Over the weekend, a report surfaced that corner Elijah Blades was no longer with the Florida Gators football program. On Monday, Head Coach Dan Mullen told GatorBait Magazine that Blades was no longer with the team because the coach had dismissed him from the team. “We dismissed him from our program. He was dismissed from the program, so he’s no longer part of the team," Mullen said on Monday. Originally reports had indicated it was a Blades decision, so GatorBait confirmed with Mullen, this was a team decision. “Yeah. I met with him and dismissed him from the program [Sunday].” Blades didn't dress for the game on Saturday versus Vanderbilt, and has already been removed from the Gators roster online. We break down what this means for the Gators with these four thoughts on the dismal of Elijah Blades. Mullen's Tone Dan Mullen is known for being a coach willing to give second chance...and thirds and fourths, sometimes to an initially perceived detriment. But more often than not, his loyalty to players pays off as they make the most of the opportunity and learn from whatever went wrong before, whether it was off the field, like Jeffrey Simmons at Mississippi State, or on the field at Florida like with Feleipe Franks. Very rarely do we see him lay down the hammer in such a way that brooks no argument. Justin Watkins being dismissed before even getting on campus back in 2018 is the only other instance that jumps to mind. Granted, we don't know how many opportunities Mullen might have offered Blades. But considering the Texas A&M transfer only arrived in August and was shown the door two months later, it stands to reason Mullen felt whatever act worthy of punishment was bad enough to warrant limited chances. The timeline, as well as Mullen's tone on Monday made it clear this was not a decision the coach is going to lose sleep over. Bouncing Blades While the exact reason for Blades' dismissal is unknown—and we won't do the kid the dishonor of speculation—we do know it had to do with an off the field concern. According to Graham Hall of the Gainesville Sun, there is also an understanding academics factored in to the issues. Regardless, Blades bouncing in and out of a program has become old hat for the former four-star prospect. Here is how his collegiate timeline has evolved thus far: Committed to Florida under Jim McElwain in 2016 Decommitted from Florida and committed to Nebraska in January 2017 Signed LOI with Nebraska in February 2017 Elected to spend two years in JUCO at Arizona Western Community College instead Committed to Texas A&M out of JUCO Joined Aggies in 2019 Entered transfer portal in June 2021 Transferred to Florida August 6, 2021 Blades appeared in the season opener, but sat out the next two games with what was described as a minor injury. He returned versus the Tennessee Volunteers and appeared in a brief stint against Kentucky. He did not dress for the Vanderbilt game. Again, we don't know the exact reasoning for Blades dismissal, but his vagabond journey to this point makes short stops the norm. The State of the Secondary Blades loss come to an already anemic secondary. But while the depth is quickly depleting away, the pieces that have stepped in have stepped up. Avery Helm has been fantastic, Jason Marshall has come in and handled his own, Rashad Torrence has been everywhere from the safety position, along with Trey Dean and Jadarrius Perkins has been able to impress thus far at STAR. Dan Mullen told GatorBait in the offseason that secondary was his biggest concern, not because of talent, but because of youth. They've been baptized by fire the first half of the season, and this scrappy group of underclassmen has grown up before our eyes. Since losing Elam (who dominated versus Alabama) this secondary has still been able to break up nine passes the last three games, hold those teams to an average of 187 yards per game through the air and allow three touchdowns through the air while also nabbing three interceptions (granted one of those came from defensive lineman Daquan Newkirk). "I feel like we’ve came really far throughout these six games," said Perkins this week. "We still have a lot to work on, but we’re coming together as a defense. We’re geling together, we’re getting to know each other. I mean, I’m getting a feel for the defense coming in as a late transfer. So I feel like we’re at a really good part of the season and our defense, we’re coming together as a whole completely.” The Return Of Kaiir The Gators have been without future first round pick Kaiir Elam for the past three weeks. After dominating versus the Alabama Crimson Tide, Elam has been sidelined, forced to watch after his team gave up the two explosive plays versus the Tennessee Volunteers, and lost in Kentucky. It looked like the Gators would get Elam back ahead of the Vanderbilt game, but trainers were uncomfortable clearing him beyond an emergency role. Mullen feels confident they'll get him back for Baton Rouge this weekend though, and even though the LSU Tigers will be without wide receive Kayshon Boutte, Elam's presence can make a world of difference. "It was going to be a game-time decision for us," Mullen explained of Elam after the Vanderbilt game. "Talking to him, he wanted to play. Talking to the trainers, they said you know, we could get him out there if we had to, possibly, in an emergency and so that gets on me. If a trainer says that to me, get him out there in case of an emergency is not real confidence of what I’m looking for to get a guy on the field. We made the decision, I met with him after warmups. He’s like, ‘I’m ready to go.’ I said, “No, we’re not even going to dress you.’ As he said, he’s like coach, trust me, I will be ready next week.”

