Tag Archives: Georgia Bulldogs

Florida Gators Vs. Florida State Seminoles; Final Thoughts Before The Big One

  By The Bull Gator | November 24, 2012 - 12:43 pm | Florida Gators Football
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It’s close now. The rivalry has returned to the heights where it belongs and today we will witness the No. 4 Florida Gators take on the No. 10 Florida State Seminoles. Hatred is plentiful just two days after we all gave thanks. That’s how it is meant to be though. There’s a purpose to the hatred between two bitter rivals and we all accept it as the norm. We’re taught not to hate as children, but this sort of hate is a different animal all together. It’s rivalry hate and we all have it flowing through our blood today.

Jeff Driskel - Florida Gators

The Gators have a chance to finish the 2012 college football regular season with a record of 11-1 (7-1 SEC). That’s right, this Florida team already has 10 wins (Achievement Unlocked) and is one rivalry-fueled, 60-minute battle away from win 11. On the other side, FSU is in the same position. The Seminoles are also 10-1 with just one conference loss, looking to not add another L to the tally. These teams always want this one with an added sense of accomplishment when the victory comes, but with lofty heights renewed it feels bigger.

For the Gators to remain mighty and get that final victory on the regular season, they have to be flawless. We’ve experienced a team with a sluggish offense, a stellar defense, and so many questions in between. Florida’s one loss was an ugly six-turnover debacle which the Gators were actually in until the very end. This Gators’ team has defied logic and won games that felt like losses and somehow remained in that loss to (another bitter rival) Georgia despite putting forth a stomach-turning effort. That all means, despite nervousness reaching epic proportions, that Florida could come out of today victorious.

Many believe the Florida State offense will be too much for the Gators. Not that the Florida defense can’t contain the ‘Noles, but more of the thoughts that the Gators’ offense can’t keep up. If FSU can manage to get north of 20 points, that nervousness sets in because none of us have any idea what we’re going to get out of Florida’s offense. Due to that, the Gators must limit turnovers (read: not have any, at all) and cut down on the three-and-outs.

Florida gave an ugly game to Georgia with turnover after turnover. Due to problems moving the ball on offense, the Gators can’t afford to turn over the ball to the Seminoles. FSU could easily take advantage of Florida mistakes and jump out to an insurmountable lead. Along those same lines, the Gators must extend drives. We’re all very aware that Florida won’t score on every drive, but three-and-outs that take less than two minutes off of the clock have killed the Gators this season.

So…hold on to the ball and extend drives. Those keys are for the offense, where the most improvement is needed. Then again, the Gators are 10-1. Basically, what do we know? Whatever they’ve done has worked 10 out of 11 times this season. It hasn’t always been pretty, but it has resulted in more wins than were expected. But, that said, limiting turnovers and putting together lengthy drives only increases the Gators’ chances of securing another victory. A victory we’re nervous we may not see, but also one we’re confident Florida can get. And that pretty much sums up the entire 2012 season for the Florida Gators.

Florida Gators 14 – Missouri Tigers 7; We Have Experienced The Defining ‘Just Win’ Game

  By The Bull Gator | November 5, 2012 - 4:59 pm | Florida Gators Football
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Just win. It has become a motto of sorts around these part over the last few seasons. On Saturday, when the Florida Gators defeated the Missouri Tigers 14-7, we experienced a game that truly defined it. If ever there was a Just Win Game, this was it. The Gators won to improve to 8-1 (7-1 SEC) on the season, but the game felt like a struggle–one during which early you thought to yourself “just win.”

Omarius Hines - Florida Gators

The Gators were once again a second-half team. Not scoring until the 9:03 mark of the third quarter raises concerns. Not doing so against a team you’re heavily favored against and should defeat rather easily raises more. But Florida finds itself in the same situation over and over again this season: thankful for the defense, and this time it wasn’t as dominating as it can be. Therefore, as we thank the defense, we also have to thank Missouri quarterback James Franklin. If Franklin had been even slightly more “on his game,” there’s a decent chance this would have been loss number two instead of win number eight.

