2024 Gator Football Prognostication!

 

I always like to start by copying what I wrote in last year’s post!

So, I’m predicting a 9-3 year optimistically. I could easily see it being 7-5 with a couple of bad breaks here or there. I think the Gators will do better in a bowl game this year because they won’t have as many guys sitting it out but for me the only bowl games that count are the ones in the playoffs. The rest are just glorified spring games for those coming back next year. Let’s hope the expansion of the playoffs helps more teams have something to really play for in the last few weeks of the year.

Well, so much for me knowing what I’m writing about! They lost the last 5 to miss out on a bowl game again by finishing 5-7. The loss to Arkansas at home was hard to fathom. And if Mertz was healthy, they would have beat a banged-up FSU, but they didn’t and that is football. Let’s start off this year like all years where everyone is undefeated and going to play for the championship!

A really good on paper Miami team shows up in the Swamp for a late afternoon hot one to start off the season. I’ve got some friends who are true believers in the Canes who are planning on calling me to rub it in when the U gets the W. I’ll answer that call if it comes, and it could because we don’t really know a lot about either team. Every team looks great in the spring. But I believe that the Gators will surprise some folks and win this one. Napier and the staff have been really good about having a solid game plan for the first game of the season. They have all summer to get it ready, so they should! At home, in the heat, with the crowd at full throat because it is the Canes, gives the Gators an extra touchdown. They will need it too! Gators win a close one.

My alma mater comes in for the second game. The last time the Samford Bulldogs played in the Swamp they scored 52 points on the Gators. They still lost 70-52! This Samford team is not that good, and the Gator defense will be better than that late November day in ‘21. Don’t be surprised if it is closer than you want it to be in the first half. The Gators should take care of business in the second half and pull away for a comfortable victory.

The third game against Texas A&M is a tricky game to pick in the summer. I’d love to wait to see how the Aggies look with a new coaching staff in place. They have always had talent. You just never know what you are going to get with a first-year coach. Because it is at home, I’m going to give the nod to the Gators, but this could be one of the ones I miss badly!

Traveling to the booming metropolis of Starkvegas is never an easy journey. Maybe it’s the hypnotizing sound of all those cow bells, but the Gators traditionally don’t fare well when they play Mississippi State on the road. Again they play a new coach, so you just don’t know what kind of team they will be in the summer. By week four we should know a lot more about them. I still think the Gators win to go 4-0. They will need to be 4-0 if Napier is going to survive because the last two years of late season losses are a real thing!

The fighting Knights of UCF show up for an in-state rivalry game. At least from their perspective it is. And that is a dangerous state. The Gators need to show up like it is a rivalry game as well if they want to win! UCF will be a good football team again. They will be well coached. I don’t think it will be enough to get the win for them, but it will be another nail biter for UF fans in the Swamp.

At 5-0 the Gators will be getting some national attention. Then they head to Knoxville. That’s where all that nonsense will stop. If the Vol quarterback is as good as all the creamsicle fans believe, the Gator defense will get shredded again on Rocky Top. I don’t know if he is that good, but I think he’s good enough to get by the Gators. The Gators fall to the Vols and come back down to earth at 5-1.

UF always schedules Homecoming in October. I’m not sure why we didn’t pick UCF for that game, but it seems like we want to have an SEC foe in that space. This year the honor falls to Kentucky. The team really shouldn’t need a reason to get up for the Wildcats, given the recent outcomes. I don’t think Kentucky will be as good as last year. I think the Gator defense will be better this year. So, I think the Gators should win this one at home in another close game. For my UK friends, I would have picked the Gators to lose in Lexington.

I don’t think this year’s Georgia team will be as good as last year’s team, but they will still be good! Until the Gators can get out of the head space where they give the Dogs 14 or more points on stupid plays, I just can’t pick them to win the rivalry game in Jacksonville. I think this game will be closer than some believe. I would love to be wrong on this one, but I think the Gators will cross back over the river with a 6-2 record.

The Gators don’t have time to dwell on the loss long. This time they get on a plane and travel to Austin for the first SEC matchup with the Longhorns. A bunch of Gator fans will make the trip to say they were there the first time we played them as conference foes. It will be a long trip back home for them. I think the Longhorns will handle the Gators in the Lonestar State!

