ESPN ranks Florida No. 23 in its new SP+ power index

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning:

“I feel like we’re not going to shock anyone, but like other people outside this building. We know what we have in here. We got a lot of talent. It might not be in newspapers or articles or anything like that, but we know what we have is great this year.” – Asa Turner

Apparently, Bill Connelly of ESPN isn’t going to be shocked if the Gators turn into a good football team this fall. Florida might not have scratched the top 25 in either the Associated Press or Coaches polls, and they certainly aren’t in any of the preseason predictions by Lindy’s, Athlon or Phil Steele. Connelly has the Gators No. 23 in his SP+ poll that combines returning production, recent recruiting and recent history.

Although the Gators have endured three consecutive losing seasons, apparently the returning production bolstered by a solid transfer portal recruiting class that included Asa Turner, a starting safety for Washington’s national championship runner-up a year ago, has Connelly thinking UF could be a very dangerous team for 2024.

Connelly’s analytics have the Gators as the No. 18 team offensively, No. 41 defensively and No. 9 on special teams.  

The ESPN SP+ top 25: 1. Georgia; 2. Ohio State; 3. Oregon; 4. Alabama; 5. Texas; 6. Penn State; 7. Michigan; 8. Ole Miss; 9. Notre Dame; 10. LSU; 11. Missouri; 12. Florida State; 13. Oklahoma; 14. Texas A&M; 15. Tennessee; 16. Clemson; 17. Kansas State; 18. Utah; 19. Miami; 20. Oklahoma State; 21. Southern California; 22. Kentucky; 23. Florida; 24. Iowa; 25. Auburn

The rest of the SEC: 35. South Carolina; 44. Arkansas; 55. Mississippi State; 89. Vanderbilt

Crawshaw makes second team Sporting News All-American

Florida punter Jeremy Crawshaw was selected second team Sporting News All-America. Crawshaw would have finished second nationally in each of the last two seasons if he had punted enough times. In 2022, Crawshaw averaged 47.94 on 35 punts. A year ago, he averaged 48.86 on 42 punts. For his Florida career, Crawshaw is averaging 46.7 per punt which ranks No. 1 in school history just ahead of Johnny Townsend (46.2) and Tommy Townsend (44.8).

What if for all 25 teams in the Associated Press poll

1. Georgia: Georgia has to deal with the weight high expectations and the three toughest road games in the country – at Alabama, Texas and Ole Miss. But what happens if the Bulldogs struggle right out of the gate with Clemson? 

2. Ohio State: Because he hasn’t beaten Michigan in three years, Ryan Day is supposedly on a hot seat, but other than Iowa and a roadie to Oregon, there isn’t a tough game on his schedule until he gets Michigan at The Horseshoe. People seem to be overlooking Chip Kelly as the new offensive coordinator. What if the Buckeyes go scorched earth on offense?

3. Oregon: The Ducks have to play a Big Ten schedule that includes Ohio State and November roadies at Michigan and Wisconsin. The Ohio State game could be make or break. Win and the Ducks are faves to win the Big Ten. Lose and they’ve got a ton of pressure plus potentially Ice Age games at Michigan and Wisconsin.  

4. Texas: The Longhorns have lost their top two running backs, but they have plenty of talent to compensate. The question is how are they going to handle an SEC schedule that includes Oklahoma, which has a habit of beating them, and Alabama on back-to-back weekends?  

5. Alabama: Every Kalen DeBoer team scores plenty of points, so offense won’t be a problem. Defense? What if Kane Wommack’s 4-2-5 struggles? And how will that defense hold up against a schedule that includes roadies at Wisconsin, Tennessee, LSU and Oklahoma plus a homer with Georgia?

6. Ole Miss: For years everybody has wondered what would Lake Kiffin do if he finally got a defense. He’s got one. He also has one of the brightest play callers in the country in Charlie Weis Jr. It seems Ole Miss loses a game every year that it should win. Can the Rebels stay focused all 12 games?

7. Notre Dame: The Irish won’t be as good as their record but they have a schedule that practically screams 12-0. They open with the Aggies in College Station, then they don’t have another difficult game until FSU.  Can they run the table?

8. Penn State: Everybody knows James Franklin is a good football coach, but the Lions habitually gag on the big one, which irks the faithful. The schedule says three losses but it says that every year. Can the Nittany Lions make the playoff and take the heat off Franklin?

9. Michigan: New HBC Sherrone Moore could be in serious hot water when the Netflix story about signal stealing comes out August 27. He’ll be in further hot water when he loses to Texas game two. Will Michigan stick with Moore if the NCAA decides to lower the boom?

10. Florida State: Finebaum calls the Seminoles one of the most overrated teams in the country, but they play an ACC schedule. Can they make the playoff with DJ Uiagalelei at quarterback?

11. Missouri: How did Mizzou get the easiest schedule in the Southeastern Conference? There are only three potential losses – at A&M, at Alabama and Oklahoma. Can the Tigers win one of those three and finish with 10 wins, which should get them into the College Football Playoff?