There were offensive stats, but they were offensive. (Saw that one coming from a mile away didn’t you? Two miles? You’re more in tune to awful jokes than I thought. Kudos.) It’s not what we’ve come to expect, so I won’t go that route, but more what we’ve come to accept. This is a team that is still light years away from offensive consistency. It’s disheartening, sure, but the Gators are 8-1. If you can honestly say you predicted that (and we’re hopped up on orange and blue Kool-Aid at the time) at the beginning of the season, you’re a fabulous liar. We still love you, but you’re a liar all the same.

Brent Pease has his work cut out for him. This isn’t the WAC (or whatever conference Boise State was in, used to be in, or was going to be in while he was there). He’s learning that the hard way. The Gators are lucky they can lean back on the defense and that they can win games without being elite. However, it is a problem. Proof Point #1: the loss to Georgia. With just a smidge more out of the offense, 8-1 is 9-0 and that’s why it’s frustrating. Knowing that the Gators have the record they have and seeing that it could have been even better is painful.

We’ve been spoiled by the past and spoiled by the present. Because of the high-flying offensive teams of the past, we expect it in all versions of the Florida Gators football team. Because of the current season’s record, we expect more out of this specific version. But maybe we shouldn’t. Maybe we should expect and hope for the one thing that really matters—winning.

The Gators have not accomplished that goal only once this season. Eight other times, Florida left the field as victors. Saturday’s outing wasn’t pretty, but not many of them have been recently. We have been brainwashed to want style points and yards upon yards upon yards. It’s a hard concept to grasp, but we should always want the win first regardless of how it comes. 14-7 when it should have been 27-10 or even 38-7 isn’t ideal, but the result is the same—W.

For three seasons now the Gators have struggled to find an offensive identity. Pease may be the answer and he may not be. He needs more time, but we also need to focus on that phrase—“just win.” We worry about the other things because we look ahead to opponents like Florida State. We wonder if the Gators were to get to the SEC Championship Game how they could possibly keep up with Alabama. For now though, just win. 8-1 with 9-1 on the horizon. That ninth win may be a thing of beauty or it may be the most destructive of dumpster fires, but if it’s a win, it accomplished goal number one whether we liked watching it or not.

The Gators can check Missouri off of the schedule with a heavy sigh of relief. On to the next opponent. Just win.

Preview: Florida Gators Vs. Missouri Tigers; Welcome To The SEC Part 2

  By The Bull Gator | November 3, 2012 - 11:15 am | Florida Gators Football
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The Florida Gators have the rare opportunity to welcome both of the SEC’s new members to the conference during the 2012 college football season. The Alabama Crimson Tide are the only other team that will be able to say they did so. Oddly enough, if we go back in time just one week, those were the top two teams in the nation. The Gators have fallen since after an ugly defeat at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs, but still possess one of the country’s better teams. And that Georgia loss may have made what many predict will be a cakewalk even more so of a…um…well…walk over cake. Translated, them Gators will be angry.

Matt Elam - Florida Gators

As I write this, the Gators are favored by 17.5 points over the Missouri Tigers. Those of us that witnessed the debacle that was the loss to Georgia may find it hard to believe this Florida team can even score that many points, let alone win by as much, but that’s just the hangover talking. We’re quick to realize that the Gators scored 44 a week before that and overall are performing better than we could have expected in 2012. That doesn’t necessarily lessen the impact of last week’s loss, but 7-1 is 7-1. 7-1 with a real chance to be 10-1 before heading into the regular season finale against Florida State is even better.

But before we get to talking about the Seminoles, we have the Tigers waiting. Some may call this a trap game, but my thought would be that it could only truly be defined as that if the Gators had beaten the Bulldogs and were sitting at 8-0. They aren’t and there could be some much needed aggression waiting to get out. That’s not good news for a Missouri team that just got its first SEC win last week. And, oh yeah, they made shirts for it. You’re new at this Mizzou, so we’ll forgive you for that, but don’t let it happen again.