There may not be a bigger two-game stretch in the career of Coach Billy Napier than the next two. The Gators will need to win against the LSU Tigers in a big way! A third straight loss might lead to another late season spiral that will cost him his job. It’s not going to be easy, but I don’t think LSU will be as good because I don’t think they will have a Heisman level quarterback again. Daniels was the difference last year and I think Mertz will be the difference this year. I can see this one going either way depending on who turns the football over the most. I’m putting an asterisk by this game to hedge my predictions. They will either be 7-3 or 6-4, if all the early games happened as I think they will.

Lame Kitten brings his Ole Miss Rebels or Black Bears into the Swamp for a high noon showdown. I think the Gators will have a better football team than most people believe. I’m just not sure where their heads will be at this point in the season. I’m going to give the win to the Gators because I really don’t like Lame. But if the Gators lose to LSU, I think that one loss could quickly become two! I hope our guys read the promise plaque outside before they go inside the stadium!

The Gators travel up North on 75 and west on 10 until they arrive in the tinker toy stadium with a new upgraded façade. I think FSU will have a big chip on their shoulders and a pretty good team to go with it waiting on the Gators. The home crowd will make the difference. I think the Gators will lose again to all three of their rivals. That’s not going to sit well with some of the fans but an 8-4 or 7-5 record with this schedule should be enough to keep Napier’s job.

However, if they stumble on some games they should win and don’t, I wouldn’t be surprised if they move on from Billy Napier if the Gators don’t make a bowl game this year. I think they have some really good players on the team this year and I’m really excited to see what D.J. can become in the next years. I just hope we get to watch him develop as a Gator. I’ve met him and I’ve seen the commitment to putting the time into to be great that he has displayed. He really does have the “IT” factor that you need to build a great program. Let’s just hope Gator boosters will see the future and realize that it is tied to keeping Coach Napier one more year!

2023 Gator Football Predictions

 I always like to start by copying what I wrote in last year’s post!

It's going to be a rough year in Gainesville for the first-year coach. He’s going to be brining in a new system, which might be better or worse. He’s going to be starting a QB who’s never been the starting QB at the beginning of a SEC season or played an entire season without getting injured. There’s a new staff on defense, that can only get better right? There are transfers and new additions. In short we just don’t know how all this is going to come together until we see on the turf at the Swamp for real.

So hopefully they finish 8-3 and play in a decent bowl, maybe even a New Year’s Day trip to Orlando, Jacksonville, or Tampa. But don’t be too surprised if they finish 6-5 and go to another who cares bowl in the middle of December.

It all depends on how well AR plays and how well Billy Napier and his staff adjust to SEC football. Only time will tell. Gator fans be patient. Saban’s first year at Bama was a rough one, this one may be too! Let’s hope the rest of his time in Gainesville takes the same trajectory as his former boss’ did!

So they finished 6-7 while losing the last three games and losing 5 of the 7 by ten points or less. Anthony Richardson proved to be an incredibly talented football player but not a good enough Quarterback to win in the SEC on a regular basis. He may become that with the Colts but he just wasn’t that polished yet. Still think about the fact that one play or two at the most could have turned a horrible season for Gator fans into a glorious one. Those guys just didn’t know how to win the close games. Most of those players are gone now!

Year two will still be a rebuilding year and Gator fans will need to be patient. We will still have to eat a lot of crow from the rest of the SEC. But I honestly believe that the team will be better this year. Maybe not as gifted athletically but still better as a team. Let’s see if we can get this one right this year!

I don’t think this year’s success or failure lands on the back of the signal caller. I think it falls on the broad shoulders of a rebuilt offensive line and the health of the stable of running backs. Think back a few years to the Alabama teams that featured the running backs as stars and the QB as a game manager who would make a few plays to talented WR’s. I think that’s where this team will hang it’s hat this year.

They start with a road trip to Salt Lake City. The smart money would bet on the Utes getting some revenge from last year’s loss in the Swamp. I think just like last year, this will be the best game plan of the season for the Gators and I think they have a better than 50% chance of leaving the thin air with a win. With the whole summer to plan for this game, I think the staff comes away with a surprise win.

Week two should be another win or the first one for the Gators. McNeese may put up a fight but I believe we will run at will against them. If we don’t it will be a long season for sure. Gators start 2-0 with the Creamsicle bunch coming to the Swamp.

This one is the swing game for me. I honestly think the Vols will have the more talented team. But talent doesn't always win in the Swamp. The Vols got the win last year, but it was much closer than it probably should have been. If I had a crystal ball and really knew how effective our run game and new defense would be, I would be more confident. But for now, I’ll stick with a Gator win just because I can’t give the pansy color team a win in Gainesville until they prove they deserve it.

