Re: College Football - Bowl Discussion

[Derwood]

oh my god no one cares

[Mephistopheles]

I could never see Fullmer, a lifelong Vol, being a Gator. I could see Spurrier bolting to Tennessee just because he's one crazy mo' fo'. If a coach wins, I don't care where he's been before or what he did before. I had no problem cheering for Jim Edmonds when we got him. I'd have no problem cheering for Ryan Braun if we got him (da U and Milwaukee = yuck). The only guys in sports I don't think I could cheer for under any circumstances are: Roger Clemens, Derek Jeter and Darnell Dockett.

 

Didn't he break a Florida player's leg or something?

 

And a coach on a rival team that I would absolutely love to see coaching the Vols is Mark Richt. There are few players I simply could not root for under any circumstances, though Alex Brown comes pretty close after that six sack thrashing he gave the Vols.

 

EDIT: Just out of morbid curiosity, it'd be really interesting to see Fulmer coaching Alabama. It'd never happen, but it'd be funny.

 

He did two things. First, he twisted Earnest Graham's bum knee in the bottom of a dog pile, causing him to miss that 9/11 reschedule Vols game (where a win sends Spurrier to the national title...). In the same game, he tried to smash Rex Grossmans hand by stepping on it on the sideline.

[Mephistopheles]

oh my god no one cares

 

Just so you can read it again

 

I didn't say it was because of "some little [expletive] corner back". One defensive player won't win or lose a football game. I think the two little [expletive] corner backs are going to force the offense to rely on the running game, slot receivers and Jermaine Gresham. Your fat slow offensive line struggled against Texas' speed rush and struggled mightily against West Virginia's speed rush. The Florida Gator pass rush is more similar to those two pass rushes than any others that Oklahoma has faced the last two seasons. The Gators should be able to simply run around your offensive line at times. The Gators won't turn Bradford into Troy Smith, but they should make his jersey the dirtiest its been all season long. You're right, you do have a decent ground game without Demarco Murray. But your running game isn't Knowshon Moreno and ask him how Brandon Spikes hits.

 

The matchup between Florida's defense and Oklahoma's offense is going to come down to three things.

 

1. Florida's defensive line vs Oklahoma's offensive line. Oklahoma's "mammoth" line is getting a lot of publicity. I think the real problem here for the Gators isn't going to be the matchup between their defensive line and the o-line when both guys are rested, but when Oklahoma's no huddle offense gets them tired. Florida likes to rotate in as many as eight guys a series for their front four. They won't be able to substitute that often against Oklahoma. Now regarding OU's "mammoth" line. That crap needs to stop. Florida's offensive line is getting no respect compared to OUs. Phil Trautwein is as good as any OU offensive lineman and the Pouncey twins are future first-rounders. The Florida O-line is younger than OU's but is every bit as talented and, despite the media's love for calling Oklahoma's offensive line "mammoth" Florida's O-line is actually bigger...Our d-line is bigger AND faster than OU's too...

 

2. Sam Bradford's ability to thread the needle. Like I said earlier, Florida probably has the two best cover corners that Bradford has seen all season in Jenkins and Haden. Starting safety Ahmad Black has a lot of interceptions as well and Wondy is a nickel with a lot of experience. Sam Bradford's downfield throwing windows have been relatively large all season long, he's going to have a lot smaller ones to thrown in and is going to have more pressure in his face. He's very athletic and should be able to buy time in a pinch, but the better downfield coverage should make it difficult to get the ball to his receivers.