This will be one of those rare instances where I won’t be watching the game live–at least not the second half. I’ll be racing home right around the end to watch the recording. You’ll already know what has happened, but I’ll be doing my best to avoid it. We’ll see if that actually works or if I can hold out not checking my phone every few minutes. I’ll be with you in spirit through it though, even if I’ll be about two hours behind you in watching it. As always, just win and Go Gators!

Georgia Bulldogs 17 – Florida Gators 9; Jordan Reed, Hold Your Head Up

  By The Bull Gator | October 27, 2012 - 8:02 pm | Florida Gators Football
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Jordan Reed came to the Florida Gators in 2009 out of New London, CT. He was recruited as a quarterback and was considered one of the better dual-threat QBs in the nation. There weren’t many out there that expected him to stay at the position, but he would…at first.

Jordan Reed - Will Muschamp - Florida Gators

Reed redshirted in 2009–his first season on campus. In 2010–as the Gators would look nearly everywhere for a serviceable quarterback–he got the chance to play his high school position at the college level. Reed was efficient, but not overly so. Still, he put together a passer efficiency rating of just under 120 and had some memorable moments. Against Vanderbilt that season, Reed went 11-for-19 through the air for 130 yards and ran for another 84. He would pass for one touchdown and score another on the ground. There were flashes, but nothing spectacular. Ultimately, it was fairly obvious he would have more success at another position–tight end.

Having played some tight end in 2010, Reed went to the position full-time for the 2011 season. There were some growing pains as a TE, but Reed turned himself into a solid player with great promise as a pass catcher and a big target. Reed was putting together a good 2012 despite Florida struggling to find it’s way as a passing team. There were already whispers of where he might go in the NFL Draft in a year or two. On Saturday–while down 17-9 to the Georgia Bulldogs–the Gators went to their reliable (and now possibly even “star” tight end). As Reed sprinted toward the end-zone looking to get the Gators closer to a possible eighth victory, he fumbled. The air was let out of every orange and blue balloon at the same exact moment.

It could have happened to anyone, but it didn’t. It happened to Jordan Reed. It happened to a hard worker that switched positions and became one of the most reliable and productive players on the Florida roster. It happened to the player Jeff Driskel was looking for when the Gators were nearing the end-zone.

It’s not Reed’s fault the Gators lost. He obviously took it hard–anyone would–but the Gators turned over the ball five other times. Florida gave Georgia the ball in great position to score and while the defense held as tight as they could for most of the night, they couldn’t do it on every play. Reed plays one position and will be remember for one unfortunate play. He was chased from behind by one of college football’s best players–Jarvis Jones–and fumbled the ball into the end-zone where the Bulldogs recovered. There’s no blame to be put on Jordan Reed. Far from it. He should hold his head high, as hard as it will be to do that. Much more than that contributed to Florida’s loss. This has been a particularly odd season as it is and a six turnover game almost seems par for the course. Reed didn’t fumble that game away, something else entirely did.

Preview: Florida Gators Vs. Georgia Bulldogs; It Is The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party

  By The Bull Gator | October 26, 2012 - 8:17 am | Florida Gators Football
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It’s funny the things people choose to worry about. I could go down a variety of paths with this–especially during an election year with all of the crap being slung by all sides–but I’ll stick to the important one: college football.

Florida Gators Vs. Georgia Bulldogs 1985

What was once known as the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, the Florida Gators annual contest against the Georgia Bulldogs is no longer named that. In 2006, the schools and the SEC asked that it no longer be referred to as a cocktail party. I can understand their reasoning, but it will always be met with a “lighten up” thought springing into my head. Again, there are a number of paths this discussion could go down as well, but let’s stay with college football. This weekend is the rivalry; the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party has returned.

