For me, it's like my favorite bands. My rock sweet spot is from 1968-1976. As such, my favorite rock bands are from this period. I was a Gator fan long before attending the university from 1979-1982, but those were my formative CFB years, and as such, my top three were, and remain: 1. Georgia. One can never beat them enough or by enough points. 2. Miami. This was the era of Schnellenberger and the hated helmet head, Jimmy Johnson, who encouraged the gangsta persona. 3. FSU. Started out dismissing them as a little brother, but grew to hate them when they (and Miami) were stealing our blue chippers starting in 1985. Others would include Aiburn at Jordan-Hare, Tennessee at Rocky Top, and LSU at Red Stick...
Who each fan hates the most depends on age and experience really. The oldest of the fans tend to hate UGA the most, but those that came onboard during the Bowden and Fulmer era have a real dislike for UT-F$U. Until Smart came onboard, we dominated UGA for two decades while F$U was an annual fight for top 5 finishes. I grew up in Tally as a Gator and loath that program above all else, even now living in GA, that hasn’t changed. UGA is now trying to out criminal the Criminoles, an interesting goal to work towards by all means. That’s why I think the tier rating is probably the most accurate. It depends on the age of the fan and which rivalry caused the most heartburn in their youth.
FSU lost 75% of last year's team. However, they do have a way of reloading. But I don't think they have the over all high-end talent, especially at QB, that they had last year. LSU has Nussmeier... he's no Jayden Daniels, but he's quick enough on his feet to get out of a jam. We'll see if he can toss the ball down field with any accuracy. But the LSU talking heads are giddy about their running back, Kaleb Jackson, whom they claim runs a 10.6 in the 100 at 6'0" 235 lbs. They also think he is the second coming of Earl Campbell... LMAO about that. I hope that massive hyperbole. And the back-up running back Caden Durham, 5'9" that's supposed to be even faster than Kaleb. But they lost one of their blocking TE's that we had originally wanted, Mac Markway, to the portal. That messes up their plans to run the ball at will. So they might need to re-work their running game a bit because of that. I see a pre-Burrow run first offense coming from LSU, so we had better get our run-stopping defense up and going by the time we play them in Gainesville.
I think the top teams in order from the most difficult are: 1. UGA 2. Texas 3. Ole Miss 4. Tennessee 5. LSU 6. Miami 7. FSU 8. A&M 9. Kentucky 10. MSU 11. UCF 12. Samford
I agree, but I also expect some shake up in that order. Will be better and will be worse than everybody thinks. I hope we’re the ones that she weigh up that list because To be between the ninth and 10th team there
I agree, if Conner Weigman is fully recovered and plays as advertised, then A&M might move up in the difficulty scale. But we still have a history of playing them close and that game is in Gainesville, so I expect a win in a close game at home. And Kentucky... if we don't learn how to stop the run, then we won't win 6 games... That's how important that aspect of our defense is. By the way, Kentucky will come out with totally different set pieces/blocking schemes and game plays just for the Gators, so I hope our coaches adjust on the fly because that's how they roll.
Totally depends on how old you are and what history you have experienced. For me, fsu is my most hated rival. They're Johnny-come-lately fair-weather fans that we have to recruit against and listen to when they're winning. Next is Georgia. After that, it's probably a tie between TN, LSU, and Miami. Some people remember Auburn games, but, they are too few-and-far between to be meaningful now. There are probably a handful of other schools who think they are our rival, but, they are not.
