Well, that answers that.

Why is Florida struggling on offense? Simple.

Meyer says problem is execution, not play calling. “We don’t have a bad play. I don’t allow that.” #GatorsMon Oct 25 19:30:09 via HootSuiteSentinel Sports
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In case you were wondering…

Per Steele, Georgia has been favored three times in the Cocktail Party during the Richt era:  2002, 2003 and 2004.  Georgia managed to cover the spread only once in those three seasons.

Overall, though, Georgia under Richt is 4-4-1 ATS against Florida (1-3-1 against Meyer, though).

Monday lunch buffet

Not too spicy…

• Anybody surprised that Charlie Strong’s Louisville team is improving?
• College kickers end up coaching themselves.
• Whatever Justin Houston did to prepare himself last week, he needs to clone it for this week.
• CBS’ coverage of Cam Newton’s coming out party did boffo ratings, up 27% from CBS’ comparable coverage of a Tennessee-Alabama game last year.
• Man, they’re busy throwing everybody under the bus in Austin.
• We’re not the only ones with crazy dreams about winning the division.
• The Orlando Sentinel’s Gator Twitter feed is pure comedy gold today:  (1) “John Brantley said Chris Rainey has changed as a person.”; (2) Meyer on watching Cam Newton: “It’s really hard.”; and, of course (3) “WR Chris Rainey day-to-day. Is eligible. Meyer said would know Thursday if would play vs. #Georgia.” C’mon, Corch, the suspense is killing me!
• Weather conditions for the Cocktail Party look good:  mostly clear, with highs in the mid-upper 70’s.

Poor Gators, the bye week, desperation and other thoughts: it’s going to be a weird week.

Let’s face it, these are the strangest vibes going into Jax we’ve felt at least since 2004.  And even then, it was strange only because we knew the Zooker was a dead man walking after he got Croomed.  This year we’ve got Corch riding a three-game losing streak – and a rising from the dead Mark Richt sounding… well, sympathetic:

… Richt, speaking a day after the Kentucky win, drew the parallel between Florida’s potential makeover and his own team’s. He said he expects to see some “interesting twists” from the Gators given the open date.

“I’m sure they’re doing some soul-searching and trying to find some answers, too,” Richt said. “They have time to change their course a little bit. I’m sure that’s what they’re focusing on right now.”

I don’t know if that approach is gonna work on Saturday, but it’s a helluva lot better than bitching about the weather or stealing Grambling’s uniforms.

As I mentioned in a comment, Florida’s bye week doesn’t bother me so much tactically – if Meyer and Addazio want to give Trey Burton (on the season, he’s a true freshman who’s 1-2 passing with an interception) a bigger role at quarterback, fine; that’s playing into Georgia’s strength on defense and messing with John Brantley’s head at the same time – as it does in the way that former Gator offensive coordinator Dan Mullen describes.

“Any time you have a bye week, the biggest thing is you have the opportunity to get your guys healthy and get them back on track and if you need to make some tweaks it gives you a little extra time to do that.”

Jeff Demps hasn’t been 100%.  The Gators also get Chris Rainey back (what a coincidence, hunh).  They also got the chance to rest an offensive line that’s been badly banged up.  All of that concerns me a lot more than seeing Trey Burton in the shotgun.

Another thing to consider about the Cocktail Party is that it’s an SEC East elimination game for both teams.  The loser will be saddled with its fourth conference loss.  If that’s Georgia, it’s means that the Dawgs lose the head-to-head tiebreaker to both the Gators and the Gamecocks (which, at 4-2 won’t have more than four losses at season’s end).  If Florida loses, even if it comes back with a win against South Carolina, it will still finish behind a 5-3 Georgia (yeah, right), a 5-3 South Carolina or lose the tiebreakers to South Carolina and Georgia if all finish 4-4.  With that much at stake for both, I doubt you’ll see either head coach resorting to further showy emotional appeals/fake juice to motivate their teams.

To dream the improbable dream

You tell me which is weirder, Georgia opening as a three-point favorite over Florida, or Chris Low projecting the Dawgs to play in a New Year’s Day bowl game.

Anybody who claims they saw either coming after the Colorado game is a damned liar.

“Oh, did he accelerate!”

Here’s the play that won Cam Newton the Heisman Trophy.

Short of kidnapping him and holding him for ransom, I don’t see how Georgia stops him when they meet.

My Week 8 Mumme Poll ballot

• Alabama
• Auburn
• Boise State
• Michigan State
• Missouri
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Stanford
• TCU
• Wisconsin

COMMENTS

• Just missing the cut:  Arizona, Ohio State, Utah.
• It was easy coming up with a top six.  It was the last four that took time to choose.
• Total time spent on ballot:  nineteen minutes.

 

SEC Power Poll, Week Eight

Things actually cleaned up a little this past weekend… which means they’ll probably get muddied up this coming one.

1. Auburn. LSU’s passing game is so bad, even Ted Roof could handle it.  I’m starting to buy into the “team of destiny” talk; it’ll be an epic Finebaum show if the Tigers win the Iron Bowl this year.
2. Alabama. Don’t look now, but the Tide never went away.
3. LSU. How can a program that recruits so well have such a sorry situation at quarterback?
4. Arkansas. Struggled with a mediocre Ole Miss team more than it should have, but Mother Nature stepped in twice with lightning delays when it seemed that momentum was turning towards the Rebels.
5. South Carolina. The SEC road losing streak is ovah.  And they don’t have Vanderbilt to kick them around anymore.
6. Mississippi State. Bowl eligible ahead of schedule, which is good.  Struggled to put away a mediocre C-USA team, which isn’t so good.
7. Florida. I haven’t dropped a team coming off a bye week in the rankings all season and I won’t start with the Gators.  Besides, it’s 3-17 time.
8. Georgia. No team in the conference has looked more dominant in the last three weeks.  If you could have said something similar about the four games before then, the Dawgs would have something serious going on right now.
9. Kentucky. Great passing attack, but that’s about all.
10. Mississippi. Against Arkansas, 512 yards of offense and only 24 points.  That’s how the Rebels roll.
11. Tennessee. Lack of depth is killing the Vols.  They have to go 3-2 just to have a shot at being a 5-7 bowl eligible team, and I don’t see where they’ll get the third win, even with their notoriously soft November schedule.
12. Vanderbilt. So much for that “they control their destiny in the SEC East” talk.