Week four is another paycheck game for the Gators against the Forty Niners. Not the ones from San Francisco either. For the third Saturday night in a row, the Swamp should be rocking and the team should take care of this one easily. 4-0 or 3-1 depending on what has happened in week 1 and 3.

The first SEC road trip goes to the Bluegrass state. I don’t think the Gators will play well on the turf on the road and I think this will be a disappointing loss for many Gator fans. It will be close and if we have progressed more than I think, we could win this one too. I just am going to be realistic and say we either lose this one or the one to the Vols.

Vanderbilt rolls into town for homecoming. The Gators will not drop another egg like last year. They will handle the Dores in the Swamp. I think they just didn’t know that Vandy always plays the Gators hard last year. They do now!

The Gators hit the road to Columbia, the east one, for the next game. This one could be really interesting. I don’t think they will be as good as some predict, but if they play like they did the last two games of last season, they could easily beat the Gators. I just don’t think Rattler is a consistent QB and our defensive unit will be better this year. The Gators enjoy some fried chicken again.

The Game is the next week. I don’t think the Gators have enough horses to run with the Beast of the East yet. Hopefully it will be closer, but I think the Dogs continue their winning streak against the Gators this year.

The Hogs come to the Swamp to start November with the Gators sitting at 6-2. It will be a good game and the team that doesn’t turn it over will be the winner. I think that will be the Gators. If it was being played in the land of Walmart, I’d go the other way.

The Gators travel to LSU and I think they will play well. Knowing the SEC they will make it a night game and the young Gator team will not be able to overcome the hostile Cajun crowd and what should be a pretty good LSU team.

Back to back trips to the West side of the SEC even though Missouri is in the Eastern Division, means an early start time for the Gators. I think the Gators will find a way to shrug off a slow start and win a close game for their second victory in a stadium in a city name Columbia for the year.

The SEC won’t capitulate and move the game to Friday this year! The Noles will come to town full of themselves. They may even be a top five team with the cupcake ACC schedule they have. And they have some talented players. This one should be a return to the days when this game meant something. And it may mean whether FSU has a shot at the bigger prize. I think the Gators will spoil the celebration for the Noles and pull the upset in the Swamp.

So, I’m predicting a 9-3 year optimistically. I could easily see it being 7-5 with a couple of bad breaks here or there. I think the Gators will do better in a bowl game this year because they won’t have as many guys sitting it out but for me the only bowl games that count are the ones in the playoffs. The rest are just glorified spring games for those coming back next year. Let’s hope the expansion of the playoffs helps more teams have something to really play for in the last few weeks of the year.

Review of The Grandest Stage by Tyler Kepner

 Fans of the American Pastime will love this book. It has so many stories that you'll likely get tired of reading them all by the end. There are fascinating stories from the early days of the World Series to the latest one. There are obscure stories of players you probably don't know and plenty of them that feature names known to every baseball fan.

The only negative thing I saw in the book was the forcing the book into seven chapters, one for each game of a complete series, made them very long. I think I would have liked it more if it was split into the top and bottom half of each inning as chapter breaks. It was a little hard to stay on track with the theme of the chapters for me as well.  

Overall, I enjoyed reading the book and I believe baseball fans will also enjoy the read.

2022 Gator Football Predictions

 

I always like to start by copying what I wrote in last year’s post!

There are a lot of maybes and could be's in those predictions. So it's really possible for the Gators to finish 11-1 and face a rematch with Alabama. It's also likely that will finish 10-2 and finish behind Georgia in the East. It's also easily possible for them to finish 8-4 or worse!

Until Emory Jones proves he can be an every down quarterback and Todd Grantham can prove that last year was just a product of Covid rust in tackling and coverages, I can't see the Gators winning the championship this year. I think the 10-2 scenario is the most likely but I could also see a 7-5 season if they don't progress or get some bad breaks along the way.

I doubt anyone saw the train wreck coming that was Gator football in 2021. There were certainly clues but no one could have predicted how bad it really got. But both of my questions were answered in the wrong way for Gator fans! Well, that’s the past and we start a new era of Gator football with Coach Billy Napier. And that should make all Gator fans really nervous. Not because of him, just because we are starting on the fourth coach in 12 years since Urban Meyer left town, not including interim coaches.

