Florida-Tennessee Game

[SpookyAction]

This is a myth that they don't have talent right now. They have been poorly coached and that is something that can make it seem like they are untalented (something we are familiar with from the Dooley-Butch-Pruitt years). They are currently 12th on the team talent composite for 2024, we are 17th.

2024 College Football Team Talent Composite

In order to create the most comprehensive Team Recruiting Ranking without any notion of bias, 247Sports Team Recruiting Ranking is solely based on the 247Sports Composite Rating.

247sports.com

We should win because Heupel > Napier many times over, unless the strange voodoo that has hovered over the series for years rears it's head. They are not untalented though, they have more 4 and 5 star players than we do.

We were 15th in talent composite in both 2018 and 2020. How talented were those teams really? The talent composite is revealing, but doesn't factor anything after enrollment, so not a complete picture of the team in 2024. They are spinning their wheels. They are in their Dooley phase.

I have been putting much more stock in PFF grades. The tiers within the system — 90-100 is elite, 85-89 is Pro Bowl level for NFL players, 70 to 84 is a starter and 60-69 is a backup. Anything 59 and below is considered a replaceable talent. The Florida offense played just barely above replacement level with a 60.7 grade vs Miami. Their scores against Samford were excellent, but I don't find PFF very meaningful against FCS teams.
Analyzing PFF offensive grades for Florida in Week 1 loss to Miami

"Overall Breakdown​

Florida earned a team grade of 60.7, which is below our 65.0 threshold. In fact, the only areas of the game where the Gators performed above replacement level came in running situations (75.1) on offense and against the run (85.5) on defense.

The Gators struggled the most while passing the ball (37.1), and also performed poorly in coverage (50.7)."

I made the same argument that UF was talented all of last season, and I came to the conclusion that their upperclassmen 4 and 5 stars are not rising as you would expect. Those upperclassmen just aren't playing enough above their entry talent level. UF just has not coached the boys up.

I don't believe there is voodoo or anything like it involved with UF. They have been better coached and had superior better winning culture than we have since Urban Meyer went to Gainesville. The tide has turned. We all feel it.

 

[crucdvol]

Some eateries for Friday night/Saturday if it’s a night game:
Littons
Ribs at Calhouns on the River
Ye Olde Steak House

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

We were 15th in talent composite in both 2018 and 2020. How talented were those teams really? The talent composite is revealing, but doesn't factor anything after enrollment, so not a complete picture of the team in 2024. They are spinning their wheels. They are in their Dooley phase.

I have been putting much more stock in PFF grades. The tiers within the system — 90-100 is elite, 85-89 is Pro Bowl level for NFL players, 70 to 84 is a starter and 60-69 is a backup. Anything 59 and below is considered a replaceable talent. The Florida offense played just barely above replacement level with a 60.7 grade vs Miami. Their scores against Samford were excellent, but I don't find PFF very meaningful against FCS teams.
Analyzing PFF offensive grades for Florida in Week 1 loss to Miami

"Overall Breakdown​

Florida earned a team grade of 60.7, which is below our 65.0 threshold. In fact, the only areas of the game where the Gators performed above replacement level came in running situations (75.1) on offense and against the run (85.5) on defense.

The Gators struggled the most while passing the ball (37.1), and also performed poorly in coverage (50.7)."

I made the same argument that UF was talented all of last season, and I came to the conclusion that their upperclassmen 4 and 5 stars are not rising as you would expect. Those upperclassmen just aren't playing enough above their entry talent level. UF just has not coached the boys up.

I don't believe there is voodoo or anything like it involved with UF. They have been better coached and had superior better winning culture than we have since Urban Meyer went to Gainesville. The tide has turned. We all feel it.

Pruitt was an absolutely horrible coach, and part of coaching is certainly development. People think we are more talented now and I don't think the raw talent has really changed much, Heupel is just a coach who can get a player to maximize and reach his potential. We had 3 dudes in a row who could take a Top 15-20 roster and go 5-7 with it as easily as not. Now this incoming class (for 2025) will be a true step up in talent from what we have had in the last few years but Heupel's improvement to date is mostly just due to him being so much better of a coach than the 3 stooges and getting our players to perform at a level our players should have been performing at all along (or better).

 

[NighthawkVol]

We were 15th in talent composite in both 2018 and 2020. How talented were those teams really? The talent composite is revealing, but doesn't factor anything after enrollment, so not a complete picture of the team in 2024. They are spinning their wheels. They are in their Dooley phase.

I have been putting much more stock in PFF grades. The tiers within the system — 90-100 is elite, 85-89 is Pro Bowl level for NFL players, 70 to 84 is a starter and 60-69 is a backup. Anything 59 and below is considered a replaceable talent. The Florida offense played just barely above replacement level with a 60.7 grade vs Miami. Their scores against Samford were excellent, but I don't find PFF very meaningful against FCS teams.
Analyzing PFF offensive grades for Florida in Week 1 loss to Miami

"Overall Breakdown​

Florida earned a team grade of 60.7, which is below our 65.0 threshold. In fact, the only areas of the game where the Gators performed above replacement level came in running situations (75.1) on offense and against the run (85.5) on defense.

The Gators struggled the most while passing the ball (37.1), and also performed poorly in coverage (50.7)."

I made the same argument that UF was talented all of last season, and I came to the conclusion that their upperclassmen 4 and 5 stars are not rising as you would expect. Those upperclassmen just aren't playing enough above their entry talent level. UF just has not coached the boys up.

I don't believe there is voodoo or anything like it involved with UF. They have been better coached and had superior better winning culture than we have since Urban Meyer went to Gainesville. The tide has turned. We all feel it.

Yep. The thing many of our fans don’t want to admit is that Florida was just better most of those years. Tennessee should have won last year, but the missing offensive linemen and poor QB play killed us. The defense finally showed up in the 2nd half, but the offense was just awful. Other than that, Florida has just been better. And the winning culture you mentioned gave them an advantage in close games.