How Do We Get To 8 Wins?….7 Wins….6 Wins?

How do we get to eight wins?

Put the same quality product on the field that we have for the past two seasons for two more years.

 

He has to do well enough (not sure on win total) to hang on to 23-24 class. If the wheels fall off and he loses Lagway, then its sayonara after 24.

Recruiting success is his only hope, ultimately its the only thing that can get this program out of the gutter.

 

Well, that and just a smidge of competent coaching. If we can't get 11 5-stars to line up right before the snap, the quality of the player won't matter at all.

 

Actually, it is even worse than that. Miami's record since 2010 is 96-68 (.585), also had five coaches, and can't sell out a single concession stand. Even when they were great, they struggled to draw fans in a city that either don't follow CFB or has allegiances for schools elsewhere, mostly up north, hence the nickname University of New Jersey at Coral Gables...

 

Who are they playing besides lsu ?

 

Miami isn’t typical , foreigners, tourists and transplants.

 

Recruiting success isn’t optional for any team. Buying talent is the first step and no one can skip having players.

 

I'm sure they think the same of Florida these days. Remember those heady days when Gator fans believed EVERY team played the Gators as though it was their MNC game? How many of those teams you listed expect a win against us? Even freaking VANDY! Last decade:

Vanderbilt: 8-2
Missouri: 5-5
Kentucky: 7-3
S. Carolina: 6-4

Total: 26-14 (.650)

From 2000-2009:

Kentucky: 10-0
S. Carolina: 9-1
Vandy: 10-0

Total: 29-1 (.967)

Difference: - 0.317

Granted, they developed some solid teams, but USCe was mostly solid since 2000. There no longer is fear to play the Gators.

We CAN recover. Tennessee was 78-82 from 2008-2020, but Heupel appears to have turned it around (may be too early to tell at this time, as Butch Jones looked to have done the same from 2014-2016). I'm rooting HARD for Billy to succeed. It's embarrassing to go through so many coaches in a short span. In this day and age, however, poor performance will chase off blue chippers and fill the dreaded Portal. I don't know what secret potion Norvell, Heupel and others have to achieve portal success, but we better get us some...

 

Which is what I said...

 

Yep, those demographics aren’t your typical rabid college football fans.

 

The days of us competing for championships appears to be behind us. I'd be happy with 8-9 win seasons at this point.

Anything to not have to witness the abysmal display last Thursday.

 

If our administrations said that to the fanbase, I’d quit watching until new leadership took over. I’m fine as long as we are competing but to be ok with being second rate is something I can’t willingly accept.

 

Florida?

Remember SEC schools get to play Florida too

 

Toilet paper math. 2=8 here.

Beat UGA and FSU = 2. Factor in the FU/Hate multiplyer, brings us to *8*.

That would suit me fine.

Rest of the schedule is negotiable.

 

I dont think he's tanking expectations to then say "look how far we have come" when/if he wins 10 games. I think from the beginning he's been telling people it's a process and it won't be fixed overnight.

The flipside to that would be, he went after Mertz, if you believe what we are being told he and the staff wanted Mertz. So if Mertz is unable to perform better, and is on par with a bottom 4 QB in the league that's strike 1. Because I'm guessing the hope is he need to play 23 and 24 to give lagway some time to develop.

Mullen did leave the program in shambles, Napier inherited something less than what any of the previous 5 guys inherited, right? Mullen had success but it was fools gold and for 3 years he allowed UF to fall behind with recruiting. Which probably has a longer lasting effect with high school relationships and just overall vibes than we even know as fans. Napier has pretty quickly turned that around and turned recruiting into a positive.

So this upcoming class has to stick. If he starts losing momentum in recruiting and we lose 8 games. Then yeah the tide will start to shift. I for one hope that's not the case and still believe you can recruit at a top level selling kids on playing time and the future. Maybe he has to have a moment like Jimbo or Harbaugh where he has to evaluate himself and give up play calling to be successfull at this level. I want to see Napier at UF in 2035.

 

The season record certainly does. But win or lose, steady improvement throughout the year means just as much to me, personally.

 

Well that would beg the basic question as to why UF fields a football team in the first place. To compete for SEC titles and an occasional natty or for some other reason? If it is for any other reason than competing for hardware, then wtaf? We are going to have to earn our way out of being a national punchline, because that is, sadly, what we are at present.

 

These are the 3 games that will determine our season.
We have lost 6 of 7 SEC road games in the last 2 years.
Wouldn't be surprised if we lost all 3.

• • • South Carolina 58.9% --> 53.6% (down 5.3% from last week)
    • Missouri 58.1% —> 47.8% (down 10.3%)
    • Kentucky 48.1% --> 33.8% (down 14.3% from last week)

 

It remains my strong conviction that this has been the long term goal of the University - managing expectations downward.

 

If that is the case they better be careful what they wish for. If they kill football, the rest of the sports won't be far behind.