It's going to be a rough year in Gainesville for the first-year coach. He’s going to be brining in a new system, which might be better or worse. He’s going to be starting a QB who’s never been the starting QB at the beginning of a SEC season or played an entire season without getting injured. There’s a new staff on defense, that can only get better right? There are transfers and new additions. In short we just don’t know how all this is going to come together until we see on the turf at the Swamp for real.

But I’ll take me lumps and make my guesses just like the boys at the networks do.

The Gators open against the #13 Utah Utes. This is the toughest home opener I can remember. All those fans who clamor for a tougher schedule need to remain quiet when the Gators lose their first home opener since they were born! And it could easily happen. The good thing is that the Utes don’t know what the Gators will look like. The bad thing is that neither do the Gators. It would be great time to have a directional school on the opening docket, but alas that isn’t the case. The Gators have enough talent to hang with the Utes. The real question is can Anthony Richardson be the GUY! I’ll pick the worst and hope for the best, but I think the Gators lose a really close game late.

Whatever happens in week one, there will be little time to celebrate or mope. The first SEC game hits the next Saturday with #18 Kentucky coming to town. On paper the game seems to point to two in a row for the Cats. I don’t think the home crowd will forget the loss last year and hopefully neither will the Gators. I think the Gators find a way to de-claw the cats and bring their record to 1-1.

The USF bulls come to town in week three. AR ran all over them last year before he hurt his hammy on a long run. Look for more of the same this year, hopefully without the injury. The Gators should take care of business and run their way to a 2-1 record.

The Gators travel to Knoxville for a tilt with #25 Tennessee. I’m not sold on the truth of that ranking. I think like always it’s based on the end of the season rally by the Vols. Their schedule usually is very easy in November, so they always close strong. Playing at Neyland is always tricky. This one will be a dog fight and the team who’s young QB performs better should win. I’ll never pick UT over UF but this one is scary. Gators in a close one to move to 3-1.

The game I wish we could swap for the opener happens the next week. The paycheck game for EWU should be an easy win for the Gators, but we seem to make them closer than they need to be. Let’s hope Napier finds a way to get the guys ready to play and the third string guys get some reps early in the fourth.

Missouri arrives the next week for Homecoming. This one will be determined by how healthy AR is at this juncture. If he’s still healthy the Gators win easily. If not, then it’s a coin toss. By this point we will know how this coaching staff chooses to use his incredible talents and whether they have succeeded in turning him into a legitimate D1 Quarterback. This one should be a really close game but I think the Gators move into the meat of their schedule at 5-1.

I’m not a fan of Brian Kelly. I think he’s underachieved at ND given the relatively easy schedule they play each year. A couple of tough games and then the playoffs. I’m definitely not buying them as a top ten team, but they will be a tough opponent. I’m going with a Gator win only because it is at home and Marco Wilson is nowhere near the playing field late in the game! The Gators could lose this one though if they don’t play smart. Something that AR hasn’t shown as of this writing, but I hope does before this game starts!

The annual tilt with Georgia beckons. There is a reason Kirby Smart doesn’t want to play in Jacksonville and it has nothing to do with recruiting. The crowd may be 50-50 but the travel isn’t. The only thing that keeps this game close is the fact that it’s in his head a bit. I still think the Dogs win, but an upset isn’t out of the question. Sitting at 5-2 the Gators will once again not win the East, but the gap is closing!

The Gators must travel to College Station to face the Aggies. A lot of the vibe around this game will be determined by the games preceding it from the Aggies. If they manage to beat Alabama and Ole Miss, they will beat the Gators by 10. If they lose one of those games, they win by a field goal. If they lose them both the Gators will pull the upset. I don’t think that’s going to happen and the Gators fall to 5-3.

UF returns home to face South Carolina in the last home game on the schedule. South Carolina will be better if their QB stays healthy. The real question will be how much fire is left in Gator nation and this team. If they both play their best, I think the Gators still have more talent. If the swamp is still electric, then BBQ chicken is definitely on the menu. I think it will be and the Gators move to 6-3.

The bi-annual trip to Vanderbilt is next. As long as the team doesn’t join the overwhelmingly Gator crowd on Broadway the night before, the Gators should win this noon kick off, 11 AM Central time, sleeper of a game. AR needs a big game in Nashville for the Gators to win comfortably. I think they get it from him and win going away.

That means they travel to the team out west with a record of 7-3 at best and maybe 5-5. The Noles will want to exact some measure of revenge on the Gators. I just don’t think they have the Jimmies and Joes to make it happen. It will be a close game but I think the Gators get on the buses heading East with a reason to celebrate all Friday night and the rest of the Thanksgiving weekend.

