The 16th-ranked Florida Gators will do battle with the 15th-ranked Memphis Tigers on Tuesday night in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden. Memphis brings a six-game winning streak into this one, while Florida has won six of their last seven, with their lone loss coming against UConn.
Florida lost to Georgia Southern last week which is making this matchup between the supposed two best teams in the state of Florida look like a battle between the haves and have nots.
A pair of teams heading in opposed directions will square off in an SEC showdown, when No. 12 South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier hosts his alma mater in Columbia on Saturday.
The injury-plagued Florida Gators lost another piece overnight on Tuesday, offensive tackle Tyler Moore, leaving them with just two offensive tackles on the roster. That’s the kind of year it has been in Gainesville.
Two teams that have had their hopes of winning an SEC title stymied by injuries will collide on Saturday in Jacksonville, as the Florida Gators host the Georgia Bulldogs.
The No. 22 Florida Gators arrive in Columbia to face an unbeaten No. 14 Missouri Tigers team on Saturday in SEC college football action.
I have to start by saying that it is fantastic that Florida, Miami and Florida State essentially have a round robin to determine the best team in the state this year. The Gators and Hurricanes are both coming into this one off victories that didn’t force them to sweat too much.
There was a lot of criticism of the Florida Gators last year for struggling against some weaker teams on their but they finished 11-2 including a win against Texas A&M and Johnny Manziel. The success was primarily thanks to a top 5 defense as the Gators haven’t really been able to get their offense on track since QB Tim Tebow graduated.
At one point Florida was in the conversation about the best teams in the nation. They sputtered for a while though which is why they have only a #3 next to their name. There were clearly the best team in the SEC but that might not be saying all that much, especially after they lost in the SEC tourney final to Ole Miss.
The Gators have already clinched the SEC but they haven’t been as sharp down the stretch as expected. They are not quite the same team on the road as they are at home which may be part of the reason they are not being talked about as a title contender the way they were a month ago.
You just knew that Kentucky was going to become a more dangerous team as the year went on. It has been a staple of Coach Cal’s teams even, if this particular version struggled a little more early on than many expected.
Many are expecting the Gators to stomp (and chomp) on Louisville but lets remember that as good as they are on defense they are offensively challenged. Louisville is solid all around and I think this game can be a pleasant surprise.
Nebraska can clinch the Legends division this weekend with a victory at Iowa. This team has been special at home but not nearly as convincing on the road.
I doubt we are going to see a headline “Shocker from the Swamp” but this Lafayette team in respectable. They are in the middle of the Sun Belt and last week handed Louisiana-Monroe their first conference loss – yet that Monroe team that was making the SEC look silly.
The Tigers finally got their first SEC victory last week. I thought they would be able to compete better in the SEC this inaugural year but it has not turned out that way. Lucky for them Kentucky came to town…and everybody beats the Wildcats.
I think I always like the Gators a little more than I should. Last year I loved their deep backcourt and they rode it to a second place finish in the SEC and some tournament success.