Carlton The Doorman (EDITOR'S NOTE: Good of Carlton to have his Doorman friend back after a weak of sick leave. He says it had nothing to do with his handicapping, or Gators' loss to Kentucky). So what about that 11-point margin set by the bookies? Carlton the Doorman tells me that’s too big for any LSU team on its home turf. Not in recent memory has it felt like there was a game Florida cannot lose, but that would be this Saturday in Baton Rouge. Not that the Gators are incapable of losing, it’s that losing would be a catastrophic sign of this program’s sudden downward turn to Hades. A victory, be it by a 60-yard field goal as time expires or even a horrible blown call by the official, would be a sigh of relief at this point. The loss to Kentucky still burns. The loss to what is a good Wildcats team sure to get humiliated this weekend in Athens, turned what was a tolerable and even promising defeat to Alabama into just another big fat ‘L’ on the schedule. The goodwill earned in defeat to the then-No.1 team in the nation that has been exposed, vanished in a storm of false start penalties and missed opportunities in Lexington. That all seemingly in the past, the Gators hold none of their goals in hand – it will take more than a minor miracle to reach Atlanta, which feels like a pretty silly proposition at this point anyway. LSU is just not very good and looked far weaker than the Gators against that same Kentucky team that seemed like it was accepting a Make-A-Wish Foundation gift from the Gators two weeks ago. That said, wasn’t this LSU team close to horrible when it visited Gainesville last season to go up against Dan Mullen’s strongest contingent yet? And how did that turn out? Florida opened as a 3.5-point favorite, showing the bookies are smarter than the bettors who have pushed the line already to 11 points in the Gators’ favor. A Gators’ loss to LSU Saturday would mean UF is staring into the gaping maw of 4-4 following a trouncing to Georgia. Then, even a win over Florida State would no longer be guaranteed as the Seminoles are starting to at least look competitive. For LSU to win Saturday, it means that Ed Orgeron must out-coach Mullen, a laughable prospect but one that we witnessed in 2020. For Florida to win, it means 11 players waiting until the ball is snapped to start moving; it means disciplined football, but these things are obvious. A Florida loss will hurt, but not crush Mullen. An LSU loss might mean the end for Orgeron, just two years removed from a national championship. The Tigers would fall to 3-4 and be decided underdogs in the next three games: at Ole Miss, at Alabama and home against Arkansas. The season finale at Texas A&M looks just as ominous, meaning 4-8 and goodbye Ed, we hardly knew ye. This is all IF Florida wins, and that’s a big "IF,"as Florida must prove it’s ready to play like a champion. This is a desperate time for Florida football and the Gators need to play with the hunger this type of game demands. LSU will certainly be hungry … maybe even confident. So what about that 11-point margin set by the bookies? Carlton the Doorman tells me that’s too big for any LSU team on its home turf, especially to one coming off a loss to Kentucky and what was a Vanderbilt game that likely shouldn’t even count this season. As a home dog, the Doorman’s system says to take LSU, but in such games the system is only 7-7 against the spread this year. For super home dogs (in which the line and the system spread are 10 or more points apart), none come up this week, but here is what the Doorman’s system says: Liberty minus 33 over Louisiana Monroe, Iowa minus 12 over Purdue, Boston College plus 3 over N.C. State, Old Dominion plus 12.5 over Western Kentucky, UNLV plus 7 over Utah State and UTEP plus 7 over Louisiana Tech. This week’s Carlton the Doorman spreads: SEC Games- Arkansas by 2 over Auburn; Florida by 2 over LSU; Texas A&M by 26.5 over Missouri; Georgia by 37 over Kentucky; South Carolina by 24 over Vanderbilt; Alabama by 19.5 over Mississippi State; Ole Miss by 11 over Tennessee Other games of note- Clemson by 8 over Syracuse, Miami even with North Carolina; Texas by 6.5 over Oklahoma State; Oklahoma by 20.5 over TCU; Cincinnati by 33.5 over Central Florida; Tulsa by 6.5 over South Florida. This week’s Top 10: 1. Georgia (132.5) 2. Ohio State (119) 3. Iowa (114.5) 4. Alabama (111.5) 5. Cincinnati (107.5) 6. Penn State (102) 7. Oklahoma (101.5) 8. Liberty (92) 9. Ole Miss (91.5) 10. Michigan (87)