So hopefully they finish 8-3 and play in a decent bowl, maybe even a New Year’s Day trip to Orlando, Jacksonville, or Tampa. But don’t be too surprised if they finish 6-5 and go to another who cares bowl in the middle of December.

It all depends on how well AR plays and how well Billy Napier and his staff adjust to SEC football. Only time will tell. Gator fans be patient. Saban’s first year at Bama was a rough one, this one may be too! Let’s hope the rest of his time in Gainesville takes the same trajectory as his former boss’ did!

2021 Gator Football Prediction Post

 So this is how I ended the prediction for last year.

So it’s possible the Gators could have their elusive perfect season at 10-0. It’s also possible that they could end up 8-2 and finish second behind Georgia again. That would not be good news for Gator fans. There is so much more important things happening than the state of college football this fall, but for football fans, it’s still an important thing. I hope we get to see the entire schedule play out. That would be a win for us all regardless of the outcome!

They did finish 8-2 but went to the SEC title game after tying for the SEC East with Georgia. The loss at TAMU wasn't a total surprise and except for a thrown shoe that will forever live in infamy or least for a little while, probably the loss against LSU could have been averted! But it's a new season and the Kyle to Kyle combo ain't walking back in the swamp except to stand on the sidelines and watch and remember what could have been if only we had a decent defense.

Well let's take a look at 2021, shall we?

For the second year in a row, the Gators open with a Lame Kitten team. Well, sort of. FAU comes to the swamp under the direction of another familiar coach in Willie Taggert, formerly of FSU, USF, and Oregon. I'm not sold on his coaching ability and he certainly doesn't have the talent he's had in previous stops. I think this one is a good game to get Emory Jones on track and build some confidence. Gators win comfortably.

In week two, the Gators travel to Tampa to play in the stadium that hosted the Super Bowl. Unless TB12 suits up for the Bulls, the fans won't be as excited. This game could be close for a half, but the depth and talent difference should eventually show up and the Gators should win this one by a couple of touchdowns.

The Tide rolls into the Swamp in week three. If you have to play the Tide in the regular season, this is a good year to do so. They lost a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball and a few on the defense as well. The problem is they are so deep, it's not going to be a huge drop off. The Gators have a lot of new personnel as well that are unproven. Their new guys will probably be better than our new guys. The crowd in the Swamp will really need to be loud to make up the difference. A big play or a turnover could sway the game, but until the Gators beat the Tide on the field, I can't give them a W over Coach Saban.

The Vols make another appearance in September in the Swamp. It's hard to know how the team will respond the previous week's game, especially if it's close and a loss or a real blow-out. Mullen will have to do a great job getting these guys jacked up to play again against a team that on paper should not be as good as they were last year. And that wasn't real good honestly. The Vols did close better than the Gators last season but that had more to do with the opponents than the progression of the Vols. I think the Gators win, but they better come ready to play or they will suffer the second loss in a row.

The tough stretch of games continues for the Gators, (this is the SEC so what's new about that?), with a trip to horse country. There are many who think this might be the best team Kentucky has had in a long time. Until we see what the new Offensive Coordinator can do, it's hard for me to anoint them as second in the SEC East. This year is so tough to predict because I'm just not sold on Emory Jones as capable of making enough plays to win a shootout, yet! I think the Gators find a way to win a tough game, but if they lose, it's the season for forgetting!

The Gators get Vandy for homecoming the next week. With a first year coach and no real threats, Vandy should be an easy game. But there is something about Vandy that brings out the worst in the Gators. This year, I think they will get well against the Dores. If Emory plays well, it's not close. If he hasn't played well, look for local hero Richardson to step in at QB for the majority of this game. Gators win at home.

The Gators could be 5-1 or 3-3 at this point in the season. With the game at LSU in front of them, the answer to the first part could define the second part of the season. This game is a toss up at best for the Gators. But if they are 3-3 they get blown out in Death Valley. If they are still in the hunt for the SEC east, they win. I think the Gators have better talent than the Tigers but it all depends on what's still in play for both teams in terms of possible titles.

The annual showdown in Jacksonville will decide who wins the East again. The Gators might not be in a position to win it though. Everybody has crowned the Dogs as the winners in the East before a single snap has been taken. That's not unusual. The media always loves the Dogs. While they will probably lose to Clemson to start the year, they should be favored to be undefeated in the SEC when they arrive in Jacksonville. I don't think they leave that way, but that's assuming the Gator team still wants to play and hasn't had a handful of guys opt out if things go south!

