Ran short on time for a few days so never had a chance to respond .
So here it goes in response to the O-State and Hunt's later post ( using cut and paste for some):
Nut it is not worthwile IMO to compare Clemson to Florida State or if South Carolina is better than Mississippi State.
I disgree because week in week out the quality of teams you oppose is important . If you have a BYE week sandwiched around two real crap teams its like a vacation but also could be a negative facing those teams then seeing a good competition. Not that it applies here . Plus I will say this every and I mean day situations dictate results . There is no perfect way to weight the opinions one has on the SOS but to me its very valid.
In this situation alone you have a Clemson team who was supposed to be good and a Bama team who was supposed to be a year away . Well maybe Bama wasnt a year away( ya think at 11-0..lol) and Clemson wasnt very good . So the win loses a ton of luster . It winds up a WIN over against a middle of the pack ACC team. South Carolina doesnt have to be very good but how many people said oh its to many points . Thats a ridiclous a spread . Then FLA beats them to a pulp . How bout FSU ? It's one thing to win at FSU , its another notch to do smoke them , the KEY to the entire equation and what makes it impressive is the fact they were somewhere bewteen 14 to 17 pt favs . Do people realize that makes FSU somewhere around 24 to 28 pts worse @ Florida and thats before they get steamrolled.
That is an INDICATOR of just how strong FLA is . Furthermore scores , finals and blowouts are correct in not being much of an indicator of anything . However if you can CRUSH a team and do it in the context of the game that is IMO very impressive especially when it happens repeatedly .
----I believe all the teams on the schedule, for both teams, did not pose any challenge to the level BAMA and UF are playing on right now
Sorry but disagree . The only challenge Bama had down the stretch was @ LSU and they very easily could have lost that game. If not for the missed FG before half which really could have been a nice boost entering halftime and if Jarrett Lee wasnt constantly throwing to the opposing team . Same corner had 3 picks I think. Again while LSU fell apart after this LOSS still it was a medicore team .
Now wonder how people gave LSU a chance midseason @ FLA as 7 pt dogs ? I recall pounding the hell of the Gators knowing LSU was overrated .
Margin of victory IMO against lesser teams just doesn't mean much. See it all the time.
Only thing that matters is when competition level is raised, that is the REAL TEST
The tell all when competition level is raised is what was the SPREAD , what was the perception of the spread and how did the team perform vs the spread. If it did well was it in the context of the game . Beating a team as 4 pt Dogs is not the same as beating them as 7 pt favs in any sport in any game ...we have seen coaches use pointspreads as motivational factors and players sure get angry when the feel disrespected by a spread...
If teams have common opponents its very important to understand the role of the pointspread. It's very easy to be favored by 2 or 3 TDs and take an opponent lightily . Hence Bama 's issues with an inconsistent offense just as it impressive that week in week out FLA can play consistently enough on both sides of the ball.
IN Fact when I compare teams, I try as much as possible to leave out games where there was no competition. It just does not matter at all.
Everything matters. There are NO positives taken from those sort of wins but there can be negatives . I gloss over the weak teams but I want to make sure they still play well . Bad habits are symptoms of problems . Thats why players practice to avoid bad habits and reinforce good ones. Weak competition for good teams is essentially practice IMO . A team like Bama who has had trouble taking advantage all season of inferior teams and closing the door will IMO continue to struggle with until they have shown it is no longer an issue .
--Georgia, LSU, and Ole Miss maybe the best teams these two faced?? Both blewout Georgia equally, Ole Miss hung in there, LSU take nothing from it except BAMA faced adversity plus for them. @ LSU and matchup wise was much more difficult test cannot compare it to UF win over Tigers
Really both teams blew Georgia out equally? Equally doesnt exist nor does level playing fields . Georgia was riding high and thought to be very good when Bama met them . Then Bama shows up and embarrasses them in the 1st H and while they werent hard earned how is allowing 30 points to Georgia the same as FLA blowing them out and allowing much less? Everyone seems to dismiss the fact that when FLA blew teams out they still werent giving up any opposition points .
take nothing from the LSU game ? The offense was struggling and they opposing team ran for 200 yards its only test after Georgia . You think LSU would have even competed with FLA @ LSU? Not IMO .
Ole Miss is the only game to take nothing from IMO. Fluke loss for FLA when Ole Miss just had timely plays . Ole Miss was outclassed in the 1stH but the 2nd H bama couldnt close the door and found themselves hanging on. Real reason I dont take much is this was teh schizo Ole Miss team that was inconsistent and not the same team we see now. Both faced schizo Miss IMO thats why to me it doesnt mean much.....
