Thoughts of the day: October 12, 2022

A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning:

LSU IS A CHANCE FOR THE UF O-LINE TO MAKE A STATEMENT Two stats tell us everything we need to know about the Florida (4-2, 1-2 SEC) offensive line’s importance Saturday when LSU (4-2, 2-1 SEC) comes to The Swamp (7 p.m., ESPN) to face the Gators. The Gators are averaging 6.38 yards per running play and opponents have sacked quarterback Anthony Richardson only four times. The 6.38 yards per carry ranks third nationally, while the four sacks allowed is tied for fifth.

In their 40-13 loss to Tennessee last week, the Tigers gave up 263 rushing yards on 42 attempts (5.37 per carry) and they didn’t register a single sack. Those numbers tell us that the Tennessee O-line totally dominated the game, which is something Florida’s offensive line will need to do. With a defense that has been as leaky as Florida’s the best way to make the defense better is keep them off the field as much as possible by controlling the football.

Pro Football Focus grades every player in Division I every single snap. Here is where they rank Florida’s offensive line:

C Kingsley Eguakun: He has the No. 33 center grade in the entire country and he’s the fourth best in the SEC.

LG Ethan White: White is the No. 61 guard in the country and the No. 7 guard in the SEC.

RG O’Cyrus Torrence: Torrence is the No. 1 guard in the country and the SEC.

LT Richard Gouraige: Gouraige is the No. 88 tackle in the SEC and the No. 12 tackle in the SEC.

RT Austin Barber: Barber is the No. 17 tackle in the country and No. 1 in the entire SEC.

The analytics say that Florida’s offensive line is the strength of the team. Billy Napier’s game plan for LSU should lean heavily on the O-line to pound away in the run game and give Anthony Richardson time to throw the football.

Florida Basketball

Todd Golden: “I think we’re where we need to be right now”

Speaking prior to Tuesday’s practice, UF basketball coach Todd Golden sounded upbeat and positive about what he’s seen from the Gators with the start to the season a little less than one month away.

“A lot of things every day,” Golden responded to a question about what he likes so far. “No, I like where we’re at with what we’ve seen. I think one of our biggest strengths will be our depth. We have a lot of guys I feel like will be capable to help us win games so that gives us flexibility for guys to have an off night and some guys to step up so that’s been encouraging. I think we’ve got good length, good athleticism, we’re still trying to figure out how to play with each other to the best of our abilities but for being three weeks, three-and-a-half weeks out from our first game, I think we’re where we need to be right now.”

Golden on Colin Castleton: “When we got here. I knew he was a fantastic player. He had great numbers. I’d watched a decent amount of Florida just being in the league before, but he’s even more talented I would say than we thought. He just has a great ability to playmake, he can handle the ball for a big guy. We can get him the ball at the pinch post at the top of the key and he can turn it into a one-on-one move … If you can just find a way to get him a catch 12 or 15 feet from the rim, you know it’s going to be a good possession. That’s incredibly important and valuable thing to have on your roster, especially a guy to his credit who has worked a lot on his body, spent a lot of time in the weight room as he was rehabbing this summer. It wasn’t like he was just coasting during rehab, he was getting bigger and stronger and more athletic. I think we’re seeing that now. I think he’s primed to have a really big year.”

Practice highlights

Colin Castleton: His best play was a coast-to-coast dunk after a steal on the defensive end. He also had a terrific pass to Riley Kugel who went under the rim and for a layup on the other side. He also had about an 8-foot jump hook in the lane.

Kowacie Reeves: He had a couple of nice finishes at the rim, but showed serious hops on a rebound when he had an elbow above everyone else when he corralled the ball.

CJ Felder: He had another good day rebounding the ball. He hit a nice three from the top of the key and showed real strength with a power move to score between Jason Jitoboh and Alex Fudge.

Trey Bonham: He had the pass of the day, a behind the back delivery to Jitoboh for an easy layup. He and Jitoboh also teamed up later when Jitoboh set a massive screen and Bonham delivered a long three. He got into the paint off the bounce early and often and made really good decisions with the ball.

Niels Lane: He went coast-to-coast for a layup after a steal, had a kickout pass off an offensive rebound to Denzel Aberdeen for a long three and a nifty pass to Aleks Szymczyk for a layup. He had his usual lockdown day on the defensive end.

Myreon Jones: He nailed a pair of threes from a different area code, played solid defense and was money from the corner when he launched threes.

Riley Kugel: He is becoming a daily highlight reel. He had a long three from right of the key, took a crosscourt pass from Castleton into the lane for a monstrous dunk, got a stick back on an offensive rebound and harassed Jones into an air ball.

Will Richard: The brace is off the ankle. He went through full court and half court drills but didn’t participate in any contact drills. He should be back to full practices next Wednesday at the latest. He’s got serious range on his jumper.

Kyle Lofton: He was held out again today as a precaution. He will be back to full practices next Wednesday at the very latest.

