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Do you really think that Florida is that much worse than they were last season? How do they not warrant a top 2 ranking?
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<p>Because they aren't one of the top 2 teams in the country. They lose all their key players. Only a Florida homer wouldn't realize this. USC's better than you, LSU's better than you. End of story.</p>
<p>Every team has top recruits that competes for the NC. You act as if your recruits are any different than other teams, and that all of them can just come in here and replace guys who were first round draft picks and All-SEC caliber players. They can't. They are still inexperienced and will be facing SEC competition for the first time.</p>
<p>Every single key contributor to last year's NC team is gone. You don't have any returning starters at any offensive skill position. 5 All-SEC first teamers, gone. Only 2 defensive starters are back. 6 All-SEC second teamers, gone. You didn't lose backups, you lost starters who were key contributors to your team's success. </p>
<p>It's a whole different Florida team that will be on the field this year, I respect the NC team, but this team isn't the NC team. It would be foolish to blindly predict success for this group of Gators because last year's team was good. That theory is wrong on so many levels.</p>
<p>Losing players will not deter a great program from continuing to be great. OSU lost 15 draft picks from their 03 team and managed 8 wins the following year. Miami (FL) was routinely losing 8-10 draft picks and great players every single year and won year in year out around 2000. Last year, USC lost two Heisman winners (Bush and Leinart), as well as Lendale White, and 8 other great players (including Lutui, Dominique Byrd, Darnell Bing, Winston Justice, Frostee Rucker and Fred Matua) and managed a 10-2 season the following year. Florida has so much talent and they are so well coached that they deserve to be ranked so high. And they have Tim Tebow. End of story.</p>
<p>I agree with both the yay and nay sayers regarding Florida. As defending NC, regardless of losses to personel, I think Florida deserves to start ranked among the top 3. However, I agree with A2Wolves that replacing that many leaders will not be easy. Remember the 1997 Michigan team or the 2002 OSU teams? Those were dominant National Championship teams. The following year, after suffering significant losses, they both suffered 2-4 losses, and like Florida today, those teams were very well coached and had a wealth of talent. I think Florida will finish with 3 losses losses this year. Considering its schedule and youth, that would be quite an accomplishment.</p>
<p>You're right, it will not stop them from being a solid team. 8 wins is a solid team. However, ranking them at #2 means you're predicting an undefeated or a 1 loss season. When was the last team, that ever lost as much as Florida lost, that came back the following year and was in the NC game? That's what the Florida homer is predicting in his poll, which is what I have beef with. USC going 10-2 isn't #2 in the polls. It isn't a 0-1 loss season. Argument lost.</p>
<p>To answer A2:
Are you kidding me? Until the last week of the season, USC was #2 in the polls. That is until UCLA scraped by them. They were very close to playing in a third straight NC, despite losing Bush, LenDale, and Leinart.
Look at the USC 2003 season, when they won the AP National Championship. They lost guys like Mike Williams, and Keary Colbert, and what did they do in 04? Win another national championship. Probably not the best example though, because they didn't lose that much.</p>
<p>Another example that comes to mind is the 2001 Miami (FL) team, which won a NC. They lost players like Bryant Mckinnie, Ed Reed, Mike Rumph, Phillip Buchanon, and Jeremy Shockey to the draft. Then, they would lose the NC the next year in the memorable 3OT loss to OSU.
Other candidates I would say are 94-95 Nebraska, 99-00 FSU, and 04-05 Oklahoma.<br>
However, the team that comes to mind first is the 87 Hurricanes. They lost the NC in 86 to PSU, despite having who I think is one of the five greatest college football players of all time, Vinnie Testevarde. They would lose Vinnie, Alonzo Highsmith, and Jerome Brown, among numerous others, before winning the 1987 NC against Oklahoma I think.</p>
<p>Lost as much as Florida lost - key words there. Florida only returns 8 starters, including losing the starter at the biggest position on any team - the quarterback. Miami returned Dorsey, in addition to first round picks Andre Johnson, William Joseph, D.J. Williams, Jonathan Vilma. They had 12 returning starters, including their QB, to Florida's 8. I'd go into other examples, but it's a waste of time. The teams you guys mentioned did not lose nearly the amount that Florida lost.</p>
<p>Do not tell me the 2005 USC team did not lose as much as or more than the 2006 UF team. Again, they lost 2 Heismans, plus pretty much all their talent on defense and OLine. The only thing they returned were their WRs. And you know damned well that the 2006 USC team came very close to being in a NC, and would've been save some heroics from Oregon St and UCLA.</p>
<p>A2Wolves6, maybe it's more that you're anti-Florida than me being Florida crazy. You have no idea what a Florida homer is until you meet Tebow worshipers and true Gator fanatics on game days. Trust me, I am far from it. I'm just a fan of good football.</p>
<p>Maguo, USC was a solid team last year, but not that special. I thought Michigan was the more talented team, but USC plays on their home turf and Michigan, given their 6 week break, was clearly very rusty. If those two teams played on a neutral field during the regular season, I'd say Michigan wins.</p>
<p>That's not my point though. USC, despite losing all their talent, was a team with the caliber to reach the NC. They went 10-2, with unlucky losses against Ore. St. and UCLA. A little luck, and they would've in the NC ahead of UF.</p>
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Do not tell me the 2005 USC team did not lose as much as or more than the 2006 UF team. Again, they lost 2 Heismans, plus pretty much all their talent on defense and OLine. The only thing they returned were their WRs. And you know damned well that the 2006 USC team came very close to being in a NC, and would've been save some heroics from Oregon St and UCLA.
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<p>Okay, I won't tell you, since it seems you are close minded to facts and statistics.</p>
<p>USC did not go to the National Championship. They did not rank in the top 2 at season's end. They lost 2 games to teams that were unranked.</p>
<p>It will be the same as any other Michigan football season. We could be unbelievably good and win the BCS title, we could blow an early game or two and end up making the tail end of the BCS, or we could run the table and lose to Ohio State and end the season in a three-way tie for the Big Ten title. No matter how good we are, we always seem to run low on luck. If Lloyd Carr had came out firing against USC in the Rose Bowl like he did against O State, maybe we could've had a share of the title this year.</p>
<p>The only prediction that should be a sure thing is that we will not have another 5 or even 4-loss season.</p>
<p>Winning a National championship takes luck. USC didn't haven't it. Only truly dominant teams, like 1901 Michigan don't need luck.</p>
<p>OSU needed luck last year to beat Illinois. They needed a bad call to put Michigan away.
UF needed every bit of luck to slide past Tennessee. They needed a blocked extra point and a late fourth quarter come back to beat South Carolina. UF could have just as easily been a three loss team.</p>