesn’t matter…
I don’t get how we beat the Tide but lose to the Gators.
Theoretically, UGA’s offense will struggle early but be hitting on all eight cylinders by November.
But I do appreciate the author picking UGA over UA.
They didnt want to put Bama at 10-0 so they had to find a loss somewhere and I guess UGA is the most likely one on the schedule.
“I dont get how we beat the tide but lose to the Gators”. You ever watched football before? I dont see how you beat the gators last year but lost at home to SC, but it happened.
..””You ever watched football before?””..
Georgia Southern 26 Florida 20 in the Swamp.
To be fair Red & Black, that wasn’t football…that was an abomination
Too bad Franks got hurt and lost his starting job.
Not so bad for Arkansas.
I agree generally with the predicted records, I just don’t know if I agree with the more specific predictions behind the records.
So, so, so, so, so dumb.
Seriously, the narrative about Floriduh beating Georgia literally has no logic behind it. There’s no stats anyone can point to re: Sideshow Dan the Clown or Trask that says they can knock of Georgia.
It’s all supposition. It’s all narrative based on “we want to see something different.”
Irrational. Illogical. Stupid.
Yes. Yes you are.
You know, the thing is, if ANYONE could point to an actual statistical data point that cannot be refuted as to why they’d pick Floriduh over Georgia, I could at least respect that.
No one has, because no one can.
There is no objective reason to pick Floriduh to win the division this year.
They’re less talented and have far less depth.
Their coach is owned by our coach, and it’s not arguable.
Their returning QB is statistically a bad match-up against what will be the best returning defense in CFB.
Their coach is not a “pay attention to every minute detail guy” while ours is.
All people can say is, “They have the same QB and same coach returning so they have continuity,” or, “Even though they lost the majority of their pass rush, they’ll be better on D,” or, “It’s just their time,” or, “This is their year!”
No logic. No rational argument for picking Floriduh. No hard data points. Nada.
Some objective, hard data points:
1. Florida has the more experienced field goal kicker.
2. Florida has the more experienced quarterback, with a 67% CMP ratio and a 3.57:1 TD:INT ratio in 2019. He’s also bigger and more durable.
3. Florida has the most dangerous offensive weapon in All-American tight end Kyle Pitts.
4. Florida’s four senior receivers in 2019 had 139 receptions for 1,871 yards. Florida’s probable 2020 starters (Copeland, Grimes, Pitts, Toney) had 118 receptions for 1,607 yards in 2019. The 2020 receivers will likely have better numbers than the 2019 seniors because they won’t be sharing as many snaps.
5. Florida has the more experienced offensive line in both game starts and snaps played. Experience makes a bigger difference on the offensive line than for any other position group. In fact, Florida is the older, more experienced team overall.
6. Diwun Mathis is inexperienced. J.T. Daniels is turnover-prone (1.4:1 TD:INT ratio in last full season played).
7. Georgia’s pass protection last year was exceptional. But its bookend first round offensive tackles are in the NFL now.
8. Cook and White for Georgia have 880 career yards rushing and 241 career yards receiving. Pierce and Davis for Florida have 1,402 career yards rushing and 182 career yards receiving. White of Georgia and Davis of Florida have missed similar amounts of time due to injuries.
9. According to 2019 NCAA total defense statistics, Georgia ranked third, allowing 276 yards per game. Florida ranked ninth, allowing 305 yards per game. Georgia’s defense is better, but it’s not a huge difference. However, Florida averaged twice as many defensive interceptions per game and almost twice as many defensive turnovers forced.
10. Florida’s Blue Chip Ratio in McElwain’s last season at Florida was 33%. Florida’s BCRs under Mullen are 2018/41%, 2019/46% 2020/59%. LSU’s 2019 BCR was 60%. In 2020 for the first time, Florida has quality depth at every position on the field.
Florida has potentially the best QB in the conference, and an elite pass rush and secondary. Their OL is much improved and even though they lost some WRs Kadarious Toney and Trevon Grimes are still good enough. You have an unproven QB room and only 1 good WR. You lost 4 OL and a top safety. That’s why we pick Florida and not your precious little mud puppies
Also Pitts is the best TE in the nation
1. I guess that meets the requirement for what I asked for, yet your PK does not convince me.
2. Trask was the 78th best QB in CFB last season and 48th best returning QB for 2020. He’s a dink and dunker who relied solely on short passes for the entirety of his output, meaning his WRs and RBs did most of the work. Who’s gone? His best WRs and RB from last season. Remember how I said UNREFUTABLE hard data? You didn’t listen. You never listen.
3. This is a good point. Yet one great offensive player is not a reason why Floriduh will beat Georgia.
4. This isn’t hard data. Any time you have to say, “likely” or “should” it’s not objective, it’s subjective.
5. What does experience mean when there’s not one blue chip recruit among them? Not much. Bad remains bad.
6. These are true. I could point to Monken’s work with mediocre QBs (Weeden or Mullens) and turning them into TD machines. But you already knew that, right?