Florida-Georgia has a mystique to it with few equals. If you spent your formative football years in the Steve Spurrier era, as I did, the rivalry with the Bulldogs wasn’t much of one at all. In fact, for 14 years from 1990 to 2003, the Gators were 13-1 against the Dawgs. Incidentally, that one loss came during my freshman year at the University of Florida. I’ve mentioned being a jinx of sorts before and there’s just one more example for you.

Since that time, Florida is 5-3 against Georgia and the rivalry’s fire has been reignited. But that’s still new to many of us who were too young to truly remember Georgia’s dominance through the 1970s or 1980s, and were definitely not around when Florida ruled the 1950s and early 1960s. Through it all, we learned though. We learned to hate our neighbors to the north as much as they looked down upon those to the south. It was a mutual hatred fueled by years of growing up knowing who your true rivals were regardless of how many times you had beaten them or lost to them recently.

Here we are in another season with another Cocktail Party on the schedule. In recent seasons, it hasn’t seemed as important to the landscape of college football. Florida fans never let go of the power of the game–neither did Georgia fans–but when one team is having an off season, it doesn’t jump out to you as much as it can. This, though, is one of those seasons where the entire nation will be watching.

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Florida Gators 2013 Football Schedule Released; Gators Keep LSU, Add Arkansas

  By The Bull Gator | October 18, 2012 - 7:25 pm | Florida Gators Football
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The Florida Gators 2013 football schedule has been released and the debates have begun. Although, there weren’t really that many and all remains well in Gator Nation. Without delay, here’s what the Gators will face in 2013:

Will Muschamp - Florida Gators

August 31 – Toledo – Gainesville, FL
September 7 – Miami – Miami, FL
September 21 – Tennessee – Gainesville, FL
September 28 – Kentucky – Lexington, KY
October 5 – Arkansas – Gainesville, FL
October 12 – LSU – Baton Rouge, LA
October 19 – Missouri – Columbia, MO
November 2 – Georgia – Jacksonville, FL
November 9 – Vanderbilt – Gainesville, FL
November 16 – South Carolina – Columbia, SC
November 23 – Georgia Southern – Gainesville, FL
November 30 – Florida State – Gainesville, FL

Not many surprises and there really shouldn’t have been. This is the bridge season. 2012 was the first season of the 14-team SEC. 2013 is the bridge to the future. And 2014 should show us what to actually expect in the future. For now, things remain fairly typical. For example, Tennessee remains in the third-game-of-the-season spot, LSU is still on the schedule and in October, and Florida plays Georgia in Jacksonville right around the same time of year they always do.

There are some points of note though; the first being the bye week. In 2012, the Gators were off the week before facing LSU. At that point, Florida had played four games. That won’t be the case in 2013. The Gators first bye comes after just two games. BUT…there is a second bye in late October between the games against Missouri and Georgia. Thank the calendar for that. 2012 was one of those weird years during which September had five Saturdays. In 2013, that would be November.

For the second season–and for obvious reasons–the Gators get only two SEC West opponents on the schedule. There was wonder whether the annual contest with LSU would stop, but it hasn’t…yet. For 2013, the Tigers are still on the schedule. The Gators also get Arkansas, who will visit Gainesville just one week before the Gators travel to Baton Rouge. So Texas A&M was one and done. They’ll be back, but we won’t know when for a while now.

We knew about the out-of-conference schedule, so there are no surprises there. No surprises overall really. 2013 will come and go and the schedule will look similar to those of the past (or at least the one 14-team SEC schedule we have to compare it to). Now we wait for the 2014 one to be released…a year from now.

The Florida Gators Are The Nation’s No. 2 Team, With Ranking Comes Great Expectations

  By The Bull Gator | October 16, 2012 - 10:41 pm | Florida Gators Football
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Remember 2006? Of course you do. The Florida Gators would finish the season as the nation’s No. 2 team according to the final BCS standings. And 2008? There were the Gators again at No. 2. How about 2009? The Alabama Crimson Tide held the No. 1 spot in the final rankings. Just last season? Alabama at No. 2. What do those teams have in common? They would each go on to victory in the BCS National Championship Game. But where did they start? And why am I asking you so many questions?

