Momentum. UF had it, UT is bleeding it

#51
#51
I like Napier. He's a good coach. UF is in good hands. UF fans know that, too. That's why he had their unwavering support all season.
I guess since UF has momentum, it has fixed the dysfunctional athletic department, too.
Maybe we can buy out the game next year and play an easy team like FSU.
 
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#52
#52
PEPPERJAX said:
Look man I like Lagway and think he is going to be very good but please pump the brakes on the Mahomes comparison. He had 12 TDs and 9 INTs on the year while Nico had 19 TDs and 5 picks. I somewhat get the point of this argument from the link but what if the shoe was on the other foot? What if UT finished 7-5 beating LSU and Ole Miss, then thumped umm Tulane in a lower tier bowl compared to UF making the playoffs getting whipped by OSU? Would you really feel like UT was in a better spot compared to UF? Momentum does not always carry over into the next year either. Perfect example, 2004 Vols finished 10-3 losing in the SECCG to an undefeated Auburn team by 10 points. That 2004 season was the last time the Vols beat UGA, UF, and bama during the same year. We capped off the 2004 campaign destroying a hapless Texas A&M team. The consensus from just about every UT fan was that we were going to win a minimum of 10 games and reach ATL for the SECCG. It made sense too, we returned a talented QB, veteran OL/DL, two NFL RBs in the same backfield, and NFL players galore were on that roster. The team went 5-6 and to this day remains the most disappointing football season I have witnessed, especially when you factor in how talented the roster was. Who knows, maybe UF has a great 2025 season but I don't see it with Napier personally. Too many coaching blunders during his time there to this point.

From the article BTW about the UT game...... But for coaching malpractice, Florida would’ve won the game in regulation
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I agree that one cannot assume that momentum will continue into the next season, but its as good a gauge as any as to where you are. And its not about the snapshot in time comparing UF's win over Tulane in an oh-by-the-way bowl versus UT's first round loss in the playoffs and which was "higher quality."

I just don't see how anyone viewing this objectively would not conclude that UF, over the course of the season, was improving week to week whereas UT stalled and perhaps took a few steps backward in the loss to tOSU. Combine that with portal and recruiting on the uptrend for UF and again seemingly stalled for UT, and I think UF fans are optimistic for next year whereas UT fans have a sense of trepidation about 2025.
 
#53
#53
lawgator1 said:
No doubt but that's a snapshot in time. The point is, UF is ascending and UT seems at best stalled. Do you not agree ?
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I remember many years ago somebody started thread asking whether Kirby Smart had reached his ceiling. I thought "that is the stupidest thing I have ever seen on the internet."

Tennessee is not very good, but they're not very good in the playoffs. It is what it is. Billy Napier seems to be a very stupid person, but he's recruiting well. Are they getting better with a .500 record? sure they are. It's easy to get better when you're terrible. Josh Heupel seems less stupid than Napier, but he is certainly going to have to both coach better and recruit better to be as good as whoever is going to win. Somebody is going to win it and Tennessee is not that good.
 
#54
#54
lawgator1 said:
I agree that one cannot assume that momentum will continue into the next season, but its as good a gauge as any as to where you are. And its not about the snapshot in time comparing UF's win over Tulane in an oh-by-the-way bowl versus UT's first round loss in the playoffs and which was "higher quality."

I just don't see how anyone viewing this objectively would not conclude that UF, over the course of the season, was improving week to week whereas UT stalled and perhaps took a few steps backward in the loss to tOSU. Combine that with portal and recruiting on the uptrend for UF and again seemingly stalled for UT, and I think UF fans are optimistic for next year whereas UT fans have a sense of trepidation about 2025.
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9-3 type of season would be my guess.
 
#56
#56
lawgator1 said:
I agree that one cannot assume that momentum will continue into the next season, but its as good a gauge as any as to where you are. And its not about the snapshot in time comparing UF's win over Tulane in an oh-by-the-way bowl versus UT's first round loss in the playoffs and which was "higher quality."

I just don't see how anyone viewing this objectively would not conclude that UF, over the course of the season, was improving week to week whereas UT stalled and perhaps took a few steps backward in the loss to tOSU. Combine that with portal and recruiting on the uptrend for UF and again seemingly stalled for UT, and I think UF fans are optimistic for next year whereas UT fans have a sense of trepidation about 2025.
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Tennessee started and finished better than expected. And beat 2 of their 3 most important rivals. Lagway looks promising, but threw a ton of picks in a short amount of time. Tennessee was plagued by injuries and still living the repercussions of the recruiting restrictions placed on it by Pruitt. At the end of the day though Tennessee is still light years ahead of where it’s supposed to be at this point.

