Gator Knowledge

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

A week out I better make some predictions

If everyone else is making predictions I guess I feel it is vaguely incumbent on to make some too if I am going to prop this site.

QB: Leak is Leak: he’ll get early Heisman hype, but never sniff it; put up good numbers without being truly great. Hopefully at least this year Meyer realizes he is a pocket QB and uses him right. He should be good enough to hold off Tebow and may resurface in the NFL.

RB: Supposedly Wynn (21) has “figured it out” or so all the newspapers tell me. Meyer has not yet declared a starter between him and, my preference, Moore (33) and I think this to keep teams guessing. I predict they platoon all season. Hopefully Latsko (42) sees much more time – he is a very useful role guy (blocker and can catch). Manson (2) seems to have lost favor.

WR: We get our best, Caldwell (5), back. This is the deepest spot on the team. Cornelius (6) and Baker (81) will be the other starters - Baker is the bigger name, but I prefer Cornelius (runs better routes and just seems to make more plays when it counts). Hotshot freshman Percy Harvin (8) will be the 4th. He's got world class speed and talent, but was twice suspended in high school so watch out. My man Boateng (17) supposedly is still too raw.

TE: To be fair to Tater Salad (number 84 in your program, number 1 in your heart) he is not a bad blocker. There are rumors he will occasionally lineup in the backfield this year. Why?

OL: The great unknown. We already have a bunch of injuries.

DL: Outstanding. McDonald (95) is already being discussed as a first round pick next year. Cohen (20) is now over three bills - bigger than Thomas (44) whom he is starting next too this year. That’s three seniors, and of course there is arguably our best player Moss (94). The problem is we have no depth beside Harris (93), a (forgettable) starter last year and a senior with off the field issues (also for what it is worth my recent UF alumni cute blonde waitress in Key West said he is not very good looking).

LB: Siler (40) is very good, and may have a banner year with two quality run stuffers in Thomas and Cohen protecting him. Crum (13) is the new starter and yet to make much of a name for himself – he did not claim the starting spot so much as not lose it to someone else.

DB: We lost our best CB Avery (4) to wife beating, so now Lewis (22) is our best starter. Boy is that dicey. Opposite him will be a revolving door between McCollum (18) who has done nothing in three years, but looked good in the Orange and Blue game and Smith (28) a transfer from Utah who was good as a freshman when Meyer was there, but got benched last year. We’ll see, I’m worried he may not be up to SEC snuff. Safeties are Nelson (32) and Joiner (19) who won out over Jackson (3) because while both were beat last year Joiner only got one start and apparently that makes him a better candidate to improve. This is not a great bunch, but you’ll notice I mentioned six guys so we have pretty good depth with six guys who are a least vaguely starting caliber.

ST: Same specialists. Vernell Brown (16) graduated so we have a new returner – maybe Caldwell will go get a few (or not as that is how he broke his leg last year).

Coaching: We’ll see. Supposedly he always makes a jump in his second year, but I was not impressed with his willingness or ability to adjust and adapt last year. Or that he was stoked about his team after the brutal “won turnovers 5-0 but still lost” LSU loss (yes he cried, but the message was he was proud of his guys’ effort). I’m looking into registering FireMeyer.com. Okay, not really – but I still don’t like the cutesy offense. And I’ll never forget that they had not prepared for the possibility of a blitz vs. a five wide offense before the LSU game. Idiots.

Schedule

Southern Miss: Not the pasty you might expect (they have put some losses on real teams in the past), but not going to come in and win.

UCF: Now we are talking. I know they were a bowl team last year, but please.

at Tennessee: It will be a tough game, we hardly dominated last year, but they have many issues and we will start 3-0.

Kentucky: Ha ha ha ha ha.

Alabama: This will be a good game, but Brodie Croyle is now a Kansas City Chief, that receiver who catch a pass on someone’s back is still hurt, and they’ll be coming here to be served some revenge.

LSU: While their QB is all arm and no sense (although crappy college QBs do occasionally randomly turn it around for their senior year – see Campell, Jesse and Palmer, Carson; but not Berlin, Brock) and that #10 guy who has been killing use in now trying to replace Edge in Indy, they just seem to be a team that matches up well against us and has our number. 5-1 and the panicking begins.

at Auburn: I’ve never been a Pollyanna about the Gators, but I am getting annoyed that no one is giving us a shot. We look at our schedule and say wow this team is tough, but you know what? Other teams do they same when they see UF coming up for them. Yes, they have this hotshot runningback, but that plays right into the strength of our defense. We win, screw the Tigers.

Georgia (Jacksonville): We got lucky last year playing some backup QB, won’t happen again. Plus it is hard to constantly stay up for tough game after tough game. There will be a let down after Auburn and our second loss. I’ll still go up to the game.

at Vandy: Without Cutler we just smush them.

South Carolina: We only lost last year because Meyer was a moron (as I said not a great in game adjuster). Spurrier’s magic touch or no, we simply have better talent (and are at home).

Western Carolina: I don’t know anything about them other than that they are I-AA. Why are we playing this bunch so late in the season? What is the point of this game at all? Couldn’t we have at least gotten UBuffalo?

at FSU: Despite what some pundits say I still see a win here. Weatherford (11) has not shown me much, three defenders from their front seven went in the top half first round of the NFL draft year - which means they lost a bunch of talent, they still have a weak secondary too, which plays into our hands.

SEC Championship game: Auburn or LSU we lose. I just don’t see this team able to finish strong and go to a BCS bowl.

You tell me what bowl a 10-3 SEC East championship team goes to because I have no idea. Going blind, I’ll predict we win. GO GATORS!!!!! CHOMP!!! CHOMP!!!

Bottom line is this is not a national championship contender even without the murder’s row schedule.