Playing Florida later? better or worse?

#26
#26
Just how well did it work out playing UF earlier since Spurrier first arrived in Gainesville? Go back and check the W/L.

Of course it is better to play them later. Especially since for the last 20+ years the team typically finishes stronger than it starts - excluding Dooley of course.
 
#27
#27
Nuclear_Orange said:
probably so. and yes i was misinformed.
It is not so much which team is superior and what not im basing my opinion. It the gameplan. You can tell clearly florida is holding back its first two games for tennessee. If they played anyone where they had to show something then we would be better prepared. Tennessee was successful against them some of those years. So maybe my argument holds water. if the miami teams were good. maybe they showed something.
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This is what I mean by myth.

Have you seen Florida's offense lately? We didn't have anything to show, let alone something to hold back.

In the Spurrier era, I assume after a few years, Tennessee had a good idea of the type of stuff they would see.

This idea that Florida keeps a super secret Tennessee game plan tucked away is absurd.

And if Florida was saving part of the playbook in recent years, why in God's name would they waste it on Tennessee?

Wouldn't they save it for LSU or someone else where they might need it?
 
#28
#28
99gator said:
Can't remember how many times some of these myths have been debunked.

When Tennessee has the superior team, they will win games.

Contrary to popular opinion around these parts, that's been rare.
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Like the BS gaffney catch? Tennessee whipped Florida all over the field only to kick field goals.
 
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#31
#31
Neyland Law Vol said:
I came here to post this.

9 straight speaks for itself.
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As Alabama's program once declined....as Miami's program declined...as the U. of Southern California once declined....as Penn State declined...as Michigan's program declined...as Nebraska's program declined...as Georgia's program once declined...as Texas's program has begun to decline....and our program has declined....Florida is on the verge of it....here is why....

demotivation-posters-auto-314724.jpeg
 
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#32
#32
Under Fulmer, it was always a disadvantage to play UF early. UT always seemed to play better at the end of the season. Not sure about Jones yet. Maybe his teams will do better coming out of the gate. Either way, the change isn't really big enough to matter IMO.

If given a choice, I would rather be UF playing Bama, having an open week, then playing UT than UT playing OU, Open, UGA away, and then UF.
 
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#33
#33
I've always thought that the gators come out of the swamp of the heat into the cool East Tennessee climate like a breath of fresh air and had the upper hand. Let's moderate the climate when we play. We always go down there when we aren't used to the heat of the September of Florida. Take it from someone who ran 3 miles a day in the orange groves of Orlando! GBO :peace2:
 
#34
#34
I guess to rephrase my point differently......

When Tennessee lost 11 in a row to Alabama and now 7 in a row, i bet no one dared or has dared to suggest that the reason was because it was played on the 3rd Saturday of October.

IMO, Tennessee's problems with Florida, primarily, have nothing to do with when Florida appears on the schedule.
 
#35
#35
sjt18 said:
Under Fulmer, it was always a disadvantage to play UF early. UT always seemed to play better at the end of the season. Not sure about Jones yet. Maybe his teams will do better coming out of the gate. Either way, the change isn't really big enough to matter IMO.

If given a choice, I would rather be UF playing Bama, having an open week, then playing UT than UT playing OU, Open, UGA away, and then UF.
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That'll happen when you play South Carolina late in October and then play Vandy/Kentucky in November usually with a cupcake and/or a bad SEC-W team sprinkled in there.

In the 90s/early 2000s it was the SEC-E and pretty much Auburn and then later on LSU with the others having intermittent good years.

We played better because were were also playing against worse. UT's meat/potatoes of it's schedule were over in mid-late October. Our big OOC game. Florida. Georgia. Alabama.

All over by the South Carolina game.
 
#36
#36
99gator said:
I guess to rephrase my point differently......

When Tennessee lost 11 in a row to Alabama and now 7 in a row, i bet no one dared or has dared to suggest that the reason was because it was played on the 3rd Saturday of October.

IMO, Tennessee's problems with Florida, primarily, have nothing to do with when Florida appears on the schedule.
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Agreed.

I think a certain sense of internal dread built up on those teams. Those teams that were filled to the brim with future NFL stars and an overall loaded roster.

We beat ourselves against you guys half the time and the other half a poor run game did the rest.
 
#37
#37
DC Vol said:
That'll happen when you play South Carolina late in October and then play Vandy/Kentucky in November usually with a cupcake and/or a bad SEC-W team sprinkled in there.

In the 90s/early 2000s it was the SEC-E and pretty much Auburn and then later on LSU with the others having intermittent good years.

We played better because were were also playing against worse. UT's meat/potatoes of it's schedule were over in mid-late October. Our big OOC game. Florida. Georgia. Alabama.

All over by the South Carolina game.
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It may or may not have been a factor but UT won the only game between the two in recent history played at the end of the season. If you'll remember, they beat UF in 2001 on 12/1. The game was postponed due to a hurricane.