I’m not exactly rosy and excited to have to play in Gainesville next year, but the idea that Lagway is so much better that everyone would take him over Nico is laughable. Tennessee has to finally develop a good O-line at some point and the Heupel recruited receivers need to figure it out, but Florida is also a still deeply flawed team. One bad performance is not indicative of momentum. Recruiting has stalled? We were flipping people in December and just got an On3 crystal ball for one of the best OTs in the portal. Get over yourself LG.
 
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#57
#57
PEPPERJAX said:
9-3 type of season would be my guess.
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For who?
I will say, strength of schedule favors you considerably.

Florida has a brutal schedule again. After the two usual scrimmages, we are at LSU, then at Miami. A week off and we host Texas. MSU at home, but then Georgia, at Ole Miss, you guys at home, then finish with FSU.

Your toughest games are at Alabama, Oklahoma at home, and UF at our house
 
#58
#58
lawgator1 said:
For who?
I will say, strength of schedule favors you considerably.

Florida has a brutal schedule again. After the two usual scrimmages, we are at LSU, then at Miami. A week off and we host Texas. MSU at home, but then Georgia, at Ole Miss, you guys at home, then finish with FSU.

Your toughest games are at Alabama, Oklahoma at home, and UF at our house
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For UT. But I also wouldn't be surprised to see UT win 10 regular season games. I think Heupel has shown that mediocre to above average seasons are going to be 8-4 or 9-3 types of records. He isn't recruiting in the to 5 but he is landing his fair share of blue chip players signing top 10-12ish classes. If I had to guess, then UF goes 7-5 or 8-4? You should definitely have more insight on the roster than me.
 
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#59
#59
PEPPERJAX said:
For UT. But I also wouldn't be surprised to see UT win 10 regular season games. I think Heupel has shown that mediocre to above average seasons are going to be 8-4 or 9-3 types of records. He isn't recruiting in the to 5 but he is landing his fair share of blue chip players hovering around top ten classes. If I had to guess, then UF goes 7-5 or 8-4? You should definitely have more insight on the roster than me.
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Looking at our schedule I'd be very happy with 8 wins. But beating LSU at their place? Rough. Miami's home game does not present much of an advantage to them, its just not a college atmosphere. More worried about their 9-year veterans than anything else.
 
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#60
#60
lawgator1 said:
Looking at our schedule I'd be very happy with 8 wins. But beating LSU at their place? Rough. Miami's home game does not present much of an advantage to them, its just not a college atmosphere. More worried about their 9-year veterans than anything else.
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Miami could very well be an average ACC team without Cam Ward and while LSU is tough at home, I personally think Kelly has peaked with LSU. He is one more 8-4 season away from being shown the door.
 
#61
#61
lawgator1 said:
I agree that one cannot assume that momentum will continue into the next season, but its as good a gauge as any as to where you are. And its not about the snapshot in time comparing UF's win over Tulane in an oh-by-the-way bowl versus UT's first round loss in the playoffs and which was "higher quality."

I just don't see how anyone viewing this objectively would not conclude that UF, over the course of the season, was improving week to week whereas UT stalled and perhaps took a few steps backward in the loss to tOSU. Combine that with portal and recruiting on the uptrend for UF and again seemingly stalled for UT, and I think UF fans are optimistic for next year whereas UT fans have a sense of trepidation about 2025.
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You are cherry-picking games. Once again, Florida's 49-17 loss at Texas was near the end of the season, and Florida looked worse in that game than they did at any other time in the season. The reality is, Florida didn't get any better. You simply had 2 home games at the end of the season against inconsistent teams.

There is a lot of wishful thinking going on here. You are putting a lot of stock in the portal, for one thing ..... Dan Mullen did great in the portal, and we saw how far it got him.

I also don't see how you can say that Tennessee's recruiting has "stalled." Our 2025 classes were virtually identical.
 
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#62
#62
lawgator1 said:
For who?
I will say, strength of schedule favors you considerably.

Florida has a brutal schedule again. After the two usual scrimmages, we are at LSU, then at Miami. A week off and we host Texas. MSU at home, but then Georgia, at Ole Miss, you guys at home, then finish with FSU.