7. This is true, but does not say anything about WHO is replacing them. Unlike FU’s o-line, Georgia reloads with blue chip athletes.
8. Now this is an actual hard data point of the kind I asked for, so bravo for providing it. The one unfortunate caveat is that they’ll be running behind FU’s untalented o-line. Sorry.
9. Even given more TO’s caused and taken, FU still gave up more yards and points than Georgia. Meaning it’s not as good.
10. Floriduh’s blue chip ratio has still literally been lapped by Georgia. The gap doesn’t close, it only widens. Floriduh doesn’t have depth. They have good starters, but not much past them. Georgia’s two-deep is good enough to start everywhere in the SEC but Bama right now. That is the only team outside of maybe tOSU that is factually deeper than Georgia. In a year where attrition is likely to be the main reason for winning some games, FU is not in the same kind of condition to be able to absorb losses as Georgia.
Well Nash, it was a decent attempt. I’ll give you Pitts and I’ll give you the more experienced RBs. Unfortunately, Pitts must rely on Mr. Dink and Dunk and your RBs must rely on an untalented o-line.
When y’all lose to Georgia this year, it’s gonna be by more than 7-points. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya.
Nash, i’ll admit that I didn’t realize the returning #s were as solid on the receiving end that you mentioned. you have to however ack that of the 118 receptions and 1,607 yds, pitts was responsible for 54 and 649. that’s 46% and 40% of those #s attributed to a single player. that also shouldn’t be overlooked.
my point, it’s an unfair comparison to group those 4 players returning in 2020 to the four players that were lost after the 2019 season. in addition, how will copeland and grimes fair as being covered by the opposing team’s #1 and #2 cb? jefferson and swain certainly handled it, but i have my doubts about the former two coming right in and handling it.
uf maybe had the most underrated wr grp in the conference last year. i’m not comparing them to what was at lsu or bama, but they were easily the 3rd best in the conf. big shoes to fill and i’m not sold that the 2020 crew will be even top 5, let alone top 3.
Corch, you sound more rational when you deal in facts. However…
1. Florida’s placekicker, Evan McPherson, is 34 of 38 through two seasons, which is an 89.5% field goal percentage. For comparison, Rodrigo Blankenship was 80 of 97 through four seasons, which is an 82.5% field goal percentage. On an apples-to-apples basis, he was 46 of 56 during the same two seasons as McPherson (2018-2019), which is 82.1%.
2. I don’t know where you’re getting your data on Trask. Trask was the 15th ranked quarterback in QBR last year, at 156.1. The guy immediately ahead of him at 14th and 156.8 was Justin Herbert, who played in the PAC-12 and was selected 6th in the 2020 draft. If you’re looking at a ranking by total passing yardage, that’s distorted by the fact that Trask didn’t start the first three games of the season. He played around half of the third game.
(And BTW, it’s “irrefutable,” not “unrefutable.”)
3. Pitts is an objective advantage. Naturally, no one single factor determines a game.
4. OK, get rid of “likely” and “should.” Pitts 649 yards in 2019 were nearly the same as Jefferson’s 657 yards. Grimes and Copeland are each more highly rated on paper (something that seems to matter a lot to Georgia fans) than every 2019 senior except Cleveland. Copeland has speed similar to Cleveland and Swain (~4.4 40-yard dash) but is more physical than both. You may have seen Swain outrunning the Patriots’ defense for a TD last night.
5. Player development is a thing. Just ask Kentucky. However, that said, Florida’s offensive line group has six 4-stars, two of whom are starters. Stewart Reese was a high 3-star out of high school but has started over 30 games in the SEC West. Game experience is more important on the offensive line than at any other position.
6. I guess we’ll see. I would give Monken the benefit of the doubt, were it not for no spring and a weird summer camp schedule.
7. We’ll just have to disagree on this one. You don’t just “next man up” two first round offensive tackles who also had loads of starts.
8. And this one, as to the offensive line.
9. I said Georgia’s defense was better. My point is that even though Georgia’s defense is better, Florida’s defense is statistically very good.
10. Florida’s 2020 roster has 50 blue chip players; (4) 5-stars and (46) 4-stars. That doesn’t include Trask, who would have been at least a high 4-star had he played at a different high school than D’Eriq King. If you’re checking against the 247 team talent composite, it’s wrong. The 2020 signing class and the transfers (except Lingard) are missing.
At least he has LSU 2nd in the West, but I really don’t see LSU losing to Ole Miss. That would be a major upset.
Even with all the opt-outs, I’ll be shocked if LSU is worse than 8-2.
Not to settle, but all things considered in 2020 – I’d take that.
It’s just entertainment. He never really gave objective, roster/experience based arguments for his upset predictions. Some, as I recall, were basically “trap game” rationales.
It’s just entertainment. The season starts next week.
Even if Vanderbilt goes 0-10 I don’t see Vandy firing Mason, this year at least. I think Covid and players opting out will be his insurance policy for 2020. Now 2021 is a different story.
