Spurrier must be thinking where was the 12 team playoff when I coached

Yep. I think of 2001 with a healthy E Graham after that delayed game loss to UT. 1995? Dont know how anybody could have beaten that Nebraska team.

Your point however could also apply to Bowden and all the missed FGs and losses to Miami. Even 1997, the 32-29 win by UF over the semis.

 

We wouldn't have been eligible in 1990. I would have liked our chances with 10 trips to the playoffs without having to worry about the SEC refs.

 

Just my own opinion of how we would have done each year...Admittedly through my O&B glasses.
I'll just do 1990-1996 for now...
1990- not eligible
1991- Actual results: 10-1 regular season. Miami/ Washington split the NC.
My predicted playoff finish: Won it all- assuming we had regular season defense for the playoffs. (Not the bowl defense.)
Why? We finished 3rd in the regular season and had some great wins. Miami wasn't all that. (see 92 season.)

1992- 8-4. Lost to Bama in SECCG. Bama beat Miami in Sugar for title.
My predicted finish: No playoff, or 1st round loss.

1993- 10-2 regular season. SEC champs. FSU national title. (After ND loss.)
My predicted finish. Florida in final 2 vs FSU. Coin flip game if we have neutral refs.
Why? We lost 2 fluky games that year- Auburn and FSU. We destroyed 11-0 WVA.

1994- 10-1-1 regular season. SEC champs. Nebraska national title over Miami.
My predicted finish: Lose in Final 4, which would have been FSU/ Miami and Nebraska and us.

1995- 11-0 regular season. SEC champs. Nebraska national title over us.
My predicted finish: Lose in final game to NU. IMO with a playoff we play better than we did, but still lose.

1996- 10-1 regular season. SEC champs. We win NC over FSU.
My predicted finish: Win title over Nebraska or FSU in title game.

So through O&B glasses we win in 91 and have a 50/50 game in 93 in addition to our title in 96.
I'll do 97-01 in a later post.

 

I don't know if you would've only got one more or five more but he would've damn sure. Been playing to win some games in the playoffs. We had some good teams that got knocked out by one loss. You can't win them all.

 

1998 makes a run at it I think. They sort of fly under the radar amongst Spurrier’s teams but they were strong. Played two terrible games against Tennessee and FSU and almost won both.

 

This years playoffs tell you the top ranked teams isnt a science

 

We have Nole fan!!!

 

2001 Darnell Friggin Dockett. His name will forever be Mudd in my book! With a playoff Sexy Rexy and Co. win a Natty. And I'm not talking Lite beer.

This would have taken a championship from an admittedly loaded scUM team with first year Uncle Fester at the helm and eventually evened us up 4-4.

 

We might have hung onto SOS longer too

Darnell Dockett rates right up there with Jane Fonda at the pinnacle of my hate list

 

So to continue on my earlier post...
97- 10-2 with a fluky loss to LSU. Final ranking #4.
Nebraska and Michigan split the NC.
My predicted finish: We could have won it all, but I'll say a finals loss to Nebraska.

98-10-2. OT loss to Tennessee. Fluke loss to FSU thanks to pre-game melee. Final rank #5 but we were far better than this.
Tennessee beat an FSU team playing their 2nd string QB to win the NC.
My predicted finish: With decent refs we win it all. We lost to the 2 finalists and both needed miracles to beat us.

99: 9-4. Fluke loss to Bama in regular season, but beatdown by Bama in SECCG.
Undefeated FSU beat undefeated Virginia Tech to win the NC.
My predicted finish: We weren't a good team by the end. If we made the playoff IMO we lose in the first round.

00- 10-3 final record. SEC champs. Lost to FSU in Tally and State in Starkville. Huge improvement over 99.
Oklahoma beat FSU to win the NC.
My predicted finish: We were good but IMO we make the final 8 and lose to OU, FSU or Miami.

01- 10-2 final record. 3 point loss to Auburn, 2 point loss to Tenn. Both flukes. #3 final ranking.
Nationally- Miami beat Nebraska to win a title.
My predicted finish: We easily make the final game vs.Miami.
Do we win?
Some say this Miami team was one of the best ever. HOWEVER...
A closer look reveals them as a good team playing a crap schedule. Sort of like tOSU in 06.
so yeah- we win this one. It's closer than the 06 NC game, but not within 10 points.
GAtors national title.

So in total I have
2 more national titles in 98 and 01 and frankily I don't think that's even debatable.
Plus a finals game loss in 97.

We really had a dumb system back then.
It really punished teams in a tough conference and with a difficult schedule, while rewarding teams who played a crap schedule.
Which is why Bobby went for the ACC in 91.
It made sense at that time. Plus he was a coward.

 

If only we had a 12 team playoff back then. I can't believe people complain about too many teams in the playoff. The other alternative is watching two or four teams which were off in the wrong teams

 

Them's fightin' words. This could be fun to watch.

 

I think the way Foley handled the situation after the Nole A.D. dissed SOS is why Spurrier left.

 

So I covered our theoretical matchup with Miami in my (long) post detailing out each year.
I feel pretty strongly we would have beaten that Miami team, though many rate that as one of the best ever.

However, a closer look at their schedule shows a really weak schedule. To give details...
Their best win was against Nebraska in the title game. However, that NU team had just lost to 15th ranked Colorado 62-36.
Nebraska didnt' even win their conference!!! What a joke.

Miami's 2nd best win was over 8-4 Virginia Tech. Miami won by a whopping 2 points 26-24. (Missed 2 point conversion.)
Next best win was Syracuse, who finished 14th that year.

Miami did not beat a team who finished the year ranked in the top 10 outside Nebraska.

Meanwhile we barely lost to a UT team who finished 4th, and we destroyed LSU who finished top 10.

Oh yeah- with a playoff we would have beaten Miami. What a pretender.

 

Part of it for sure.

 

The 98 team with a better QB goes undefeated, the D was fantastic that year.

 

Ya I think so too. I haven’t looked up the stats from that year, but i *feel* like Johnson/Palmer had a decent year. Just not Shane/Danny/Rex level good.

 

The 2001 team is so depressing to me. I think they were one of the best UF teams ever, despite not having any hardware to show for it…and they had it all there for the taking. Miami was stacked, yes, but in a one game matchup with a month to prepare, are you gonna take Spurrier or Coker? UF and Miami were clearly the best two teams that year and a playoff, I believe, would’ve proven that.

91, 93, and 94 could’ve definitely made a playoff run, but those years had a lot of other high end competition with FSU, Nebraska, Miami, Penn State, etc.