SEC football

No. 3 Alabama (6-0, 3-0 SEC): On the Paul Finebaum Show, former Alabama QB and ESPN analyst Greg McElroy said he anticipates Bryce Young will play Saturday at Tennssee … Notre Dame and Stanford have forced fewer turnovers than Alabama. The Tide has recovered two fumbles and intercepted one pass halfway though the season … Alabama has scheduled a home-and-home with Minnesota in 2032-33. The Tide will face Minnesota in Minneapolis in 2032 and host the Gophers in 2033.

Arkansas (3-3, 1-2 SEC): KJ Jefferson, who missed the loss to Mississippi State while under concussion protocol, is listed as the No. 1 quarterback on the depth chart for Saturday’s game at BYU.

Auburn (3-3, 1-2 SEC): In three SEC games, Tank Bigsby has run for 108 yards on 41 carries, an average of just 2.63 per carry. Bigsby ran for 1,099 yards last year when he averaged 4.93 per carry. He has 2,275 rushing yards in his career.

No. 1 Georgia (6-0, 3-0 SEC): Does QB Stetson Bennett have shoulder problems? Longtime UGa beat writer Mike Griffith thinks Bennett’s shoulder may be why he’s averaging 8.8 per pass attempt (10.0 last year) and only five TDPs (29 last year). Bennett is throwing more this year (199 attempts; only 287 all of last year) but the overall production is down.

No. 22 Kentucky (4-2, 1-2 SEC): Quarterback Will Levis is still day-to-day but offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello says it is “trending in the right direction” for Levis to be back for Saturday’s game with Mississippi State.

LSU (4-2, 2-1 SEC): Cornerback Mekhi Garner said there was a players only meeting Monday following the 40-13 loss to Tennessee. This is the second players only meeting LSU has had and we’re only halfway through the season.

No. 16 Mississippi State (5-1, 1-1 SEC): After giving up nine sacks in the first four games, the Bulldogs have gone two in a row without allowing Will Rogers to be sacked. Also in the last two games, the Bulldogs have run for 144 and 173 yards, the first time there have been back-to-back games with more than 100 rushing yards since the last two games of 2020.

Missouri (2-4, 0-3 SEC): Of the three-game losing skid in SEC play, team captain Martez Manuel said, “I feel like we are one play from turning it around.” The three SEC losses are by a combined 14 points.

No. 9 Ole Miss (6-0, 2-0 SEC): Quinshon Judkins has more yards (581) than any freshman running back in the country. Judkins is second in the SEC in rushing … Saturday’s home game with Auburn is a sellout.

South Carolina (4-2, 1-2 SEC): HBC Shane Beamer was selected Dodd Trophy national coach of the week after the Gamecocks knocked off then No. 13 Kentucky on the road … The Gamecocks have added D1AA Towson to their 2026 schedule.

No. 6 Tennessee (6-0, 2-0 SEC): Starting safety Jaylen McCullough claims complete and total innocence of felony assault charges. McCullough allegedly struck an intoxicated man and knocked him unconscious in Knoxville last weekend.

Texas A&M (3-3, 1-2 SEC): Injuries have caused the Aggies to play four different offensive line combinations in the last five games.

Vanderbilt (3-3, 0-2 SEC): The last time Vanderbilt made the Associated Press top 25 poll was January 7, 2014. Only Oregon State and Rutgers have had a longer streak without being ranked.

Our SEC orphans in the Big 12

Oklahoma (3-3, 0-3 Big 12): There has been no announcement if quarterback Dillon Gabriel (concussion protocol) will be back in the lineup this week but HBC Brent Venables says Gabriel is practicing full speed.

No. 23 Texas (4-2, 2-1 Big 12): Saturday opponent Iowa State has lost all three Big 12 games by a combined 11 points. The Cyclones lead the Big 12 and are No. 11 nationally in total defense at 277.5 yards per game.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: We are going to have an expanded College Football Playoff at the latest in 2026, but more likely in 2024. There logistics that have to be worked out are quite serious, but so are the money issues faced by so many Division I schools. The CFB won’t solve everyone’s money problems, but for the lower tier schools that will be a bigger slice of the financial pie than they get right now, the extra dollars will help tremendously.

A 12-team playoff certainly is more interesting than the current model which seems to deliver the same teams over and over again. The same teams that make the final four in the current model may make the final four in the 12-team model, but at least there is a greater chance we’ll see some upsets and new faces.

Two questions that stand out: (1) How long before the playoff expands to 16 teams; and (2) what will become of the bowls?

A lot of people believe it’s inevitable that the playoff expands to 16 teams. They think it’s a matter of when and not if since it won’t add another weekend to the playoff. The advantage of the 12-team model is the top four seeded teams get a first round bye. The advantage of a 16-team playoff is that every conference champ could be included and there would still be at least six at-large teams selected. The other advantage of the 16-team playoff is it would bring in more revenue.

The bowls will survive for awhile at least. Just as the NIT has survived when the NCAA Tournament has expanded, the bowls are likely to survive. Some of the bigger bowls can be incorporated into the playoff with the lower tier bowls serving as a reward for schools that didn’t make the playoff.