Thoughts of the Day: October 26, 2026

Illustration: GatorBait Media (AI-assisted).

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning:

That the Georgia Bulldogs are favored to beat the Florida Gators when the rivalry takes the first of a two-year vacation from its traditional home in Jacksonville is no surprise. The Bulldogs (6-1, 4-1 SEC) should be favored. They are ranked third in the latest Associated Press poll and have spent the year being touted as one of a handful of teams capable of running the College Football Playoff table to a national championship. Georgia's lone loss to Auburn is being dismissed as nothing more than a speed bump. Obviously, the people who set the point spreads in Las Vegas share that belief, otherwise why else would they establish the Bulldogs as 10.5-point favorites to overwhelm 17th-ranked Florida (5-2, 3-2 SEC) Saturday (3:30 p.m., ABC) at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium?

It is a familiar narrative for Florida. Just a couple of weeks ago, the Gators opened the week as 10.5-point road underdogs to Texas. The spread swelled to 11.5 points by gametime in Austin. No way a Florida team that fell victim to spinning toe holds, atomic elbow drops and at least one reverse vertical suplex in consecutive losses to Missouri and South Carolina could hang with the mighty Longhorns, right?

Well, a funny thing happened on the way to the sleeper hold that was waiting in Austin. The Gators woke up, rose from the mat, and sprung a 27-24 upset over then No. 7 Texas, which a week before had been the No. 1 team in the nation. Something similar happened in Athens on the same day. Auburn was a 19.5-point underdog to then No. 1 Georgia but that same team Florida beat with a stunning offensive show of force back in September, leapt off the ring ropes to body slam Georgia's undefeated season dreams, ironically by a 27-24 score. Georgia, the team that overwhelmed opponents by playing mistake-free football, couldn't stop Auburn's Byrum Brown from running over, under, around and through their vaunted defense and Gunner Stockton completed two passes to the Auburn defense and fumbled away the Bulldogs' chances to win the game.

So, here we are two weeks later from those rather unexpected developments, and the Gators are (a) once again 10.5-point underdogs to a higher-ranked team being touted as true national championship contenders; (b) considered incapable of matching the size and strength they'll see on both lines of scrimmage; and (c) uncertain if Tramell Jones Jr. will be making his second collegiate start at quarterback or if Aaron Philo's wounded shoulder has healed well enough to play. As Yogi Berra would say, "it's like déjà vu all over again," because those same points that made the idea of a win in Austin seem so improbable are the same ones being used to tout Georgia this week.

Can it happen again? Can the Florida Gators defy the odds and the hype to take down yet a third top ten opponent in the same season? It doesn't seem quite as impossible today as it seemed the Monday before Florida's win in Austin or Auburn's win over Georgia in Athens.

So ignore the pro-Georgia hype and remember the words of Dusty Rhodes: "I am the man of the hour, the man with the power. I am the hit-maker, the record-breaker. I got style and grace and a pretty face. I'll make your back crack and your liver quiver!"

You gotta believe.

Associated Press top 25 (SEC teams bold face): 1. Miami 7-0; 2. Ohio State 6-1; 3. Georgia 6-1; 4. Indiana 7-1; 5. Notre Dame 6-1; 6. Utah 7-0; 7. UCLA 7-0; 8. BYU 6-1; 9. Kentucky 7-1; 10. Alabama 6-2; 11. Texas 5-2; 12. Ole Miss 5-2; 13. Texas Tech 6-1; 14. Wake Forest 6-1; 15. LSU 6-2; 16. Tennessee 6-2; 17. FLORIDA 5-2; 18. Houston 6-2; 19. SMU 6-1; 20. (TIE) Boise State 6-1; Northwestern 6-1; 22. Arizona 6-1; 23. Missouri 5-2; 24. Oklahoma State 5-2; 25. Wisconsin 5-2

AFCA Coaches top 25: 1. Miami 7-0; 2. Ohio State 6-1; 3. Georgia 6-1; 4. Indiana 7-1; 5. Utah 7-0; 6. Notre Dame 6-1; 7. UCLA 7-0; 8. Kentucky 7-1; 9. BYU 6-1; 10. Alabama 6-2; 11. Texas 5-2; 12. Ole Miss 5-2; 13. LSU 6-2; 14. Texas Tech 6-1; 15. Wake Forest 6-1; 16. SMU 6-1; 17. Tennessee 6-2; 18. Northwestern 6-1; 19. Houston 6-2; 20. FLORIDA 5-2; 21. Arizona 6-1; 22. Boise State 6-1; 23. Missouri 5-2; 24. Iowa 6-2; 25. Southern Cal 6-2

COUNTDOWN TO FIRING DAY: OCTOBER 26, 2026 EDITION

EXTINCT SPECIES LIST

Dave Aranda, Baylor: Baylor canned Aranda after a 25-24 loss to Kansas. The Bears are 4-3 with a schedule that has 6-6 written all over it. The Bears were 2-3 in games started by DJ Lagway, 2-0 in games started by Nate Bennett. Defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman is the interim head coach. Names you are likely to hear in the head coach search are Jeff Traylor (UT-San Antonio), GJ Kinne (Texas State), Zach Kittley (Florida Atlantic) and Minnesota Vikings QB coach Josh McCown.