It’s not often a team with a strong fan base and a house-of-horrors stadium is a double-digit underdog. Don’t let Saturday’s 11-point Vegas line become fool’s gold, however. Georgia means more, but on many of my friends’ list, LSU is gaining ground as the most contemptible of rivals for Florida. The Tigers remind me of one of those annoying visitors who shows up at your house without an invite to stay the weekend and you can’t make sense of how they got there or how to encourage their departure. Yet it is a grand college football rivalry. Things happen. Whether it has been a stroke of misfortune, Les Miles’ black magic or simply the constant inability to stop them on fourth down, the Tigers have kept finding ways to inflict pain on Florida. But, then, Florida has also extracted its fair share of flesh. There seems to have been an inordinate number of games postponed or rescheduled in this series. And LSU still hasn’t been forgiven for the naughty manners of Joe Alleva when it appeared he was sandbagging Florida and Jeremy Foley in trying to reschedule the 2016 game, causing Greg Sankey to have to step in and make it happen. It’s not often a team with a strong fan base and a house-of-horrors stadium is a double-digit underdog. Don’t let Saturday’s 11-point Vegas line become fool’s gold, however, because the Gators have been known to come out on the wrong end of the odds vs. the Tigers. Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t Florida a whopping 23-point favorite last season in the Swamp for LShoeGate when the Gators were upset, 37-34? This is not the ideal time for Mullen’s team to be messing with Louisiana voodoo. The Gators are just getting their offense underfoot with successful on-the-job training for Emory Jones. The defense is tackling better with Rashad Torrance looking like a veritable tackling machine. Plus the much-needed return of Kaiir Elam to join the improving Trey Dean, as well as edge-rusher Zach Carter’s sack-fest, has Todd Grantham’s unit trending upward. Florida’s 11 a.m. Central date in Tiger Stadium is far more important than it looks on the schedule. The good news for the Gators is that they are facing a decimated squad that just lost their third starter, All-American cornerback Elias Ricks. He joins the Tigers’ leading receiver, Keshon Boutte, and best defensive back Darryl Stingley on the injured list, maybe gone for the season. On the Florida side, LSU is a big game for several reasons. One of them being defensive star Carter, the SEC’s leader in sacks, whose mother is from Baton Rouge and grandfather went to LSU. He is being rewarded for the decision to hang around another season for some unfinished business. On the other hand, going back to his mother’s hometown of Baton Rouge has placed a great deal of pressure on him to come up with tickets. He needs 30. Carter knows about this rivalry because he grew up watching it. There are many memories for Zach, including the game-clinching fourth-down run of Jacob Hester on Miles’ fifth gamble of the night. He knows about the Tim Tebow jump pass in ’06. “It’s a great rivalry,” said Carter. Yet there is something a little unsettling about Saturday for Gator fans. “This game has a feeling of desperation,” said Gator Radio Analyst Lee McGriff just before speaking to the Ocala Quarterback Club this week. “Ed Orgeron might lose his job if he loses this game.” Then he stopped for a second and added, “and if Dan Mullen lost to them, imagine what Gator fans would be like.” Do the math. A loss to LSU Saturday and Georgia in two weeks … suddenly Mullen is a 4-4 coach. We all know he’s better than that, but the numbers are stifling if you’re on the wrong end of them. Let’s not create the pending doom scenario, however, because it’s offset by massive opportunity: And the flip side is, how often do you get a crack at knocking your hated rival off their No. 1 perch? Mullen says these are the condiments of a splendid rivalry: “Things that go into it: One, we play every year. Two, it’s two great programs that … we’ve each won two national championships (since 2006). You look at all the games — not all of them, but a lot of them — coming right down to the wire and being these tough battles.” He’s right. Maybe this is what we’ll see Saturday. It may not be a TV spectacle for all of America, but it’s bound to speed up heartbeats among diehards in Florida and Louisiana. And at Zach Carter’s momma’s house.