Your toughest games are at Alabama, Oklahoma at home, and UF at our house
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You forgot Georgia for us also. So by your list 6 tough games for Florida and 4 for Tennessee.

There could be debates on how tough Miami and Florida St will be. Also, Syracuse just had 1 more loss than Miami this year.
 
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#63
#63
lawgator1 said:
For who?
I will say, strength of schedule favors you considerably.

Florida has a brutal schedule again. After the two usual scrimmages, we are at LSU, then at Miami. A week off and we host Texas. MSU at home, but then Georgia, at Ole Miss, you guys at home, then finish with FSU.

Your toughest games are at Alabama, Oklahoma at home, and UF at our house
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MSU and UGA are tough for UF but not UT?

giphy.gif
 
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#64
#64
McDad said:
MSU and UGA are tough for UF but not UT?

View attachment 709420
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611.gif
 
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#65
#65
UTFanForLife said:
You forgot Georgia for us also. So by your list 6 tough games for Florida and 4 for Tennessee.

There could be debates on how tough Miami and Florida St will be. Also, Syracuse just had 1 more loss than Miami this year.
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Who won that Miami vs Syracuse game? Who won’t have Cam Ward next season ?
 
#66
#66
lawgator1 said:
www.usatoday.com

Tale of two rivals: Florida is surging into 2025, Tennessee is bleeding out

Florida is projecting strength, Tennessee is venting vulnerability. Welcome to a wild 2025 offseason.
www.usatoday.com

I dare not post this in the FB forum. But it does feel like UF is building momentum whereas Tennessee is questioning itself to the point it will lose confidence and players.
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They just made the playoff.

We just played Tulane in a bowl game.

They also beat us head to head.

Advantage them.
 
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#67
#67
BowlBrother85 said:
You are cherry-picking games. Once again, Florida's 49-17 loss at Texas was near the end of the season, and Florida looked worse in that game than they did at any other time in the season.
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First, it was on November 9, and four games were played after that so not sure about how accurate it is to say it was "near the end of the season." Second, Lagway was out that game. Not that it would have changed the outcome, but his replacement had a sub .500 completion rate, a whopping 132 yards, and two interceptions. I'd like to think it would not have been as ugly had Lagway played.
 
#68
#68
McDad said:
MSU and UGA are tough for UF but not UT?

View attachment 709420
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I never said that MSU was tough for UF.

But the larger point is that UF played UT to a tie at Neyland and UF had UGA beaten for a while until they blew up. As has been pointed out, UF and UT lost by the same amount to UGA.

That all suggests that UF and UT, top to bottom and over the season, were just about square. We lost to you at your place in OT. But UF got a lot better over the course of the season whereas UT, at best, stalled.

1735244893495.gif
 
#73
#73
lawgator1 said:
I never said that MSU was tough for UF.

But the larger point is that UF played UT to a tie at Neyland and UF had UGA beaten for a while until they blew up. As has been pointed out, UF and UT lost by the same amount to UGA.

That all suggests that UF and UT, top to bottom and over the season, were just about square. We lost to you at your place in OT. But UF got a lot better over the course of the season whereas UT, at best, stalled.

View attachment 709460
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I'm really worried. Napier is an excellent coach and is only getting better.
 
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#74
#74
lawgator1 said:
I honestly don't know why this is that controversial a position, especially given the current landscape on recruiting and the portal.
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Because in the land of the portal and recruiting we have a massive NIL collective and we are essentially equal through the early recruiting period. Even flipping recruits this very month. Our athletic dept is stronger than ever. Yours is in shambles and that’s why Napier is still there. I actually think he can coach and know he’s a good recruiter. But there are lots of red flags flying around the campus in Gainesville. Our red flag is we’re not on an elite level yet.
 
#75
#75
lawgator1 said:
First, it was on November 9, and four games were played after that so not sure about how accurate it is to say it was "near the end of the season." Second, Lagway was out that game. Not that it would have changed the outcome, but his replacement had a sub .500 completion rate, a whopping 132 yards, and two interceptions. I'd like to think it would not have been as ugly had Lagway played.
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November 9th is the last month of the season. It was your last good road test as well. That game against Texas is relevant.

Lagway doesn't play defense. Texas had 562 yards of total offense against Florida, and they had a 35-0 lead at halftime. Texas took it easy on Florida. They beat the living hell out of you.

You are kidding yourself if you think the QB would have changed anything. That's ridiculous. It was 35-0 at halftime!!!!
 
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