Dave Doeren, North Carolina State: After 13+ years without a championship, Doeren was fired with a 3-4 record this year, 98-73 for his tenure at NCSU. He took the Wolfpack to 11 bowl games, but had just two second place division finishes. Running backs/special teams coordinator Todd Goebel is the interim head coach. The alumni favorite to replace Doeren is former Wolfpack QB Philip Rivers, who played 18 NFL seasons. Other names already being mentioned are James Madison coach Billy Napier, New Mexico coach Jason Eck, Indiana defensive coordinator Bryant Haines and Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson.

Mike Locksley, Maryland: Among the names associated with the early coaching search at Maryland are Wake Forest coach Jake Dickert, New Mexico coach Jason Eck, UNLV coach Dan Mullen, Memphis coach Charles Huff Jr. and James Madison coach Billy Napier.

ON LIFE SUPPORT

Mike Norvell, Florida State: There is bad news and there is more bad news for Florida State. Another losing season and they think they'll find the money to buy out his contract. That's the bad news. The even worse news is if he wins, he stays another year. Nobody likes the choices. Clemson comes to Tallahassee this weekend.

Greg Schiano, Rutgers: It's not a question of if he gets pink slipped but simply a matter of when. The Scarlet Knights are 2-5, going nowhere and recruiting is dead end.

Deion Sanders, Colorado: The Buffs are 2-5, 0-4 in the Big 12. The Prime Time luster has worn off and he might not make it past Saturday if the Buffs take a hosing from Kansas State.

Joe Moorhead, Akron: The Zips are 1-7 this year and things will not get better. Moorhead works cheap but there comes a time to cut ties and now is the time.

ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST

Steve Sarkisian, Texas: Amazing what an unexpected win will do for you. Sark was On Life Support but drops down to Endangered thanks to the win over Ole Miss. The Texas AD will probably demand a new offensive coordinator and for Sark to relinquish play calling duties.

Brent Venables, Oklahoma: Okay, the Sooners beat Mississippi State in Starkville. The offense still stunk but the defense played well, as always. He's probably safe for another year as long as he agrees to get rid of offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle.

Kalen DeBoer, Alabama: He has to run the table to finish 10-2 in the regular season before he's off the hook. Every regular season game from here on out is a College Football Playoff elimination game.

Tony Elliott, Virginia: He will survive this season no matter what, but he's 26-29, now in his sixth season at UVa with only one winning season to show for it.

Jedd Fisch, Washington: His career record is 36-36, 19-19 at Washington. The Huskies are 4-3 with a schedule that has a 7-5 feel to it. If the Huskies go belly up the rest of the way, all bets are off.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Someone named Annette DeBella is credited for coining the phrase "karma's a bitch" during a Philadelphia News interview back in 1992. At the time she said it, Annette DeBella and husband John DeBella were divorcing and engaged in a very public feud in which the insults were flying. Divorce too often has this habit of bringing out the narcissistic worst in the afflicted parties. It's all about playing the role of the victim, therefore the sad state of affairs is always the fault of the other person.

Shortly after Jon Sumrall became Florida's football coach there was a divorce that since turned rather nasty. Rather than go through the indignity of actually competing for the starting quarterback role, former 5-star and national high school player of the year DJ Lagway went into the portal and transferred to Baylor. Once in Waco, DJ started pointing fingers of blame at Florida where the adults let him down. Florida's 4-8 record in 2025, those 14 interceptions, the countless open receivers either ignored or overthrown and the bad decisions that caused the Gators to lose football games couldn't have possibly been his fault, right? It wasn't his fault that his inconsistent play had a lot to do with Billy Napier getting fired, right?

The same issues that were a problem at Florida followed Lagway to Baylor. The bad mechanics that caused him so many misfires at Florida were never coached out of him at Baylor where he threw interceptions, missed or ignored open receivers and made so many bad decisions. Rather than the 7-0 record that could have been, Baylor is 4-3 and looking for a new head coach. Careful analysis of the three losses points 10 fingers of blame at Lagway who completed 69-138 passes for 825 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. A sign of things to come was his botched throw that should have been an easy game-winning touchdown against Auburn in game one.

In all fairness, Lagway's 12-12 record as a starting quarterback over three seasons at Florida and Baylor isn't totally his fault. It is a team game after all and teammates have to pick up the slack even when the quarterback's passes can't find the ocean from the end of the pier. Still, this is two straight coaches who pinned their job security on DJ Lagway and both of them have been fired.

If whoever is hired as Baylor's new coach decides a divorce is necessary, you have to wonder if (a) there is a school in a power conference willing to take a chance on Lagway; and (b) if he goes somewhere else will Lagway bite his tongue or blame everyone else for his own failures?