The physicist Brian Greene theorizes because there are only so many ways matter can arrange itself within an infinite universe, eventually it has to repeat itself and arrange in ways that are quite similar. Translated, it is entirely possible for there to be such a thing as a parallel universe, perhaps sharing the same space in which we currently occupy. You don’t have to see a film like “Men in Black” or the television series “The Man in the High Castle” to believe it is possible for there to be such a thing as a parallel universe. You simply have to be a football fan of the Florida Gators. The late, great Dan Jenkins wrote that Florida fans “have the arrogance of Notre Dame and the tradition of Wake Forest.” Okay, the Gators have more tradition and far more success than Wake Forest will ever have, but ever since Steve Spurrier awakened Florida’s inner sleeping giant (See Bear Bryant theory of Florida football from back in the 1960s), Florida fans have become more and more like Notre Dame fans every year. For 12 years, Spurrier dominated the Southeastern Conference and turned Florida into a consistent national power. He went 122-27-1, never won fewer than nine games in a season, won six SEC championships including four in a row from 1993-96, and he won the 1996 national championship. During Spurrier’s glorious reign, Gator fans ditched their decades old “Wait ‘til next year” rallying cry in favor of a sense of entitlement. Following the three-year glitch that was the Ron Zook Error, Urban Meyer came along to go 65-15 with 13-1 national championship seasons in 2006 and 2008. The sense of entitlement grew exponentially. Notre Dame fans have the arrogance to believe that any season in which the Irish aren’t in the thick of the national championship race is a profound disappointment. They have become experts in disappointment since their last national championship was 1988, but at least they played for the national championship in 2012 and made the College Football Playoff in 2017 and 2020. The Gators haven’t won the SEC since 2008 although they did make it to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game in 2009, 2015-16 and 2020. Following Meyer’s resignation after an 8-5 season in 2010, the Gators have gone through four coaches (Will Muschamp, interim DJ Durkin, Jim McElwain and interim Randy Shannon) to get to Dan Mullen. That hasn’t stopped a good many Florida fans from showing their Notre Dame arrogance, In the seven years prior to Mullen, the Gators went 52-36 (Muschamp 28-21; Durkin 1-0; McElwain 22-12; Shannon 1-3). In the three-plus years with Mullen leading the Gators, UF is 33-11. Although the Gators made it to the Sugar Bowl once under Muschamp (2012) and to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game twice under McElwain (2015-16), Florida fans bemoaned the lack of consistency and abysmal offenses during that seven-year run. In Mullen’s three-plus years, the Gators are 33-11. They’ve made it to three consecutive New Year’s Six Bowl games and at the SEC Championship Game last December, the Gators were the only team in the country that didn’t get their doors blown off by eventual national champion Alabama. Florida’s 52-46 loss to the Crimson Tide was the only game in a 13-0 season that Alabama failed to win by 17 or more points. In 2018, when the Gators went 10-3 playing mostly with the leftovers from a McElwain team that had a losing record the year before, Florida fans nearly went into apoplexy when the Gators lost to Kentucky for the first time in 31 years. Kentucky won 10 games in 2018, but Florida fans were already questioning the hire of Mullen. It got worse with back-to-back losses to Georgia and Missouri, although it did quiet down a bit when the Gators won their final four games, including a stomping of Florida State (41-14) and a Peach Bowl destruction of Michigan, 41-15 that got the Gators to a final No. 7 ranking in the Associated Press poll. Florida’s only two losses in 2019 were to eventual national champ LSU (No. 1 at the time) and No. 4 Georgia. Because the offense took off when Kyle Trask led the Gators to a come-from-behind win at Kentucky in game three when Feleipe Franks went down with a season-ending