Saying bye bye to SEC football

I sit before my computer on this Friday morning at 9:14 a.m. and prepare this last blog post which, I really should have done last night but it somehow slipped my mind amidst the massive amount of work I have, I can’t help but look at this moment as bittersweet.

Sure, writing these posts twice a week by 10 a.m. has been tedious at times and sometimes much like it did last night it just slipped my mind. At the same point, I have enjoyed writing these entries. If anything it made me keep up on what was going on in SEC sport, something that really does interest me.

I want to say one of my favorites was this past Tuesday’s post about the FSU-UF game. It was just so refreshing to see the Gators kicking butt, the way Gator Nation wanted them to all season.

Football will end soon and then the focus shifts to basketball, I could continue this blog, but truthfully I just don’t think I have time. So for all you loyal “A look @ SEC football” readers (if there are any) who will miss my posts, may I suggest sportsblog.org, it has great coverage of many sports, and I enjoy reading it myself.

Well it has been a pleasure and Go Gators.

Gators earn bragging rights over Seminoles

I can bet that not even the biggest Gator fan could have envisioned the outcome of Saturday’s Florida- Florida State match up. Sure you might of thought the Gators were going to win, but a 34-7 win, that’s just crazy.

The entire town was hyped for a game that promised to be thrilling, and Gator Nation was ready to cheer each time UF scored. The chants from excited fans echoed well past Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Personally, I would have likeed a closer game. It was nice to see the Gators crushing the Seminoles but towards the end, I couldn’t help but feel bad for all those garnet and gold clad fans who had taken the seven-hour trek, just to be embarrassed.

I take that back, it was fantastic. The Gators got to end their regular season on a high note, and despite a few disappointing losses UF is undefeated in the Swamp. This is the fourth time ever that the Gators beat all of its biggest rivals, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida State, in same season.

This was just the type of redemption Urban Meyer was looking for.

“I think it was our biggest win,” Meyer told Pat Dooley of the Gainesville Sun. “It was a great win, a great night. Especially for the seniors. Man, did they go.”

The win over Florida State means the Gators still have the possibility of going to the Outback, Peach or Independence Bowl.

Records won't matter in UF- Florida State game

I can’t believe it was a year ago that University Avenue filled with screaming fans going absolutely crazy in celebration of the Gators beating the Seminoles. It had been an extremely disappointing season and in the final game, the Gators were glad they had the opportunity to cheer.

Fast forward a year and the situation entering the Florida- Florida State game is similar. Sure the Gators record is better than it was last year but this season was not what everyone expected, one again Gator Nation is looking for a reason to get excited.

The Florida- State game is the perfect occasion. In a rivalry as deep-rooted as this one records don’t matter, the rest of the season doesn’t matter. It is like the boys get on the field and it’s a completely different game.

This is about pride, about remaining undefeated in the Swamp and the seniors’ last chance to prove themselves in the Swamp.
"This is it - it's our last time in the Swamp," senior linebacker Todd McCullough told the Alligator in Monday’s edition. "We haven't set out what we wanted to do this year, obviously, but we're undefeated in the Swamp right now and we want to leave that for these younger guys to carry on for the future and get back that home-field advantage we have."

Win or lose this game there will be no SEC championship for the Gators, but this Saturday that won’t even matter. I just hope once again the streets are filled with screaming fans covered in orange and blue, Gator Nation could use some cheering up.

Meyer receives unfair criticism

With the Gators taking a week-off and no hopes of a real post season I would like to take a moment and reflect on the football season that never was.

When Ron Zook was fired last year it gave Gator Nation the false hope that the new coach would immediately turn the team into a National Championship contender.

Then came along Urban Meyer, when he got to town the buzz around him was ridiculous. Yes, he did do amazing things at Utah, but that’s a totally different conference with a different style of play. Now, that the season has not turned out exactly the way fans wanted, a ton of criticism surrounds Meyer.

