By Franz Beard
A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning:
THE ROAD BACK TO SUPER POWER STATUS
1. Once a college football super power … : From 1990-2009 the Florida Gators had the best record in all of college football – 202-52-1 – with eight SEC championships and three national championships to show for their efforts. Trailing the Gators in the top ten for that era are Ohio State (193-54-3), Nebraska (192-60-1), Miami (184-60), Texas (184-63-2), Florida State (182-67-1), Tennessee (182-62-2), Virginia Tech (176-76-1), Penn State (174-72) and Michigan (174-69-3).
Since 2010, here are the records of that 1990-2009 top ten and their national rank: Florida 95-57 (28); Ohio State 123-21 (4); Nebraska 81-68 (56); Miami 90-61 (38); Texas 83-67 (52); Florida State 104-50 (13); Tennessee 73-75 (68); Virginia Tech 95-62 (28); Penn State 98-53 (21) and Michigan 99-50 (21).
Now, here is the top ten since 2010 and where they ranked from 1990-2009: Alabama 150-17 (36); Clemson 137-28 (25); Oklahoma 129-29 (11); Ohio State 123-21 (2); Georgia 122-39 (12); Boise State 119-33 (40); Wisconsin 115-41 (19); Oregon 115-39 (16); LSU 114-40 (22) and Oklahoma State 113-42 (69).
It should be noted that Alabama and Clemson have had the same coach the last 12 years. During the same time span, Florida has gone through four – Urban Meyer (“retired” after 2010); Will Muschamp (2011-14); Jim McElwain (2015-17) and Dan Mullen (2018-21). That has plenty to do with why the Gators are 55 games behind Alabama in the win column and 40 in the loss column; 43 wins and 29 losses behind Clemson. Georgia, Florida’s most intense rival, was 170-74-1 from 1990-2009, 32 games behind the Gators in the win column and 22 behind in the loss column. Since 2010, the Gators are 27 behind Georgia in the win column and 18 in the loss column. Georgia, it must be noted, has had only two coaches in the last 12 years and Kirby Smart had a strong foundation left by Mark Richt from which to take the Bulldogs to another level.
It is worth pointing out the won-loss discrepancies to understand the daunting task ahead of Billy Napier. A lot of the problem is perception. This is a what have you done for me lately era and Alabama and Georgia have done plenty in the last 12 years while Muschamp, McElwain and Mullen each authored a losing season. There is also something to be said about embracing the facilities arms race, which factors heavily in recruiting. Florida is playing catch-up in that regard and that’s something that should have NEVER happened.
2. Regaining super power status … : For this, Nebraska will be ignored. The Huskers are now in the Big Ten where they’ve never been a good fit and where Ohio State and whoever wins the Big Ten East will dominate. The focus will be on Florida, Florida State, Miami and Tennessee; Florida State and Miami, obviously, because they are Florida’s in-state rivals and Tennessee because other than Georgia the Vols are Florida’s chief SEC rival.
FLORIDA: The road back to super power status begins with three things: (1) Stability at the top; (2) competing with and winning recruiting battles with Alabama and Georgia; and (3) becoming the dominant recruiting power for Florida high school kids. Napier HAS to be here for the long haul and he has to have the cooperation of the administration when it comes to internal infrastructure and continued upgrading of facilities. Florida cannot ever again find itself so far behind when it comes to support staff, a critical element in keeping the state’s best recruits home and playing in the SEC. The arms race in the SEC is NOT going to end so the opening of the football facility won’t be the last upgrade necessary if the Gators are to keep up with the SEC Joneses. It helps that the University of Florida will have an SEC paycheck of more than $63 million a year within two years, maybe $80 million when Oklahoma and Texas make the leap from the Big 12 to the SEC. Florida will have the financial resources to ensure that Billy Napier will require.
Prospects to regain super power status: Napier will have everything he needs to succeed. If he can recruit at an Alabama or SEC level, then he’s going to win big on the field. Florida’s path back to super power status won’t be easy, but it’s a better path than the ones facing FSU, Miami and Tennessee.
Florida State: The Seminoles are in BAD shape in every way imaginable. They have had four consecutive losing seasons for a 19-27 since 2018, which ranks 99th in the country. FSU has been in a tailspin since Jimbo Fisher’s last year before he took the money and ran to Aggieland. FSU made a grave mistake by hiring Willie Taggart who sunk the program to levels it hadn’t seen since the 1970s. He lasted two years, leaving a daunting task for successor Mike Norvell. Norvell is a very good football coach, but he doesn’t have support staff and facilities are lagging way behind. And then there is the budget. FSU is stuck with the bottom feeder payouts from the ACC through 2036. FSU will be depositing ACC checks for less than $35 million which pales in comparison to Florida’s SEC checks.
Prospects to regain super power status: I’m reminded of Laura Nyro’s soulful remake of the 1960s classic by the Royalettes: “It’s Going to Take a Miracle.” It will take something close to parting the Red Sea for the Seminoles to become relevant again. Florida is set to dominate the state recruiting. Mario Cristobal is going to take players from South Florida that FSU used to get. Facilities and lack of funds will relegate the Seminoles to third world status.