injury, Florida fans questioned how it was that Mullen didn’t see how much better Trask was all along. The season concluded with another four-game winning streak including a 40-17 blasting of Florida State and a 36-28 win over Virginia in the Orange Bowl. Florida finished ranked 7th in the Associated Press poll. Mullen is still hearing it from a contingent of Florida fans about the 2020 season. They bemoan those three losses at the end of the season and nobody seems to take into consideration that (a) the entire schedule had to be reshuffled at mid-year due to COVID-19; (b) the team didn’t know from week-to-week who would be able to play or who would be quarantined because of the virus; (c) games were played in partially-filled stadiums; (d) everybody’s defense nationally was down considerably, not just Florida’s, and (e) the Gators were three plays away from an 11-0 record that would have earned them the top seed in the College Football Playoff. The Gators blew the doors off Georgia, led the nation in passing, and had three All-Americans in Kyle Pitts (first team, Mackey Award winner as the top tight end in the country), Kadarius Toney (first team) and Trask (second team). Florida finished 13th in the final AP poll after spending most of the season in the top seven and getting as high as No. 3. And now here we are in 2021. The Gators are 4-2 with losses to then No. 1 Alabama, 31-29, and now 11th-ranked Kentucky, 20-13, in Lexington. Mullen has been catching it from that same contingent of Florida fans, who seem convinced that the Gators will never win a championship as long as he is the head coach. They’ve questioned his acumen as a developer of quarterbacks because Emory Jones is still the starter six games into the season and that Anthony Richardson has been slow to come back from a hamstring injury in game two after a number of electric plays that had the whole country buzzing. They ask why is Todd Grantham still the defensive coordinator even though the Gators are improving every week and now rank in the top 30 nationally, 5th in the SEC. It's almost as if these fans live in a parallel universe. One has to wonder which games they have been watching since Mullen took over. The numbers don’t lie so for comparison’s sake, here is where Florida ranked (wins and losses) in the Muschamp, McElwain and Mullen eras. Muschamp (2011-14): Florida’s 29-21 record ranked 52nd nationally and was the 9th best record among SEC teams. In the previous six years under Meyer, the Gators had the 4th best record nationally, best in the SEC. McElwain (2015-17): Florida’s 23-15 record was ranked 44th nationally and was the 6th best record in the SEC. Mullen (2018-Present): The Gators are 33-11, which is tied for 9th nationally and is tied for the 3rd best record in the SEC. Here are the teams ahead of UF in the Mullen era: 1. Alabama 43-4; 2. Clemson 42-5; 3. Ohio State 38-4; 4. (Tie) Notre Dame 38-6 and Oklahoma 38-6; 6. Cincinnati 37-6; 7. Georgia 37-7; 8. Appalachian State 37-8; 9. (Tie) Florida 33-11 and LSU 33-11. Let’s take things a step further. From 2011-17 Florida fans were constantly begging for points on the scoreboard and decent offensive production. Here is a year-by-year comparison of points per game, rushing yards per game, passing yards per game and total offense per game. Muschamp (2011-14) 2011, 7-6: 25.5 points per game (71 nationally/8 SEC); 143 rushing yards per game, 3.96 per carry (73/8); 189.7 passing yards per game, 7.5 per attempt (89/5); 328.7 yards per game total offense, 5.42 per play (105/10) 2012, 11-2: 26.5 points per game (78/10); 187.69 rushing yards per game, 4.53 per carry (39/3); 146.3 passing yards per game, 6.6 per attempt (118/14); 334 yards per game total offense, 5.25 per play (104/12) 2013, 4-8: 18.8 points per game (113/14); 145.75 yards per game, 3.63 per carry (88/13); 170.9 passing yards per game, 6.6 per attempt (109/12); 316.7 yards per game total offense, 4.79 per play (115/12) 2014, 7-5: 30.3 points per game (56/8); 187.67 rushing yards per game, 4.36 per carry (43/7); 179.9 passing yards per game, 6.7 per attempt (106/12); 367.6 yards per game total offense, 5.24 per play (96/12) McElwain (2015-17) 2015, 10-4: 23.2 