Jeff Driskel - Florida Gators

The Gators were No. 6 in the first set of BCS standings in 2006. In 2008, Florida was all the way down at No. 10. Alabama was No. 2 in 2009 (behind then No. 1 Florida). And the Tide were No. 2 in 2011. So the Gators weren’t in the top two of the first rankings during either of their title years, but the Tide were both times they won it all. Yes, were going somewhere with this.

On Sunday, the first BCS standings of the 2012 season were released and the top two spots were occupied by the programs that have won four of the last six championships. Alabama at No. 1 isn’t a surprise in even the loosest definition of the word. It was inevitable. There really is no debate on that, even if some will try. And even if some of those that would debate it should be our own Florida Gators.

Those Gators, though, they’re right there at No. 2 with the shock you were all looking for. In my own submission in the SB Nation College Football BlogPoll just one day ago, I had Florida at No. 3. I can’t argue the No. 2 ranking and won’t even try, but I did want to put it out there again that I wasn’t as generous. For a number of reasons really, but one in particular.

With high rankings come high expectations and maybe I don’t want to believe it all just yet. I was quite enjoying being the team that’s not supposed to be up there. After a 7-6 season, most of us Florida fans were thinking 9-4 was in the realm of possibility. We could see a perfect storm producing 10 wins, but we could also envision a season that brought eight. There were so many questions to be answered and improvements to be made that we just weren’t sure. And please keep in mind that being an optimistic fan is worlds different than taking a realistic approach of the situation before you. 2012 was to be an improvement on 2011. We could have seen 6-0 coming, but No. 2 was a shock.

You know how it goes, “If the season were to end today, we’d see another all-SEC national title game.” The season doesn’t end today, but yes, if it did, the Gators would face the Tide for the crystal ball. That scares me. It shouldn’t. After all, I’m a Florida fan and have been for most of my life (I’m not sure who I cheered for before I turned 5 years old and discovered the orange and blue), but it scares me because I’m not sure they’re ready. I was thinking everything would come together in 2013 and that would be the season the Gators could really make some noise. All of that came one season early. Or did it?

We’re at the halfway point of the season with games against South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida State still to come. Just two weeks ago, all three of those teams were in the top six. Today, they each have one loss, but they’re still three of this season’s better programs. Florida faces them all. 6-0 could very easily become 9-3. Then again, it could be 10-2. How about 11-1? Does anyone dare go to 12-0? We can ask that question. Not because we have the right to, but because there’s a real chance it could happen. That perfect storm isn’t 10 wins anymore. It’s higher.

South Carolina just lost to a team the Gators beat. Georgia lost to South Carolina. FSU lost to an ACC team they weren’t supposed to lose to. None of those losses guarantee future Florida wins, but they showed that there are ways to beat those teams. Put it all together and it’s all looking mighty bright in Gator Nation.

What happens from here starts on Saturday, but losses now bring an added disappointment. Expectations will do that to you. Before I’m lit up with “ALL LOSSES HURT!!!” let’s look at that statement. Some hurt more than others. Without expectations, they’re awful. With them, they take on an entire new meaning. Tell me, what was worse? Losing to the Seminoles in 2011? Or to Alabama in the 2009 SEC Championship Game? I know my answer.

The expectations aren’t going away and so we must accept them. Maybe even learn to like them. They increased after 3-0 and intensified after the win over LSU. Beat South Carolina and they may just be sky-high. I’ll be fine with that, but nervous. But I’ll take a good nervous over a bad one any day.

The Full Week 6 College Football BlogPoll: Where The No. 5 Florida Gators Get 9 First-Place Votes

  By The Bull Gator | October 10, 2012 - 8:00 am | College Football
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Yesterday, my ballot. Today, the full Week 6 SB Nation College Football BlogPoll.