Florida travels to South Carolina and should be able to hand the Fighting Chickens. I'm going to err on the side of optimism and think that the Gators still have a lot to play for down the stretch beside pride. Gators get a win in Columbia either way.

My Alma Mater comes to town the next week. The Samford Bulldogs will show up and put up a good effort for a quarter or so. They just don't have enough talent to match up with the Gators for a whole game. It could be closer than some think, but I have no delusions that these Dogs can knock off the Gators. 

The Gators hit the road for the last time to travel to the Columbia of the West to face the Missouri Tigers. The Gators don't play well there traditionally and depending on how the season goes, there may or may not be a lot to play for on this trip. I think Missouri will be a scary team for many this season and the Gators will need to wake up with some intensity if they want to come back with a W. I think they get it done late in the game which will still be early in Gainesville.

FSU should be better than last year. The Gators may not be. However, the Gators should still be better than FSU in Gainesville. The Noles go home unhappy to feast on Thanksgiving leftovers and start contemplating how to buy out another coach's contract.

There are a lot of maybes and could be's in those predictions. So it's really possible for the Gators to finish 11-1 and face a rematch with Alabama. It's also likely that will finish 10-2 and finish behind Georgia in the East. It's also easily possible for them to finish 8-4 or worse!

Until Emory Jones proves he can be an every down quarterback and Todd Grantham can prove that last year was just a product of Covid rust in tackling and coverages, I can't see the Gators winning the championship this year. I think the 10-2 scenario is the most likely but I could also see a 7-5 season if they don't progress or get some bad breaks along the way.

Hopefully I'm wrong for all us Gator fans! 

Finally the 2020 Gator Football Predictions

 

So this is how I ended the prediction for last year.

So there you go, 11-1 or maybe 10-2 and the return of the Gators to Atlanta for the SEC championship game. I don’t think we can beat Alabama, but only one team is going to have a chance to do that in the SEC title game, so it might as well be us, right? If you get there, you never know how the ball might bounce on a given night!

Another quality bowl looks to be on the horizon and 2020 looks to be the year for Mullen to really lead the Gators in the quest for our next National Championship! Maybe it will come a year earlier! I know I wouldn’t complain, would you?

Not bad, right? It was almost spot on, well except that part about winning the east and playing Bama in the SEC title game. The loss to Georgia was the difference maker for sure.

Now that we know who the Gators will possibly play in this Covid Season of 2020, let’s see how we fair in picking the winners for this season. Let me first say, if we get to play this season at all then we all win!

The revised schedule has the Gators on the road to Oxford to play the Black Bears for game 1 now late in September. First year coach, Lame Kitten, will have the Rebel Bears fired up. He’ll probably even promise to lead the band in Rocky Top when they beat the Gators. Oh, wait, that’s not the song they play there is it. Well it doesn’t matter what the tune is, Lame won’t be able to pay the piper and the Gators will beat back a strong effort from the Rebs and leave Mississippi with a solid win.

Coach Muschamp will bring his fightin chickens into the Swamp for a week two showdown. He never was very good at winning in the swamp, so we hope that trend continues now that he’s on the other sideline. I think the first home game with a new dynamic of limited fans or no fans will make a difference. But it won’t be enough to stop the Gators from picking the feathers of the Gamecocks for another solid win.

Week three and the Gators head west to take on the Aggies in the great state of Texas. This is a dangerous game. Jimbo Fisher seemed to have the Gators figured out when he was in the school out west. He’s had some time to develop his kind of players at TAMU. This one could also see the Gators looking ahead to the matchup with last year’s National Champion. If they do, they’ll lose for sure. They may lose anyway. But until I see it on the field, I think the Gators are still better person for person than the Aggies. Gators win again.

What many see as the biggest game on the schedule is the annual tilt between the Bayou Bengals and the Gators. I don’t see another Joe Burrows moment in the making, but Gator fans didn’t see a Kyle Trask year either last year. The Tigers are talented, and Coach O is a guru of motivation, even if most can’t understand what he’s saying. Somehow, he gets through to his players. I look for this one to be close, it’s the swing game for me. A turnover late will be the deciding factor of the game for one team or the other. I’ll say the Gators win, but I’m not that confident that I’m right.