Miami: Now that there is NIL, what used to be cheating is legal, which means Miami alums have been set free. Now, will they pitch in to build a decent stadium that is (a) all theirs and (b) doesn’t require overnight hotel reservations for the long journey from Coral Gables to the ball yard? Everyone seems to think Mario Cristobal is the answer because he’s “a Cane,” but, of course, so was Mark Richt and he couldn’t make it happen. Manny Diaz’s dad is the former Mayor of Miami. If anyone should have turned on the alums and boosters, he should have but he is gone after three years and a 21-15 record. Cristobal was 35-13 as the head coach at Oregon, but he never restored the Ducks to the super power status they enjoyed early in the previous 12 years. Can he do at Miami what he couldn’t do at Oregon? He should be able to recruit South Florida very well but can he bring in the kind of linemen it is going to take to win in the trenches? Will the alums, boosters and administration fork over the money to build a stadium near the Coral Gables campus and upgrade the facilities? They will have to because the ACC payout is going to be the equivalent of living on Social Security.
Prospects to regain super power status: They’re better than FSU’s. Even though it’s been 20 years since the Canes won a national championship, the right coach who can bring in enough talent from Dade, Broward and Palm Beach can make the Canes relevant again. They do play in the ACC and they’re in the opposite division from Clemson so that’s a plus. But, Clemson’s boosters are committed and have been for years. Miami’s have to prove it, but now they can cheat legally thanks to NIL. That will help some, but they still have to deal with staff and facilities issues.
Tennessee: The Vols last won the national championship in 1998, which also happens to be the last time they won the SEC. The Vols are on their fifth coach since Phil Fulmer was fired after the 2008 season. Josh Heupel pulled off one of the better coaching jobs anywhere in the country in 2021 when he took a team devastated by transfers and pieced together a 7-6 record. He’s got most of the team back for 2022 so improvement is expected but is Heupel the long term answer? He took over a great situation at UCF and the record got progressively worse each year. His history is great offense and rotten defense. Expectations are that he’ll have another great offense in 2022. The defense? Suspect. Does he grasp the idea of winning in the trenches which is what it will take to beat Alabama, Georgia and Florida, which are all on the schedule every year. Tennessee is SEC so there will be a lot of money flowing in. Neyland Stadium is huge and iconic. Facilities are first rate. The question on every Vol fan’s mind is can Heupel turn the Vols into a national power again?
Prospects to regain super power status: On one hand it’s Tennessee, but on the other hand, this is a state that doesn’t produce an abundance of high school talent and now that Georgia is a super power, the Vols are going to struggle to delve into metro Atlanta like they did in the past. Can Heupel prove he’s capable of recruiting nationally to a program that has produced seven losing seasons since 2010? That’s what it’s going to take for the Vols to become a super power again. It’s more likely that Heupel can make them consistently good than consistently great. Will consistently good be good enough for Vol fans who haven’t tasted a championship since 1998?
EVEN IF FELDER CAN PLAY, GATORS WILL HAVE A TOUGH TIME AT UT
Without CJ Felder in the rotation Monday night in Oxford, the Gators (12-7, 3-4 SEC) found themselves lacking at both ends of the court. Felder is 6-7, plays taller, and is capable of defending four positions on the court. When he was too sick to play against Ole Miss, the Gators had to go with a three-man rotation in the paint and Jason Jitoboh, Anthony Duruji and Tuongthach Gatgek didn’t have enough firepower or defensive presence to make a difference.
Felder’s status for tonight’s game in Knoxville against No. 18 Tennessee (13-5, 4-3 SEC) isn’t known but even if he is able to play, this is going to be a very difficult game for the Gators to win. This will be Florida’s fourth game in eight days and third since Saturday. The Gators will be going against a rested Tennessee team that has a deep, tall and talented bench.
For the Gators to pull off a win, they’re going to have to make shots. The Gators were 4-29 (13.8 percent) from the three-point line in the loss to Ole Miss and they’re a combined 13-65 (20 percent) in their last two.
SEC BASKETBALL
Tuesday’s scores: Georgia (6-14, 1-6 SEC) 82, Alabama (13-7, 4-4 SEC) 76; No. 1 Auburn (19-1, 7-0 SEC) 55, Missouri (8-11, 2-5 SEC) 54; No. 12 Kentucky (16-4, 5-2 SEC) 82, Mississippi State (13-6, 4-3 SEC) 74
Wednesday’s games: FLORIDA (12-7, 3-4 SEC) at No. 18 Tennessee (13-5, 4-3 SEC); Vanderbilt (10-8, 2-4 SEC) at South Carolina (11-7, 2-4 SEC); Arkansas (14-5, 4-3 SEC) at Ole Miss (10-9, 2-5 SEC); Texas A&M (15-4, 4-2 SEC) at No. 19 LSU (15-4, 3-4 SEC)
ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: David Ortiz was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot. The numbers – 541 homers, 1,768 RBI – say he belongs but there were always those suspicions that he had some “help” along the way. Did he juice or is that just a rumor? There will always be suspicions that hall members Jeff Bagwell and Ivan Rodriguez juiced and there may be others in the hall who actually used performance enhancing drugs. Because we’ll never know just how many players found better living through chemistry, should Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa be denied membership in the hall?
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