Buddy Martin on Florida's open date, the lessons of past bye weeks and the Oct. 31 Georgia matchup in Atlanta. Photo by Chris Spears, GatorBait Media.

Franz Beard examines quarterback recruiting hype, Florida's Aaron Philo–Tramell Jones Jr. decision and the history of the Gators' five-star quarterbacks.

By Buddy Martin GatorBaitMedia.com As a former St. Petersburg resident and a sports columnist for the St. Petersburg Times who campaigned for major league baseball there back in the day — some 45 years ago — I have a confession and a hurrah. The confession: somewhere between covering the Gators and falling back in love with baseball, I became a Rays fan who watches 50, 60 games a year on TV whenever Florida isn't on. The hurrah: Friday night in Milwaukee, my Rays open the Wor

Franz Beard's Tuesday column: Florida basketball's preseason expectations, college football rankings, the outlook for all 16 SEC teams and his College Football Playoff predictions.

Eddie Gilley on Florida's 27-24 win at Texas: improved defense, third-down execution and the spark that helped the Gators fight back. Photo courtesy UAA and Hannah White.

Buddy Martin thanks Gator fans for their loyalty after Florida's 27-24 win at Texas and looks ahead to the open date. Photo courtesy UAA and Hannah White.