 

3. Jermaine Gresham vs Will Hill. This is going to be an exciting matchup and is the one I am most interested in seeing playout. Will Hill, a true freshman, backs up both safety spots and plays some corner. He's one of the best freshman defensive backs, if not the best, in the nation. His job is going to be Jermaine Gresham. He is a very good coverage safety and is 6'1" with good speed quickness and athleticism so he should be able do an excellent job covering Gresham. He's going to be able to cover Gresham when he Gresham splits out as a slot receiver. Hill, being a tweener, is also going to be lining up as a linebacker when Gresham's not split out. He's big enough to play linebacker and is one of the surest tacklers on the team as well as a great hitter. Despite not having the publicity, Hill's in the class of Julio Jones, Pryor and AJ Green as far as uber freshmen go. He should be able to contain Gresham both ways as well as anyone in the country. Florida's going to go much of the game with a 4-2-5 alignment. You'll have the army of d-line; Spikes and Doe as LBs; Haden, Pierre-Louis and Jenkins at CB; and Black and Major Wright as safeties. Will Hill is going to allow Major Wright to creep up and do what he does best: Hit people. He's a terrible coverage defensive back, but he's an outstanding hitter. Will Hill will lineup as a safety-linebacker hybrid. Again, Hill vs Gresham is going to be a matchup worth watching.

 

Obviously, you can't consistently stop a great offense like Oklahoma's, but Florida matches up as well as you possibly can and should at the very least slow them down. I don't see Oklahoma slowing down Florida's much.

Edited January 5, 2009 by Mephistopheles

[Derwood]

i didn't read it the first time

[Mephistopheles]

Maybe you should read it...It's more or less what Florida's going to try to do against the OU offense. The biggest chink in the armor will probably be the tempo not allowing Florida to defensive line sub, then possibly OU gashing the running game. Florida's been really trying to simulate that the best they can in practice by having two scout teams alternating plays and getting only like 10 seconds between snaps.

[imb]

derwood, florida is going to try and pressure sam bradford so that he doesn't have time to make his reads and check down

 

that's what the previous 19 paragraphs just said

[dew1679666265]

I could never see Fullmer, a lifelong Vol, being a Gator. I could see Spurrier bolting to Tennessee just because he's one crazy mo' fo'. If a coach wins, I don't care where he's been before or what he did before. I had no problem cheering for Jim Edmonds when we got him. I'd have no problem cheering for Ryan Braun if we got him (da U and Milwaukee = yuck). The only guys in sports I don't think I could cheer for under any circumstances are: Roger Clemens, Derek Jeter and Darnell Dockett.

 

Didn't he break a Florida player's leg or something?

 

And a coach on a rival team that I would absolutely love to see coaching the Vols is Mark Richt. There are few players I simply could not root for under any circumstances, though Alex Brown comes pretty close after that six sack thrashing he gave the Vols.

 

EDIT: Just out of morbid curiosity, it'd be really interesting to see Fulmer coaching Alabama. It'd never happen, but it'd be funny.

 

He did two things. First, he twisted Earnest Graham's bum knee in the bottom of a dog pile, causing him to miss that 9/11 reschedule Vols game (where a win sends Spurrier to the national title...). In the same game, he tried to smash Rex Grossmans hand by stepping on it on the sideline.

 

Yeah, I remember it now. The funny thing is, after we won that game we were a win-and-in for the national title. Then we lost to LSU and Matt Mauck in the SEC Championship game. :banghead:

 

Then we utterly dismantled Michigan in the Outback Bowl.

[Mephistopheles]

derwood, florida is going to try and pressure sam bradford so that he doesn't have time to make his reads and check down

 

that's what the previous 19 paragraphs just said

 

not really. point #3 had nothing to do with pressure.

[Mephistopheles]

Yeah, I remember it now. The funny thing is, after we won that game we were a win-and-in for the national title. Then we lost to LSU and Matt Mauck in the SEC Championship game. :banghead:

 

Then we utterly dismantled Michigan in the Outback Bowl.

 

Wasn't that the game where Rohan Davey was knocked out and Mauck came out of nowhere to beat you guys. And then disappeared until their championship season?

[imb]

getting dismantled in the outback bowl, meph knows all about that (though he probably wasnt a florida fan in 2003)

[dew1679666265]

Yeah, I remember it now. The funny thing is, after we won that game we were a win-and-in for the national title. Then we lost to LSU and Matt Mauck in the SEC Championship game. :banghead:

 

Then we utterly dismantled Michigan in the Outback Bowl.

 

Wasn't that the game where Rohan Davey was knocked out and Mauck came out of nowhere to beat you guys. And then disappeared until their championship season?