The uga/uf series is probably more about passion than anything. the series was absolutely dominated by uga prior to spurrier taking the helm. uga led 44-22. spurrier went 10-1. meyer, to his credit took advantage of a bye week in 2005 and overhauled his spread offense for a more traditional pro-style offense to fit leake’s capabilities. meyer went 5-1. it’s early in his tenure, but smart is now 3-1.
all three above coaches made this rivalry a priority and had/have a ‘hate’ for the other team. mullen is a good coach, but does he have a ‘hate’ for uga? it’s a bad combination when the coach with the ‘hate’ for the other team also has the far more talented team. think spurrier from ’94 – ’96, meyer in ’09 and smart in ’17 – ’18. smart doesn’t have the far more talent team, but he checks the boxes with the more talented team and ‘hate’ for the other team.
only way uf wins the east is if uga loses 2 reg season games and uf only loses one.
24/7 says Georgia has the far more talented team. It’s not close.
But you’re 100% right about the hate factor.
Kirby went 1-3 against Floriduh as a player, much like Spurrier who went 1-2 (would’ve been 1-3 but Freshman were not allowed on the “varsity” team in his era).
Spurrier, who’s hate was born from being embarrassed by Georgia in his Heisman year and kept from winning what would’ve been FU’s first SEC Title, made it his mission to embarrass Georgia as the ‘turd’s head coach.
Kirby’s hate was born from those embarrassing losses in the 90’s. Spurrier’s hate created Kirby.
Think about that, Floriduh fans. As Kirby continues to grow and learn as a head coach and continues to dominate this rivalry, think about how Spurrier literally created him.
Agree. just has spurrier’s hatred was created from his days as a player….so was cks’
PT, you’re right that this game is a true rivalry game and accordingly, records and rosters can sometimes be thrown out the window, but I think a lot of this stuff about Spurrier’s and Kirby’s hatred for the other side is just mythology.
There’s a backstory about Spurrier running up the score over 50 in Athens because Vince Dooley had once kicked a late field goal to score 50 on Florida, but the truth is that Spurrier always ran up the score on an opponent whenever he could.
Harbaugh hates Ohio State and circles that game every year. But he hasn’t won it as a head coach yet (he beat them as Michigan’s starting quarterback in 1985). Meyer and McElwain had winning records against Georgia but didn’t grow up in the rivalry.
I do think on occasion that one team comes out flat and the other comes out charged up and ready to play. In 2017, McElwain told his team right before the game that he was probably going to be fired. Not very motivational.
Did Georgia’s 2007 end zone celebration and victory lead to the 49-10 rout of the Dawgs the next year? I doubt it. 2008 was just Florida’s best team maybe ever.
we disagree that their disdain is purely myth. no team more harassed spurrier as a player than uga. no team more embarrassed smart as a player than uf.
the other backstory to the ’95 game is that spurrier asked an assistant in the final 5 min of that game whether anyone had ever hung 50 on uga in sanford before. the response was ‘no.’ spurrier sent back in the starters. care to guess who the db was that the last min td catch was made on?
we disagree 100% on the motivation attached to the ’08 game. do you not remember spikes in moreno’s face after that opening tackle? that was personal. that was the result of a blizzard of replays of that game throughout summer and fall camp workouts in the training room….beyond even the end zone celebration. uf was better in ’08, but the game was 3-14 at half. uga had an awful game. 4 turnovers to 0. meyer saved his timeouts and calling them in the final minute just to have the game last that much longer.
i don’t know how you could say that meyer didn’t have a ‘hate’ for uga. he was as close as anyone could be to spurrier’s and smart’s level of hatred. mcelwain and his 2-1 record just happened to be at uf at an ideal time.
as bad as mcelwain’s motivational tactic was in ’17, i’ll raise you richt’s selection of faton bauta for the ’15 game…but not changing the offensive scheme to fit any of his strengths.
Yes, I know the full story about Spurrier in Athens. We don’t disagree at all about the playing career-based hatred vis-a-vis Spurrier and Kirby. We apparently disagree about whether it really matters in terms of game preparation.
No, I don’t believe Meyer hated UGA. How could he, coming from the upper Midwest? And incidentally, Meyer has a degree in psychology and is a very manipulative guy. I believe a lot of his rivalry week stuff is simply manufactured to keep his team motivated.
Of course, he did get really ticked off at Richt for the rushing the end zone celebration, and he did call all the timeouts at the end of the game the next year, but that’s not the same thing as a deep-seated hatred built up as a player, alumnus, or lifelong fan.
As for Spikes, yes, Florida-Georgia is a true rivalry game and emotions run higher during the game, which isn’t necessarily a good thing. But for the most part, when you’re actually on the field playing, you’re thinking about executing your assignment, not how much you may hate the other team.
Georgia could very well knock off Alabama in a very close game like 21-20 or 31-28 but losing to Florida I just don’t see it they cant run very good against the Georgia Defense and you think Trask will air raid the whole time idk I just don’t see it