UF's offense has statistically been better over the course of the season but once again that means absolute crap due to comp
Bama's defense has statistically been better over the course of the season
---What ususally translates in these big games is PHYSICALITY and the better DEFENSE.
Really dont agree with the comment on USF offense .
So Miami's Defense , FSU , SoCar , Georgia , Tenny , LSU , Kentucky are bad defenses ? These are some of the better defenses in the country if I amnot mistaken. Granted offensive ineptness aids to the opposition scoring as well but those are some damn good units to face .
Harvin did it against the nation's third-ranked defense, too. South Carolina led the SEC in total defense, allowing just 256.5 yards a game, and ranked third in scoring defense (15.6 points a game) and second against the run (101.4 yards a game).
The Gamecocks also hadn't given up more than 24 points in any game, and all three of their losses were by seven points.
Not anymore.
"We heard about that all week. They came out saying they were the best defense," Hicks said. "We felt like we had something to prove, to show America we're the best defense no matter who's in - backups or starters."
Bama's defense is statisically better where ? They played 1 OFFENSE all season -Georgia . WKU, ARk State , Tenny , Auburn gimme a break...Miami , FSU and SCar no world beaters but better then that
What translates in the big games is the Frauds get exposed . Maybe Florida is a fraud but certainly think its much more likely to be Alabama ...
All this talk about DEFENSE is wrong IMO. Defense wins championships . Okay then how many football teams won championships with JUST A GREAT defense ? In both CFB and NFL? So I think there are alot more ingredients then DEFENSE to winning Championships/ Big games . Its called BALANCE and dont see that as something Alabama has. FLA has a balanced offense which can succeed on the ground , through the air and even on Tebow's legs . They have a very good defense who really cares if its as goodas Bama's . We know that Bama's offense is not as good as Fla's.
BALANCE wins Championships not great defenses . I'll take a good defense and a very good offense any day .
Dont see the Ohio State comparision as anything to do with this game . Again different situation . Was Ohio State 10 pt dogs to the #2 in the country ?
I also think BAMA has a better more dominant defense----hard to tell for BAMA as well because of skewed comp you could say-----but it's what I believe with my own two eyes after watching games. Big DTackles Cody and company
You are only as good as the competition you face . When you are better because you are simply physically bigger that is not better IMo. All your eyes see is inferior competition. Not saying your eyes are opinion are wrong but alot times we dont believe things to we see them but that can be to late . I try to be 2 steps ahead of the pack. Its not when I see in the games as what I see in the lines that helps me with the outcomes..
To me STYLE points arent accumulated in the 1st Half . What OU did @ Okie State thats style points . If your blowing a team out by the end of the 1st Q thats not style thats dominance .
I just get the feel that FLA gets the respect that was given to Texas Tech in years past that they are almost a gimmick.
Hell you know football alot better then me but for me decisions are based on spreads, situations and perception......I love how this game stacks up. Keep hearing how everyone will bet FLA this and that meanwhile if you ask every guy walking down the street wh they like I would be shocked if it wasnt ALABAMA and OKLAHOMA.
As far as Hunt's response .
I think Bama played down but unintenionally . You as avid fan knows there was alot of concern with the offense struggling so bad early on .
You also know that Georgia was caught off guard by Bama. The Bulldawgs were off a win @ ASU that was supposed to good (look at it now) and never saw it coming IMO. Plus that game was 2 months ago.
Not sure if UF defense will wear down quite as easy . One thing about scoring alot which makes their defensive even more impressive is the fact you give the opponent so many more possessions. Look at every team with a good offense in CFB and look at the pts allowed . Nothing compares to FLA ...OU , Tulsa, TT , Texas....
I think if Bama is hanging there hat on Georgia its fool's gold. Georgia just was not was what expected and they believed the hype ever bit of. Stafford selling out his OL tells you these guys have egos IMO. It's simple Georgia was a pretender....
This game boils down to the Bama offense plain and simple. They dont play well then their defense will wear down. I think Bama struggles and maybe loses @ tenny if they had any offense which I mention because the VOLS defense was solid . So was LSU . I was unimpressed with how Bama played in both . At Tenny the Tide did almost nothing on offense till the last drive before half 25plays 83 yds on the 1st 5 drives . They led 13-3 but Tenny missed 2 FGs should have been 13-9 and Tenny had the ball to start deep in Bama territory one possession . Again an offense maybe makes them pay more then FG . So both teams had 3 scoring chances also Tennys 2nd FG came from good field position after punt ........
Those 2 away games in the last month or so is what I weigh Bama most on ....
Anything can and will happen this is just my thought process and its unconventional possibly but its my approach...
Good Luck today fellas ......:shake::cheers:
illow:
