Food for thought while the sky is falling

Odom is the first. Nor is his departure the thrust of my post which you cherry picked.

 

Lol, we won 5, stick that reality in the middle of your rainbow.

 

The splash hire got them a 76 million dollar buyout. They decided to try the solid coach route.

 

There is a town near the boundary waters between MN and Canada named Elko. Actually, come to think of it, the town is named Esko but is probably about as well known as coach Elko.

 

You get grilled for a lot of stuff you say that is true, but that counters narratives and feelings. I appreciate the good work.

 

See the OP.

 

Dude, I hate to go down the rabbit hole...but here we go. lol

Not if the other team doesn’t automatically classify everyone with that extra COVID year. This happened a lot last year - honestly didn’t care to follow it this year.

Example: Mertz has one more year of eligibility if he wants it - his 6th. We call him a RS Jr, but Wisconsin had him as a RS Jr last year too..…some schools would classify him as a RS Senior this year, Depends on how they decide to handle this nuance, and just bring him back for his "2nd senior season". Same with Banks...He's freaking draft eligible man...He's not "young"....but we have him as a RS Freshman, even though he was a RS Freshman last season. He had 2 RS Freshman seasons.

100% of every COVID eligible player at UF is listed with that extra year. That starts to fade away now, of course, but we’re skewing the classifications on the “younger” side….some schools don’t….so we can’t accurately compare right now.

Again, we're in the weeds....But this viewpoint that we're at a massive disadvantage because of "youth" is just not true (in my eyes).

 

Yup home field advantage has been huge for us.

 

I agree. Never before have the two sports been more connected. SS better hope Golden makes it into the NCAA as his seat is on fire right now. If there is going to be change at the HBC level, SS wont be the one making the decision and both the AD and HBC positions wont open at the same time. The next 4 months will be interesting to watch for the entire athletic program..

 

We will constantly be young because the players are not being developed. The good upperclassmen will leave through the portal (Hopper, Henderson, the 3 OL starters) and the upperclassmen that can’t play will be processed out to make room for …… freshmen. And so you see, 2 years from now we will have just as many 1 and 2 year players on the 2 deep as we do now. Sun Belt Billy’s roster management a ilities have been grossly overestimated.

 

I’m very curious if Spurrier was approached about being the AD prior to Stricklin being hired. It just seems like he would have been the natural fit for the position.

 

So I acknowledge getting pissed off and venting frustration on this thread. I have supported Napier two years running through 14 losses.

It was tooth grinding last night. Heart breaking to beat the pants off FSU for 1-3/4 quarters to see it slip away. AGAIN for the 5th straight time. I wanted the kids to get into a bowl, if for nothing else, to get the practice time in.

I hate what has happened and continues to happen since the Wilson shoe toss, can't do anything about it and finally vented. I want Billy to succeed, I like the man. I can't stand Mullen making his whatever announcer gig salary and chortling about UF when, from all indications, and the majority opinion of this board, seemingly destroyed the program.

Perhaps it's just UFs time to be on the bottom of what is always a circular pattern. Irregardless of the program.

But it's painful, one gets invested and then it's letdown after letdown. I know the kids have not quit, thankfully, and wish the breaks had gone there way just once in the last 5.

I acknowledge they are close and have been competitive. But 17 and 24 is 17 and 24 in the last 41 is a fact.

Everyone on this board now understands Napier's window is narrowing.

I want it to work out, the man has class, but he's in an unforgiving business. We shall see if next season brings happier tidings.

 

I hope that's this is the last of the "Mullen's fault" argument that we see. The sooner Napier is held accountable for his on field production, the faster we can see change.

 

I am not on board with any calls for a head coaching change.

 

I think Napier is safe for now, but the honeymoon is over.

 

This sentiment is full of hope but nothing objectively by any reasonable measure says it’s possible. There isn’t one thing we can point to that says CBN can be a championship coach. And I’d argue that the revolving door was necessary. During the 3M’s tenures/ Wr heard this SAME sentiment. “You guys are impatient. Coaches know best. Look at the offense. Look at the defense. New Year’s Day bowl games. Gator fans are entitled”
It could be argued that all 3 of them could’ve used 5-6-7 years and “maybe it’ll work out”. But I think most of us knew in real time that it wasn’t gonna happen.
Now we are hearing the same sentiment with CBN. And I WANT/HOPE it’s the case… but it’s a HUGE gamble with Texas/Oklahoma coming into the SEC, that if you travel down this road … 1-2 more losing seasons like this and THEN pull the trigger in 2026? Then you’re looking at what? 2028 before you’re maybe good again? I’m not saying he should be fired. I’m just saying that the argument for sticking with someone based on hope and Top 15 recruiting classes - isn’t based in efficacy

 

This of course is not an unreasonable post given the results of the last 2 seasons. But if numerous sources are to be believed Napier is in for 2 more years barring a complete collapse.

Regrettably we are seeing late season swoons 2 years in a row now against quality competition.

Having said that UF was right there in most of these last 5. Hopefully the defense makes a jump, along with the special teams and the offensive line.

It's not a complete stretch to believe UF could go bowling again next season.

I hope coach can keep the class together, the Gators and the fan base need some hope there and of course tagging some help in the transfer portal.

 

This is where we are, forecasting that going to a bowl is not a stretch?!???

 

I understand your concerns but 6 - 6 will get you to a bowl, I don't want to think 6 - 6 is impossible. 8....? Color me skeptical.

 

Which is why I don't base my opinion on hope. I think he's a program builder in a way that others you mentioned aren't.

Our last two games were losses to Top 10 teams. Missouri: 3 losing seasons under a new coach before breaking through this year. FSU: two losing seasons before "breaking through" (albeit in a weak conference.)

Should Missouri have fired Drinkowitz? Should FSU have fired Norvell (whose first two years were quite clown-car)? By the criteria applied by some here, they'd be gone.

To be replaced by whom? I think half of the fans just want him fired, regardless of the replacement, because they are pissed at losing. I try to weigh outcomes. I think the chance that Billy follows the Drinkowitz/Norvell pattern is much higher than us getting an upgrade.

I realize I'm an outlier. I accept it.