Is he at fault? Perhaps, but at the same point it is unfair to blame Meyer completely. The season has not been horrible and everyone needs to remember he hasn’t even been in Gainesville a full year. Everyone just expected way too much, way too soon.

Meyer is not a horrible coach. He had to deal with injuries and a number of other set-backs he was just not ready for. Even the person who bought the site fireurbbanmeyer.com agrees. The Web site is more of tribute to him. I say give Meyer a few years. Let him adjust to SEC football do some recruiting of his own and then he will probably be the coach everyone hoped he’d be right away. As the cliché goes Rome was not built in a day and either are great football teams.

Gator hoping for an Auburn win

This Saturday many Gators will trade in their traditional orange and blue for more of a navy and burnt orange.

For an evening, Gator Nation will become a Tiger Nation of sorts as Auburn faces Georgia on the road. If Auburn is able to win, the Gators will still have a chance for the SEC championship.

Beating the Dawgs won’t be that simple though. After a week-off Georgia will return to the field with starting quarterback, DJ Shockley, back in place. Shockley sat out the last two games because of a knee injury.

Either way Auburn is confident that they are ready for the challenge. Defensive end Stanley McClover told the Auburn Plainsman that “Every team comes to play when you are on the road. We just got to go in there with are minds set that we’re going to take care of business.”

For the Gators' sake hopefully this is true. Meanwhile the Gators will be facing their own challenges in South Carolina. If the Gators and Auburn can pull off wins, Florida will be one step closer to a chance at the SEC title.

Gators remain in championship race after OT scare

As I sat on the edge of a barstool at a Wing House in Orlando with my eyes glued to the big screen I could not believe what I was watching.

With only seconds left on the clock Florida was tied with Vanderbilt 35-35. The Gators were going into overtime against an unranked SEC team, and I was scared the outcome was not going to be good.

I was wrong. The Gators were able to pull out a win during the second overtime, when reserve cornerback Reggie Lewis intercepted a pass from Vanderbilt quarterback, Jay Cutler. The play, which was reviewed by refs because Lewis was inches from going out of bounds, caused an explosion of cheers from the crowd and an ‘I told you so,’ from Urban Meyer.

“I called the defense over before overtime and said someone is going to find a way to make a play to win the game,” Meyer told The Gainesville Sun after the game. “In big-time games, that’s how it happens.”

I’m glad Meyer was confident that his team would pull of the win, I definitely was questioning their ability. Either was it was an exciting win and it means the Gators still have a chance to go to the SEC championship.

I take that back, it gives the Gators an other week to stay alive. Florida heads to South Carolina this Saturday in a game that might be harder to win than you would think. The Gamecocks are currently on a 4-game winning streak. In addition Auburn needs to upset Georgia in order to keep Florida’s championship dreams a reality.

It’s an important week for the Gators who will face multiple factors that will determine their SEC championship fate.

Another week, another disappointment for the Vols

October was not a good month for Tennessee. The Vols, 3-4, have not has a losing record since 1988 and with Saturday’s game against No. 8 Norte Dame, it doesn’t look like their record will be improving any time soon.

After a surprising loss to South Carolina, Tennessee heads to Indiana with something to prove, and yet I don’t think they will be able to do it. The Fighting Irish are just too good. It is not that the Vols lack talent but somewhere along the line the team that entered the season ranked third has lost their spark.

In an interview with the Daily Beacon, University of Tennesse’s student newspaper, even the coaches sounded weary of the talent they will face this weekend.

“They’ve got two 6-5 receivers, so they’re a very talented football team, and they’ve done a great job with their offense thus far this year,” Defensive coordinator John Chavis said. “ If you didn’t have to play them, they’d be kind of fun to watch on film.”

Chavis is probably right the game should be an exciting one, but I’m glad I’m not a die- hard Vols’ fan, because this weekend is most likely going to add to the disappointment of the season.