Another group of Tigers rolls into town the next week and another team from Columbia. This group from Missouri are a wildcard in the SEC East. First they shouldn’t be in the east but that’s a whole different subject. There really isn’t a week off in an SEC schedule and this one is no exception to that rule. The Gators had better be ready to battle or this could be the upset of the year. I don’t think it will be and the Gators continue to march toward the elusive perfect season.

The Gators get Halloween off but then have to face the Bulldogs from Georgia the first week in November. As it has for most of the last 20 years, this one will probably decide the East Champion. There are some that thing Mullen has to beat Georgia to keep the Gator faithful happy. They may be right. You can’t say your program is better than someone you haven’t beaten yet. I believe this will be the year. They’ve been close the last couple of years and the Gators need to get this one on multiple levels. Another swing game here that will turn on who commits the most turnovers. Gators win again! (I hope!)

If the Gators get by the Dogs, (I know that’s not how GA fans spell it!), They could be undefeated or at least tied for the lead in the East when the Hogs rumble into the Swamp. At least one Razorback will be quite at home. Felipe Franks will likely lead the team from the huddle if he can make his way to the right sideline. He’d like nothing more than to stick it to Gator fans but I don’t think he will have enough behind him to pull off the upset. Hope you win them all except this one Felipe!

Florida travels to Music City for the battle with Vandy. We never seem to really play well there. Maybe with new travel plans and procedures that will change. It will be later in the season when we go and probably colder than we would like. I wonder who will still be in the stands if there are no Gator fans allowed in the fourth quarter? The Gators win and the stands may be empty!

Kentucky replaces the school out west for the Thanksgiving weekend game. This will be a tougher matchup than the Noles would have been. Kentucky has been improving but they just don’t have enough to last this late in the season. Coach Stoops is a good coach, but he’s not good enough to come back and beat the Gators in the swamp this year. Gators win a close but comfortable game.

The Gators end the season on Rocky Top. The SEC has given the Vols the best chance to beat the Gators by placing this game last. It will be colder and maybe even more windy than the early September trip the Gators are used to making. The reduced capacity of the stadium will not be a factor. The depth of Tennessee will be. They just don’t have enough to be considered among the best in the SEC yet. I think the Gators win again on the Hill!

So it’s possible the Gators could have their elusive perfect season at 10-0. It’s also possible that they could end up 8-2 and finish second behind Georgia again. That would not be good news for Gator fans. There is so much more important things happening than the state of college football this fall, but for football fans, it’s still an important thing. I hope we get to see the entire schedule play out. That would be a win for us all regardless of the outcome!

2019 Gator Football Predictions

I ended last year’s prediction with the following two paragraphs. I really should have trusted my instincts about Taggert’s ability to handle the big stage!

New Noles coach, Willie Taggert, is the x-factor in this game. The FSU squad should be more talented than this current crop of Gators. The game is in the tinker box stadium. But this will be the first time Taggert has been in a true big time rivalry game as the head coach. Gator fans need to hope that he blows it big time if they want to pay back their Nole friends for the last few years of crow. The Gators will need help to win this one and I don’t think they get enough.

So there you have it. My thoughts on how the season will unfold for Gator football. 8-3 and a quality bowl will be a major improvement for Gator Nation. For that matter, any bowl would be an improvement over the dumpster fire that was the 2017 season. It’s an often-used cliché in sports, but I think the 2019 season for the Gators is the one that will determine if Mullen has the Gators back in the national contention spotlight. Gator fans should just enjoy any success we have this year and if you get mad or frustrated, just pull up the films for the 2017 games. That should help you remember to stay positive as we wait for a new system to be fully in place for 2019!

I’m not sure how I miscalculated the total games but if you give me one of those wins I predicted and the regular season would have been just right at 9-3 instead of 8-3. Good thing I wasn’t a math major! A huge bowl win over Michigan has the Gator faithful thinking very positive thoughts about the coming season. Although some I have talked with are more cautious than one might expect.

So let’s see if we can get close again this year! The kickoff game against Miami is scary for me. I would think Dan would give this game the focus it deserves, and the Gators come out prepared and hungry. But you never know how some of the new guys are going to react when the lights come on and the game means something. And this game is full of meaning. Miami has become like the other teams in the state of Florida that the Gators play for recent Gator fans. Old-timers know that’s not the case and still consider The U a rival that must be beaten in everything. Although I’m far from convinced it will be easy, I’ll take the Gators to escape and get on the Turnpike North with a win!