12. Utah: Cameron Rising is healthy and the Utes have a 12-game schedule that looks like a 4-lane highway to the playoff. There isn’t a game Utah shouldn’t be favored to win. Can they run the table and be a top five team by season’s end?

13. LSU: There is no Jayden Daniels and those first round wide receivers are gone as well. LSU couldn’t play a lick of defense last year. The defense will be pushed opening week with Southern Cal in Las Vegas. If the defense struggles game one, is that going to be an omen for an 8-9 win season now that they don’t have Daniels to bail them out?

14. Clemson: Everybody’s down on Dabo and down on QB Cade Klubnick. But the schedule says 10-11 wins once the Tigers get past Georgia in the opener. Could Dabo shock the world game one?

15. Tennessee: The Vols seem to think freshman QB Nico Iamaleava is the second coming of Peyton Manning. They also think Josh Heupel’s offense can light up any SEC scoreboard. Perhaps, but do the Vols have a defense that can get them more than eight wins?

16. Oklahoma: Brent Venables got the Sooners to 10 wins last year but that was against a Big 12 schedule and with Dillon Gabriel at QB. SEC schedule, no Dillon Gabriel. Can Oklahoma win seven or more first trip through the SEC?

17. Oklahoma State: The Cowboys find out how good they are in September with Arkansas, Utah and Kansas State on the agenda. After that there isn’t a game they should lose. Can Okie State survive September?

18. Kansas State: A schedule that doesn’t include Texas or Oklahoma? Chris Klieman has to be happy about that. He has an offense built for ground and pound and seven defensive starters but there are back-to-back September games with Tulane and Arizona that are troublesome. Can K-State win 11? That’s what it will take to make the playoff.

19. Miami: With this schedule, Mario Cristobal should be fired if he doesn’t win 10 games. The heat will be on if the Hurricanes lose week one at Florida, but after that there is just a roadie at Louisville and FSU at home. What if the Canes struggle starting game one? Will Miami be able to rebound from a game one loss if the Gators come out swinging?

20. Texas A&M: The Aggies could be on shaky ground from game one when Notre Dame comes to town. Two weeks later they’re in Gainesville and three weeks after that they have to face Missouri. Will fans be asking what the hell were we thinking when we fired Jimbo if the Aggies lose two of the first three?

21. Arizona: Back-to-back roadies at K-State and Utah in September will tell us just how good the Wildcats will be. There is a new coach, but he inherits skill people and veteran O-linemen. Can the defense survive K-State and Utah to keep Arizona in contention in the Big 12?

22. Kansas: The Jayhawks have one of the best quarterbacks you’ve never heard of in Jalon Daniels, who was injured all but three games last year. He’s a difference maker with both his arm and his feet. Offense won’t be the problem. Can last year’s bad defense improve enough to make KU serious contenders for the Big 12 title?

23. Southern California: It’s a rebuilding year that starts with LSU game one in Vegas. It could be downhill from that point onward. If Lincoln Riley somehow wins eight games will he be looking to bolt for an SEC job if one comes open?

24. North Carolina State: The Wolfpack is usually good, just not good enough. Grayson McCall transferred in from Coastal Carolina, so QB is upgraded and points shall be scored. There is only one defensive starter returning. Can the Wolfpack win seven or eight games?

25. Iowa: The Hawkeyes ranked dead last in the country in total offense a year ago. They were seventh in total defense. Kirk Ferentz hired a new offensive coordinator (Tim Lester). Iowa won 10 games with a terrible offense a year ago. Can a new OC get the Hawkeyes in playoff contention?

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: In a rather novel approach to corporate sponsorship, Tennessee struck a deal with the Pilot/Flying J truck stop people over branding and naming rights for Neyland Stadium. The stadium name will remain the same, but the Tennessee news release said, “Neyland Stadium. Home of the Vols. Proudly preserved by Pilot.”

It won’t be that simple. The Pilot name will be displayed prominently anywhere you venture a look but Neyland Stadium will still be Neyland Stadium. How and where you see Pilot logos is a decision that still has to be made. Will other corporate sponsors see their logos squeezed out or will it simply be Pilot gets all the best locations for its logos. Money from the corporate arrangement will help fund Tennessee’s $337 million renovation project at the old stadium.

As the University of Florida goes about renovating Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, what happened with Tennessee seems like a next step for UF. Florida has already taken on corporate sponsorship with the O-Dome, now known as Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The baseball stadium is now known as Condron Family Ballpark at McKethan Stadium. Would the Griffin family object to sharing its name with a corporation? And who would be the corporate sponsor? The one that comes to mind is longtime corporate partner Publix, headquartered in Lakeland and a respected corporation that is always associated with the state of Florida. The other name that would seem to be a natural would be Gatorade since it was developed at the University of Florida by Dr. Robert Cade in the 1960s.

Or, would the University of Florida be able to close a deal for sponsorship the way Tennessee did it without infringing on the stadium name? Just know this, at some point and probably not that far away, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is going to have a corporate partner, perhaps anywhere you look around the ball yard.