College Football Rankings 2011

Results for Week 6

# School Points/blog SD Delta
1 Alabama Crimson Tide (64) 24.37 1.43 –
2 Oregon Ducks (4) 23.20 1.65 –
3 South Carolina Gamecocks (7) 22.61 1.50 Arrow_up 4
4 West Virginia Mountaineers (1) 21.34 1.98 Arrow_up 4
5 Florida Gators (9) 21.23 2.03 Arrow_up 6
6 Kansas St. Wildcats (1) 20.23 1.81 –
7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1) 19.47 2.21 Arrow_up 2
8 Ohio St. Buckeyes 16.74 4.67 Arrow_up 4
9 LSU Tigers 14.67 3.73 Arrow_down -5
10 Oregon St. Beavers 13.82 4.28 Arrow_up 3
11 Florida St. Seminoles 12.52 4.18 Arrow_down -8
12 USC Trojans 12.14 5.00 Arrow_up 2
13 Georgia Bulldogs 12.06 3.24 Arrow_down -8
14 Oklahoma Sooners 11.75 4.34 Arrow_up 3
15 Texas Longhorns 10.97 3.34 Arrow_down -5
16 Clemson Tigers 9.64 4.46 –
17 Stanford Cardinal 9.63 4.38 Arrow_up 1
18 Louisville Cardinals 8.95 3.67 Arrow_up 1
19 Mississippi St. Bulldogs 7.84 4.09 Arrow_up 2
20 Rutgers Scarlet Knights 5.85 3.64 Arrow_up 3
21 Cincinnati Bearcats 5.38 3.73 Arrow_up 5
22 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 3.78 3.80 Arrow_up 7
23 Ohio Bobcats 3.60 4.31 Arrow_up 2
24 Texas A&M Aggies 3.51 3.35 Arrow_up 6
25 Iowa St. Cyclones 1.68 2.63 Arrow_up 13
Others Receiving Votes: Boise St. Broncos | Baylor Bears | TCU Horned Frogs | Michigan Wolverines | Arizona St. Sun Devils | Texas Tech Red Raiders | Michigan St. Spartans | Duke Blue Devils | Penn St. Nittany Lions | Tulsa Golden Hurricane | N.C. State Wolfpack | Northwestern Wildcats | Nevada Wolf Pack | North Carolina Tar Heels | Nebraska Cornhuskers | Oklahoma St. Cowboys | Northern Illinois Huskies | Western Kentucky Hilltoppers | Toledo Rockets | San Jose St. Spartans | Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners | UAB Blazers
Updated: Oct 9, 2012 9:46 AM EDT

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Rankings 2011

A few points:

• Good for the nine of you that gave the Florida Gators first-place votes. No really. But you’re out of your minds. The Gators have performed admirably and better than expected thus far. They have put together some impressive wins and look every bit like a team that realistically belongs somewhere between No. 3 and No. 8. They aren’t the nation’s best team though.

• LSU deserved a bigger fall. They lost to what we are seeing is a good Florida team and an elite Gators’ defense, but that’s also the third-straight week the Tigers have not played like a top-10 team. With six games to look at and three less-than-impressive outings, No. 9 is a dream that just isn’t true at the moment.

• Florida State and Georgia took the biggest dives here and did in my ballot as well. The Bulldogs’ loss was worse by the looks of it, but also to a much better team. At the moment, I believe Georgia should be the (ever so slightly) higher team. Ask me again tomorrow though and I might change my mind.

• We’re all starting to wonder just how far Oregon State can go.

• If Clemson and FSU were to play again, what would the outcome be?

Week 6 BlogPoll: Where A New SEC Team Takes Hold Of The No. 1 Ranking

  By The Bull Gator | October 9, 2012 - 9:33 am | College Football
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It’s the week six BlogPoll and there’s a new No. 1 in town. For me, that’s South Carolina. For most, it’s probably not new at all because I’ll go ahead and predict that Alabama still holds the top spot for the entire poll. Regardless, the Gamecocks’ win over previously unbeaten Georgia was enough for me to give them the top ranking – for one week at least. We’ll see what this upcoming weekend brings.