Two weeks later, the Gators host Tennessee in the swamp for a …. Oh wait, it’s Tennessee-Martin. This one should be a easy win for the Gators and a chance for a lot of new players to get their first taste of big time football in front a real crowd. Look for Franks to put up some huge numbers in this game early before giving way to the backup!

The loss to Kentucky at home last year still stings. The streak ended. Franks and the offense was offensive in the bad way. I would expect this game to be circled on their calendars and highlighted in the weight room all off-season. Kentucky lost some key players, but Stoops has done a good job of making the Cats more than just a hoops haven. Still, I think the Gators win this one in a back and forth affair.

The fighting dreamsicles come to town for the annual biggest game in September in the SEC East match up. The Gators will have to work hard not to have a let down game after two quality opponents in the first three weeks. It wouldn’t surprise me to see a need for a fourth quarter comeback for the Gators to win this one. Nah, I just can’t pick the Vols to be that good until they show it on the field. Gator’s run smokey out of the swamp on a hot, sticky, Saturday afternoon like usual!

The paycheck game that has been held in November has been moved up to the end of September. This year Towson comes to town. It’s another chance for the eventual red-shirts to get some playing time in the second half. The Gators take care of business and end the month at 5-0 and probably in the top ten if not the top five!

The turning of the calendar brings a chill to the air in most parts of the country, but October in Gainesville can still be hot. The heat definitely rises for the team during the month of October. These four weeks will define the season for the Gators and likely decide whether they are a true national contender again. It starts with a visit from the team from the plains that has many aliases. The Tigers or War Eagles or Plainsmen, whichever you prefer, arrive in town for the first time in almost a decade. This one could go either way depending on the QB play. Whichever signal callers has the better day will lead his team in victory off the field. As a former Auburn fan growing up in Alabama, oh I’m just kidding, I will want the Gators to win and I think they will.

The Gators finally hit the road again on the visit to LSU and Death Valley West. I don’t think the SEC will do the Gators a favor and schedule a 3:30 game, so it’s going to be tough to beat them at night in their place.  I don’t think the young Gators will have enough moxie to handle the crowd and the hype in the Red Stick. The Gators must fly home with their first loss at the hands of the Bayou Bengals.

With a short turn around time and another tough road game, the Gators travel to SC and face the fighting Chickens. This game will be a test of the true nature of Mullen’s ability to motivate the team. They won’t be good enough to be looking ahead to Georgia and be able to stroll into the chicken coop and leave with a basket of eggs. They must be focused, or they’ll leave Columbia with enough egg on their faces to make a humble pie omelet. I’ll always choose Mullen over Muschump, so I think the Gator’s get it done and have fried chicken on the plane home!

At 7-1 the Gators and the Dogs meet again in Jacksonville. I think all the talk about moving the game from the Georgia coaches plays right into the mystic that helps Florida teams with less talent win often in the last 30 years. And I think it happens again this year. Cue the Kirby post-game presser about how it’s unfair to play the game in Florida every year. Georgia didn’t seem to mind coming into the Gators backyard before the Old Ball Coach showed up! The Gators leave with a chance to win the East right in front of them.

Vandy will come to town and put up a good fight, but the run at Vandy is beginning to wane. Look for them to regress as a program and for their coach to move on sooner than later. The Gators will win a tough game because it’s hard to be on the emotional high for 5 games in a row!

Can Missouri find a replacement at QB? Just like the Gators last year, that’s the question that will determine the outcome of this game. This has been the slot for the paycheck game and let’s hope the Gators don’t treat this one the same way. I think with the Eastern Conference title on the line, there will be plenty to motivate the team as they travel as far as they go during the regular season from home.

The Gators end the regular season with the annual game against the team from out west. I think the upperclassmen will remember their previous times of hosting the clowns in the swamp. Those didn’t go so well! I would expect the Gators to put up an excellent ending to a stellar season with a thorough demolishing of the Noles. If that happens, please don’t leave Gator fans! Stay to the end and celebrate the end of one of the best seasons in Gator football in the last decade!

So there you go, 11-1 or maybe 10-2 and the return of the Gators to Atlanta for the SEC championship game. I don’t think we can beat Alabama, but only one team is going to have a chance to do that in the SEC title game, so it might as well be us, right? If you get there, you never know how the ball might bounce on a given night!

Another quality bowl looks to be on the horizon and 2020 looks to be the year for Mullen to really lead the Gators in the quest for our next National Championship! Maybe it will come a year earlier! I know I wouldn’t complain, would you?