 

Yep. Tennessee was up seven at halftime, Davey and LaBrandon Toefield went out in the third quarter and freaking Matt Mauck led them to the championship.

 

Despite that result, that Tennessee offense was likely the only team that could have come close to hanging with Miami in the title game. We'd have probably lost by 14 or so, but I think it would have been competitive.

 

That team had Casey Clausen, Kelley Washington, Donte Stallworth, Travis Stephens, Jason Witten and Fred Weary all on offense and Albert Haynesworth, John Henderson, Kevin Burnett, Rashad Baker, Jabari Greer and Will Overstreet all on defense. They were stacked - not like the 01 Miami team was stacked, but stacked nonetheless.

[manbearcub]

getting dismantled in the outback bowl, meph knows all about that (though he probably wasnt a florida fan in 2003)

 

 

you rang?

[Mephistopheles]

Yep. Tennessee was up seven at halftime, Davey and LaBrandon Toefield went out in the third quarter and freaking Matt Mauck led them to the championship.

 

Despite that result, that Tennessee offense was likely the only team that could have come close to hanging with Miami in the title game. We'd have probably lost by 14 or so, but I think it would have been competitive.

 

That team had Casey Clausen, Kelley Washington, Donte Stallworth, Travis Stephens, Jason Witten and Fred Weary all on offense and Albert Haynesworth, John Henderson, Kevin Burnett, Rashad Baker, Jabari Greer and Will Overstreet all on defense. They were stacked - not like the 01 Miami team was stacked, but stacked nonetheless.

 

Florida could have hung with them. That Florida team might have been Spurriers' best. Rex should have won the Heisman Trophy. On the edge he had Jabar Gaffney, Reche Caldwell and Taylor Jacobs. Earnest Graham and Gillespie, the pass catching back at RB. I think Steve went something like 30-2 when Graham got more than 10 carries in a game. Ben Troupe and Aaron Walker at TE. On defense Lito Shepherd, Ratliff and Alex Brown.

[dew1679666265]

Yep. Tennessee was up seven at halftime, Davey and LaBrandon Toefield went out in the third quarter and freaking Matt Mauck led them to the championship.

 

Despite that result, that Tennessee offense was likely the only team that could have come close to hanging with Miami in the title game. We'd have probably lost by 14 or so, but I think it would have been competitive.

 

That team had Casey Clausen, Kelley Washington, Donte Stallworth, Travis Stephens, Jason Witten and Fred Weary all on offense and Albert Haynesworth, John Henderson, Kevin Burnett, Rashad Baker, Jabari Greer and Will Overstreet all on defense. They were stacked - not like the 01 Miami team was stacked, but stacked nonetheless.

 

Florida could have hung with them. That Florida team might have been Spurriers' best. Rex should have won the Heisman Trophy. On the edge he had Jabar Gaffney, Reche Caldwell and Taylor Jacobs. Earnest Graham and Gillespie, the pass catching back at RB. I think Steve went something like 30-2 when Graham got more than 10 carries in a game. Ben Troupe and Aaron Walker at TE. On defense Lito Shepherd, Ratliff and Alex Brown.

 

Yeah, you're right. Either Tennessee or Florida could've given em heck, but that Miami team was unreal. Ed Reed, Andre Johnson, Willis McGahee, Frank Gore, Vince Wilfork, Dan Morgan, D.J. Williams (I think) are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. There was much more NFL talent on that team.

[Mephistopheles]

Final 2001 Sagarin Predictor, not that it means anything.

 

108.70 - Miami

105.98 - Florida

96.35 - Texas

93.58 - Nebraska

90.89 - Tennessee

 

Miami and Florida were really off the charts that year. The seperation between USC and Texas compared to the rest of college football in 2005 was only four points, not ten.

 

 

Edit: That might have been DJ Williams freshman year where he was on offense. I don't remember. Dan Morgan had to have been gone by then. It was Vilma, I think. Not that that's a dropoff.

[dew1679666265]

Final 2001 Sagarin Predictor, not that it means anything.