A few points:

• Alabama has an elite defense. South Carolina has a defense I’m literally scared of. Being scared ranks slightly higher than elite status. No. 1 goes to the Gamecocks.

• The SEC took a slight hit with only three teams in the top 10 this week. Of course, that’s because the two teams that fell out were beaten by two others that stayed in.

• The AP Poll had the Gators as high as No. 4, but I’m more inline with the Coaches Poll. I was impressed with the comeback victory and am very happy with where Florida’s defense is headed, but I’m still cautious. October isn’t close to being over.

• Florida State taking the biggest dive had nothing to do with them being Florida State and everything with them giving away a 16-point lead to an unranked team. One of these years, we’ll stop saying the ‘Noles are back until we’re actually sure they’re back.

• Yes, that’s Duke at No. 23. It may not last long, but the Blue Devils make my top 25.

Predicting The 2012 SEC Football Season Game By Game (If Each Team Played 1,200 Games)

  By The Bull Gator | August 30, 2012 - 12:00 pm | SEC Football
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I guess it’s not that weird, but it is different. We here at The Bull Gator started this last season and figured we might as well continue. (We’re still not sure where our inspiration came from, but we’ve seen similar things done elsewhere, so thanks to anyone that may be doing something like this.) This is our way of predicting the 2012 SEC football season. It’s more than just win vs. loss. Instead, it’s how many times a particular team might beat another. Averages, if you will.

Instead of picking Team A over Team B, we tried to determine how many times we thought Team A would beat Team B if they played each other 100 times. While Team A may be heavily favored over Team B, there’s always that chance of an upset and we try to take that into account. Need an example? Here you go:

If the Florida Gators and Bowling Green Falcons played 100 times, you think the Gators would win 75 of those games. You feel the same way for each of the remaining 11 games on Florida’s schedule. That’s 12 matchups and 75 wins per game. 12 multiplied by 75 is 900; 900 divided by 100 (because in reality, the Gators don’t play each team 100 times; they play each team once) is 9. Therefore, based on your win number for each game, you believe Florida will end up with 9 victories in 2012 for a record of 9-3. Yes, you have technically predicted the Gators to win every game, but a 75% chance of winning each time out is far from perfect.

We set two rules for this exercise. One rule is obvious: A single game must have consistent results. If you believe Florida would beat Texas A&M 75 times, then you also believe Texas A&M would beat Florida 25 times. The other was set to force each of us to pick an overall winner: No matchup can be 50-50. You have to go one way or another even if your chosen mark is 51-49. Ultimately, we’re attempting to predict outcomes and there are no longer ties in college football.

Now that the lengthy (although much shorter than last year’s) explanation is over, here are the results. Discuss, agree with, argue against below.

A few notes:

• The highlighted numbers under the SEC East standings are there to show the only place in the entire standings where we disagreed with each other. Although Vanderbilt ends up fourth overall, individually Willy had them fifth behind Missouri.

• The highlighted schools under the SEC West standings are for the two national title contenders. We both ended up with Alabama ahead of LSU in the SEC West standings; however, if you look at just our picks, that’s not necessarily true. I give the edge to Bama in every game they play, while Willy has LSU beating Bama 55-45. The reason the Tide still come out on top for him is because of greater average confidence in their 11 wins than the Tigers’ 12.

• Finally, the highlighted numbers in the individual team schedules show the games we disagreed on from a win-loss standpoint. Last year, we didn’t disagree on a single game! That’s right, not one. This year there were six, four of which involved Tennessee. I’m not proud to say that in all four of those, I have the Vols coming out on top, but that doesn’t change the fact that we both think their probably a 6-6 team.

There you have it, our long-winded way of predicting the SEC in 2012.