Thoughts of the day: August 22, 2025

(Photo by Chris Spears)

A few thoughts to jump start your Friday morning:

On a cold, rainy day at the old Gator Bowl in 1975, the Gators were less than four minutes away from winning the Southeastern Conference championship when Vince Dooley called a tight end around bomb. Richard Appleby, a high school quarterback, took the handoff from Matt Robinson, pulled up and threw deep to sprinter Gene Washington. Florida corner Henry Davis had Appleby covered until he stepped in a puddle along the sideline. Davis fell down, Washington caught the bomb and nearly waltzed into the end zone to give Georgia a 10-7 lead after the extra point.

Florida still had a chance to win the game, but rather than go for a fourth down inside the Georgia 25, Doug Dickey sent in David Posey to try to tie the game with a field goal. Posey’s plant foot slid in the Gator Bowl mud and a makeable kick squibbed wide.

After the game, Douglas Adair Dickey stated, “Before you can win, first you have to avoid losing.”

One game, three my bads. Davis didn’t give up a touchdown before or after the Appleby-to-Washington bomb. Posey missed a kick he makes blindfolded on a dry field. Dickey was roasted in the press and by the Florida fan base that couldn’t believe the coach had bypassed a chance to win the game.

My bad. We hear it all the time. Name the sport, someone makes a mistake and too often what do we hear? My bad. Fans don’t like hearing it. Imagine what coaches think.

Billy Napier doesn’t want to hear another my bad. Monday he was talking about play in the secondary when the subject of my bad came up.

“We need more consistency because, look, in the secondary you can play five plays just right and you make one mistake and it's points on the board up there and those folks in the Swamp are getting rowdy – and so am I,” Napier said.

On a football field, there is no place to hide in the secondary. Make a mistake and it’s obvious. To everyone.

When a player comes off the field after a blown assignment, the last thing Napier wants to hear ever again are the words my bad.

“The games are coming,” Napier said. “There’s no more ‘My bad.’ The consequence of my bad affects the entire team. So we have to play more consistency.”

Although he was speaking about play in the secondary, Napier could have been talking about every player on every position on the team. What he’s looking for is focus, intensity and accountability on every single play. No excuses. Just get out there and do your job.

The Gators are 33-30 in the last five years. In Dan Mullen’s last two years, the Gators lost 11 games, seven by a combined 29 points. During Napier’s three years on the job, the Gators have lost 19 games, seven by a combined 39 points.

A play here, a play there and the Gators are 47-16. More consistency would have helped. So would fewer my bads.

SEC FOOTBALL

No. 8 Alabama: HBC Kalen DeBoer will not name the backup quarterback to starter Ty Simpson. Redshirt freshman Austin Mack and true freshman Keelon Russell have been fighting for the backup job … Jaylen Mbawke, who played in 12 games with 15 tackles as a DB last year, has played his way into the wide receiver rotation.

Arkansas: Depth issues along the defensive line necessitated Arkansas moving offensive lineman Keyshawn Blackstock (6-5, 319) to the other side of the ball.

Auburn: Chris Doering of the SEC Network says Auburn’s season opener at Baylor is “the most important season opener of any team in the SEC.”

No. 5 Georgia: Illinois transfer running back Josh McCray is back to full speed at practice. McCray gained 609 yards and scored 10 touchdowns for the Illini last season.

Kentucky: J.J. Hester, who caught 14 passes for 315 yards and one TD at Oklahoma last year, is emerging as the top wide receiver for the Wildcats.

No. 9 LSU: On his Thursday night radio show, HBC Brian Kelly said LSU spent “just about $18 million” to construct the 2025 roster.

Mississippi State: The O-line starters look to be LT Jacoby Jackson, LG Luke Work or Albert Reese, C Canon Boone, RG Luke Work or Albert Reese, RT Blake Steen.

Missouri: HBC Eli Drinkwitz plans to play Penn State transfer Beau Pribula and Sam Horn at quarterback in the season opener with Central Arkansas. “I want to see them in a game-day situation to make a final determination,” Drinkwitz said.

No. 18 Oklahoma: Greg McElroy wonders what happens if Washington State transfer QB John Mateer is as productive as another Wazzoo transfer, Cam Ward who played at Miami last year. If it happens, McElroy says, “I think Oklahoma could win the national championship.”

No. 21 Ole Miss: Oscar Bird is the third consecutive punter from Australia to kick for Ole Miss … The placekicker will be Western Kentucky transfer Lucas Carneiro, who hit 18-19 of his field goal attempts last season.

No. 13 South Carolina: South Carolina is the latest big name athletic program to leave Under Armour. The Post and Courier (Charleston) reports that the Gamecocks are on the verge of making the switch to Nike after 10 years with Under Armour.

No. 24 Tennessee: The starting O-line will be LT Lance Heard, LG Wendell Moi, C Sam Pendleton, RG Jesse Perry and RT David Sanders.