 

108.70 - Miami

105.98 - Florida

96.35 - Texas

93.58 - Nebraska

90.89 - Tennessee

 

Miami and Florida were really off the charts that year. The seperation between USC and Texas compared to the rest of college football in 2005 was only four points, not ten.

 

 

Edit: That might have been DJ Williams freshman year where he was on offense. I don't remember.

 

I'm surprised Tennessee's not higher on that list. And you may be right on DJ Williams, I knew he went to Miami but couldn't remember his timeline off the top of my head.

[Mephistopheles]

Those were the days when Spurrier was running it up like Stoops, I think they beat Vandy 70-6 or something that year.

[dew1679666265]

Those were the days when Spurrier was running it up like Stoops, I think they beat Vandy 70-6 or something that year.

 

Ah, that probably helped the Sagarin ranking.

 

Just out of curiosity, do you have the Sagarin ratings from the 1998 season? I don't know how far he goes back, but I'd be curious to see where UT's national championship ranks with the rest of the teams that year.

[Mephistopheles]

99.20 Ohio St

98.49 Tennessee

97.44 Florida St

96.28 Kansas St

93.72 Florida

[imb]

99.20 Ohio St

98.49 Tennessee

97.44 Florida St

96.28 Kansas St

93.72 Florida

 

what about OU's 2000 championship season

[Guest]

Final 2001 Sagarin Predictor, not that it means anything.

 

108.70 - Miami

105.98 - Florida

96.35 - Texas

93.58 - Nebraska

90.89 - Tennessee

 

Miami and Florida were really off the charts that year. The seperation between USC and Texas compared to the rest of college football in 2005 was only four points, not ten.

 

 

Edit: That might have been DJ Williams freshman year where he was on offense. I don't remember.

 

I'm surprised Tennessee's not higher on that list. And you may be right on DJ Williams, I knew he went to Miami but couldn't remember his timeline off the top of my head.

 

Here is a roster from that season. 16 players from that team (obviously not all of them started that year) ended up being first round draft picks.

[hotshot13422]

Final 2001 Sagarin Predictor, not that it means anything.

 

108.70 - Miami

105.98 - Florida

96.35 - Texas

93.58 - Nebraska

90.89 - Tennessee

 

Miami and Florida were really off the charts that year. The seperation between USC and Texas compared to the rest of college football in 2005 was only four points, not ten.

 

 

Edit: That might have been DJ Williams freshman year where he was on offense. I don't remember.

 

I'm surprised Tennessee's not higher on that list. And you may be right on DJ Williams, I knew he went to Miami but couldn't remember his timeline off the top of my head.

 

Here is a roster from that season. 16 players from that team (obviously not all of them started that year) ended up being first round draft picks.

 

They had Willis Mcgahee, Nejah Davenport, Frank Gore, and Walter Payton's son... Holy crap, they were loaded at RB! NFL teams would DIE to have that group on their team!

 

Oh yeah, they had Ed Reed, Sean Taylor, and Antrel Rolle in the secondary... and both Jeremy Shockey and Kellen Winslow at TE. My god...

[Mephistopheles]

99.20 Ohio St

98.49 Tennessee

97.44 Florida St

96.28 Kansas St

93.72 Florida

 

what about OU's 2000 championship season

 

104.00 Florida St

99.88 Miami

99.35 Oklahoma

93.91 Nebraska

92.27 Va Tech

[TruffleShuffle]

99.20 Ohio St

98.49 Tennessee

97.44 Florida St

96.28 Kansas St

93.72 Florida

 

what about OU's 2000 championship season

 

104.00 Florida St

99.88 Miami

99.35 Oklahoma

93.91 Nebraska

92.27 Va Tech

 

and miami beat florida state that year.

[TruffleShuffle]

Heh.

 

More of a relation to Percy Harvin, sorry Tenn and UGA fans.

 

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r226/franker_ch/MorenoHit.gif

 

So you like watching a Florida player hump a Georgia player for a couple seconds after tackling him?

 

yeah that's pretty gay, meph.

 

and on a side note, how on earth did that not get a taunting penalty? apparently florida paid the refs more that game. if you're not throwing a flag on that then just do away with the penalty altogether.