I tend to think UT was playing better at that point and also that cooler weather favored UT. By and large, I think Fulmer's teams played better at the end of the season regardless of opponent.

I would even make the case that the UT team that lost to LSU in the SEC CG was better than the one that lost to a very mediocre Cal team in the 1st game and was blown out earlier in the season by UF and Bama.
 
#38
#38
sjt18 said:
It may or may not have been a factor but UT won the only game between the two in recent history played at the end of the season. If you'll remember, they beat UF in 2001 on 12/1. The game was postponed due to a hurricane.

I tend to think UT was playing better at that point and also that cooler weather favored UT. By and large, I think Fulmer's teams played better at the end of the season regardless of opponent.

I would even make the case that the UT team that lost to LSU in the SEC CG was better than the one that lost to a very mediocre Cal team in the 1st game and was blown out earlier in the season by UF and Bama.
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May want to rethink that one.
 
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#39
#39
99gator said:
Yes and in this way, it would have helped Tennessee last season as injuries to Florida were brutal.

Generally, I don't think it matters.

Alabama isn't worried about playing Florida in September. That's for sure.
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Yes, generally it really doesnt.
 
#43
#43
sjt18 said:
You're right. It was 9/11 wasn't it? It was a while ago.
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Crazy how long it's been when you think about it.

I think you can break it down into a couple of periods.

Since 2005, Tennessee hasn't been very good and even when Florida wasn't good Tennessee was worse or happened to play worse that day.

Before 2004, for most of that time, Florida had Steve Spurrier. And for part of the Spurrier era, Florida not only had Spurrier, they had Bob Stoops as a defensive coordinator.

I think some people are spending too much time looking at the calendar and not enough time acknowledging that Florida was really, really good for one period of time and Tennessee has really, really struggled during another period of time.
 
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#44
#44
gogators13 said:
The odds in Vegas of that happening aren't good... FL would have to beat Bama and TN would have to be OU..... :crazy:
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Yeah that's pretty much my point. In the 1990's and early 2000's the Tennessee v. Florida game was a major national game. Because both were good then. Florida's coming off a 4-8 year and Tennessee a 5-7. The only way this game gets the country's attention again is for those upsets to occur, then because of their history the buzz will be "the East is back!" Most people (college football talking heads) will tell you the East won't be back until Tennessee and Florida are.
 
#45
#45
1974Vol said:
Yeah that's pretty much my point. In the 1990's and early 2000's the Tennessee v. Florida game was a major national game. Because both were good then. Florida's coming off a 4-8 year and Tennessee a 5-7. The only way this game gets the country's attention again is for those upsets to occur, then because of their history the buzz will be "the East is back!" Most people (college football talking heads) will tell you the East won't be back until Tennessee and Florida are.
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Kind of like the professional leagues, people won't say the East is back until a team from the East goes to Atlanta and wins the SEC title.

Florida in 2008 is a long time ago.
 
#46
#46
dooley2 said:
2012
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Look at the schedule. To come in undefeated the Gators have to knock off Bama and the Vols have to beat OU! That didn't happen in 2012. No one cared about that game, because you have to beat somebody good to be recognized as good. They both come in undefeated this year the buzz for the game is back. That's what "massive national attention" means.
 
#47
#47
99gator said:
Kind of like the professional leagues, people won't say the East is back until a team from the East goes to Atlanta and wins the SEC title.

Florida in 2008 is a long time ago.[/QUOTE

My point exactly, LSU, Bama and Auburn have all won an SEC Championship since anyone in the East has.
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#48
#48
Nuclear_Orange said:
Florida plays alabama before us this year. I think it is very possible we beat them this year. For years this has been in the back of my mind. I always had the theory that since we played Florida early i.e. 3rd or 4th week every year that we were at a disadvantage and here is why. Look at the teams they have played the first 2-3 games of the season the past 10 years. THEY HAVE PLAYED NO ONE! While we have played cal's, Oklahoma's, UCLA's, NCSU, Oregon's, Cincinnati.
Even though some of those teams aren't top 10. The point is you have to go out and try to win these kind of games. You can't keep it vanilla and you have to show personnel, formations, etc. Well they play Florida Atlantic and other teams where they can run ISO right all game long. Well times are changing. With us playing them later in the year I feel like it is going to level the playing field. Does anyone else agree or think this is interesting?
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I'm glad we play them later. The more reps our young guys get before Fl game in Neyland...the better. Go Vols!
 
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#49
#49
Later is definitely better. Later favors our youth development, later is cooler which is better for us, and history favors us in later.
 
#50
#50
99gator said:
Can't remember how many times some of these myths have been debunked.

When Tennessee has the superior team, they will win games.

Contrary to popular opinion around these parts, that's been rare.
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Kiss those days good bye gay-tor boy dooley and his losers are gone..almost. :neener2:
 
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