No. 1 Texas: Joey Galloway of ESPN doesn’t believe the hype surrounding Arch Manning. Galloway said, “It’s his team now. It’s his turn now. We need to see the leadership, see that on the field play and then I can get on board. But I just need to see it.”

No. 19 Texas A&M: Until it’s clear that Le’Veon Moss is back 100 percent from his ACL tear, the Aggies will look to Rueben Owens to pick up the slack. A year ago Owens had 16 carries for 61 yards in two games.

Vanderbilt: Quarterback Diego Pavia is set to make more than $1.6 million this year.

SEC GOES TO 9-GAME SCHEDULE IN 2026

Finally. The Southeastern Conference will move to a 9-game conference schedule starting in 2026. Big Ten advocates are probably crowing that Greg Sankey and the Southeastern Conference caved to pressure by Big Ten commissioner, who has been ranting that it isn’t fair for the Big Ten to play nine conference games while the SEC plays eight. Nothing could be further from the truth.

This move is all about the money. Pure and simple.

Sankey wanted a 9-game conference schedule for 2024 but ESPN wasn’t ready for it and there were holdouts who were afraid they would miss out on a bowl game if they had to replace a D1AA opponent for another SEC game. Some of the holdouts are probably upset with the move for 2026, but the money has overridden most of the objections within the league. Instead of a paycheck game that no one will watch on SEC Network+ or ESPN+, ESPN/ABC/Disney will be guaranteed head-to-head SEC matchups. Under the 9-game format, every team in the league will have three permanent opponents and play the other 12 teams home-and-home at least once every four years. It will be far more competitive and it will eliminate scheduling bias. Texas A&M joined the SEC in 2012. Georgia still hasn’t played a game at Kyle Field. Under the new format, Georgia won’t be able to duck and dodge.

Here are potential permanent opponents for all 16 teams:

Alabama: Auburn, Tennessee, LSU

Arkansas: Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma

Auburn: Alabama, Georgia, Florida

Florida: Georgia, Auburn, Tennessee

Georgia: Florida, Auburn, South Carolina

Kentucky: Missouri, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt

LSU: Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Alabama

Mississippi State: Ole Miss, Kentucky, Missouri

Missouri: Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State

Oklahoma: Texas, Arkansas, Texas A&M

Ole Miss: LSU, Mississippi State, South Carolina

South Carolina: Georgia, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss

Tennessee: Alabama, Florida, Vanderbilt

Texas: Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Arkansas

Texas A&M: Texas, LSU, Oklahoma

Vanderbilt: Tennessee, South Carolina, Kentucky

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT

Urban Meyer will receive his College Football Hall of Fame Plaque at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium when the Gators play Tennessee on November 22. I hope everyone takes notice of the fact that he’s being honored as a Gator and not as an Ohio State Buckeye. I also hope that the higher ups at the University of Florida decide to make this a two-fer and put Urban into the Ring of Honor. He deserves it.

I know there are Gators out there who are still bitching and moaning about the fact that Urban took the Ohio State job after spending the 2011 football season in an office in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. I still hear the conspiracy theorists who try to convince me that Urban did UF wrong, that he faked illness so he could sit out the year before taking the Ohio State job.

Oh please. I often wonder if these people were abducted by the same aliens who snatched Bert Campbell. Fans of Richard Mulligan and Soap got that one immediately. The rest of you do your homework.

Here is why Urban Meyer should get a roar that should sound like a 747 taking off when he’s introduced at the Tennessee game. In six seasons at Florida Urban Meyer went 65-15. He won two national and two SEC championships. He had three 13-1 seasons. I remain convinced that if Carlos Dunlap doesn’t get arrested the Monday night before the 2009 SEC Championship Game that Florida goes unbeaten and wins a third national championship. In six seasons against Florida’s three biggest rivals, Urban’s Gators went 17-1 – 6-0 vs. Florida State, 6-0 vs. Tennessee and 5-1 vs. Georgia.

Here is further proof: During Urban’s six years only Boise State and TCU won more games and no offense to either school, but they didn’t exactly play an SEC schedule. In the years since Urban left, the Gators are 106-71, which is something close to the 40^th best record in the country. The Gators haven’t sniffed a national championship and they’re 0-3 the three times they made it to Atlanta.

Want a little more proof? Since Urban departed the Gators are 4-10 against Georgia, 11-3 against Tennessee and 5-8 against FSU. So, 17-1 against the rivals while Urb was the head coach, 20-21 for the four coaches who succeeded him. Making matters worse, Georgia has won two national championships, played and lost in the national championship game one other time and won three SEC championships. Florida State has won a national championship and Tennessee has made the College Football Playoff.

It isn’t Urban Meyer’s fault that Florida’s football program has been treading water since he left. If you want to point a finger, don’t point it at Urban. He’s not the one who hired the coaches who haven’t been able to restore Florida football to a championship level.