points per game (100/11); 126.93 rushing yards per game, 3.48 per carry (113/13); 207.1 passing yards per game, 7.2 per attempt (86/8); 334 yards total offense per game, 5.11 per play (112/12) 2016, 9-5: 23.9 points per game (107/12); 128.23 yards per game, 3.69 per carry (113/14); 215.8 passing yards per game, 6.8 per attempt (79/6); 344 yards per game total offense, 5.19 per play (116/14) 2017, 4-7: 22.1 points per game (108/13); 156.36 rushing yards per game, 4.3 per carry (75/9); 179.5 passing yards per game, 6.3 per attempt (102/11); 335.9 yards per game total offense, 5.19 per play (110/13) Mullen (2018-Present) 2018, 10-3: 35 points per game (22/5); 213.15 rushing yards per game, 5.27 per carry (27/4); 213.5 passing yards per game, 7.6 per attempt (83/10); 426.7 yards per game total offense, 6.23 per play (42/6) 2019, 11-2: 33.2 points per game (28/3); 129.77 rushing yards per game, 4.24 per carry (107/13); 300.8 passing yards per game, 8.4 per attempt (16/3); 430.5 yards per game total offense, 6.47 per play (45/4) 2020, 8-4: 39.8 points per game (13/2); 131.25 rushing yards per game, 4.29 per carry (96/11); 378.6 passing yards per game, 9.6 per attempt (1/1); 509.8 yards per game, 7.28 per play (9/3) 2021, 4-2: 33.2 points per game (40/7); 273.67 rushing yards per game, 6.67 per carry (3/1); 230.3 passing yards per game, 7.9 per attempt (68/8); 504 yards per game total offense, 7.17 per play (10/2) The numbers tell quite a success story because Florida under Mullen has been vastly superior on offense. Excluding last year, which can only be described as an aberration, Todd Grantham’s defense has been good. The Gators were sixth in the SEC in 2018, second in 2019 and they’re currently fifth … and getting better. Too many Florida fans fail to take into account that the entire power structure in the SEC has shifted since Urban Meyer left after the 2010 season. Nick Saban and Alabama have won six national championships, five since 2011, the same year former Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley, for the second time in his career elected to hire a coach with zero head coaching experience (Ron Zook was the first) to replace a championship-caliber legend. Neither Zook nor Muschamp were adequately prepared to keep the Florida program going at a championship level. Florida was fortunate to replace Zook with Meyer, but neither Muschamp nor McElwain were able to compete with the Alabama juggernaut. Saban is recruiting at an unprecedented level, particularly since Meyer left (No. 1 recruiting class in the country at UF in 2010). Saban is getting recruits in Florida that he wouldn’t have gotten prior to 2010 and in the void of an outstanding coach at UF from 2011-17, Florida no longer gets the 5-star recruits. Georgia and Ohio State have made great headway in the state since 2011. It has taken Mullen three years to rebuild a Florida roster that was pockmarked with holes when he arrived. Thanks to judicious use of the transfer portal combined with targeted recruiting to solidify the depth chart, Mullen has a top-to-bottom SEC caliber roster for the first time. Currently, the Florida recruiting class for 2022, is ranked 14th and continuing to climb the national rankings. The 2022 recruiting class will once again be supplemented by transfers, which will help the Gators close some of the talent gaps with the likes of Alabama, Georgia and LSU in the SEC. Currently eight transfers either start or are in the regular rotations on both sides of the football for UF. With new recruiting rules that allow a first-time transfer immediate eligibility, the transfer portal will be alive with plug-and-play types who can step and contribute from day one. It’s not exactly a secret in the recruiting industry that Mullen’s phone has been ringing off the hook with transfer prospects. For anyone but those predisposed to a rather jaded opinion about the job Mullen is doing as Florida’s head coach, the future looks very good. Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi even took those living in the parallel universe to task earlier in the week when he opined: “Now, with the playoff-ification of college football, Gator Nation can’t even get juiced up about going to major bowl games such as the Peach, Orange or Cotton. Those are the three New Year’s Six bowl games Mullen has taken the Gators to in his first three years on the job. Pretty freaking good if you ask me. “It’s true, Florida is not Alabama, but guess what? Nobody else is either. It’s also true Florida has been a notch below Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma in recent years, but other than Bama, Georgia, Clemson, Oklahoma and Ohio State, has anybody else really been better than the Gators since Mullen took over? “Florida will probably finish 9-3 this season and go to another New Year’s Six bowl game, which, of course, will not satisfy many Gator fans.” With six games remaining, 9-3 is entirely possible. While 10-2 is considered unlikely since it would mean finishing the season 6-0 and beating No. 1 Georgia, it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility. Back in 2014, for example, Florida was an overwhelming underdog to 9th-ranked Georgia. That Florida team with Treon Harris at quarterback threw only six passes but ran for 418 yards on the Bulldogs as Florida scored a 38-20 upset. Strange things can and do happen in college football, so could the Gators beat Georgia and finish with 10 regular season wins? Of course, they could. Would that silence the Mullen critics who regularly take to message boards and social media to voice their displeasure? Probably not. We would all like the Gators to get back to the consistent level of excellence enjoyed during the Spurrier and Meyer years. It hasn’t happened yet, but that’s not to say Mullen isn’t chipping away. Only those living in a parallel universe can’t see the progress of the last three-plus years. Only those living in a parallel universe can’t understand that where the Gators are now compared to where they were when Mullen became the head coach is fairly close to light years distance. One final thought to ponder: Back in 2017 in the two weeks prior to Florida landing Mullen as the head coach, fans were frothing at the mouth over the possibility of Chip Kelly or Scott Frost taking over at UF. Mullen was viewed by many almost as a consolation prize. Well, he’s 33-11 since taking over at Florida and that’s playing in the SEC, the toughest conference in America. Kelly is 14-23 at UCLA since 2018 and that is playing in the ever-so-weak Pac-12. Frost is 15-24 at Nebraska while playing in the consistently weak Western Division of the Big Ten. You have to be living in a parallel universe if you don’t see that Dan Mullen wasn’t exactly a consolation prize.

Dan Mullen and the Florida Gators rebounded from their loss to Kentucky last week with a 42-0 shutout over Vanderbilt. We won’t say the Gators rebounded particularly well against the Commodores because, well, they played the Commodores. And they didn’t exactly play them well. GatorBait’s own Franz Beard put it well -- the scoreboard said shutout, but the scoreboard lied. Florida left a lot to be desired in its win over Vanderbilt last week. Fortunately, the Gators have an opportunity to go out and clean things up against an LSU team that doesn’t exactly resemble the Tigers’ teams we’ve seen as of recently. LSU head coach Ed Orgeron is arguably on the hot seat as LSU’s fall from grace continues. Though it doesn’t have all the drama that 2016 had, this game is feeling somewhat like the 2016 edition of the UF-LSU matchup. Instead of it being one team’s game to win and the other team’s game to lose, it’s both teams’ game to lose. If Florida loses to a pedestrian LSU football team on Saturday, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium might collapse. And if the Tigers lose to the Gators on Saturday, the LSU fan base will undoubtedly have their sights set on Orgeron’s job. Aside from a win, here are three things Florida fans want to see from the Gators as they visit Death Valley on Saturday afternoon: Florida Gators fans want to see a hotter start Though the Gators scored on the Commodores in their opening pair of offensive drives, fans were somewhat disappointed in the fact that it took a combined 15 plays for Florida to drive a total of 127 yards. In Florida’s second drive, it took Emory Jones and Co. seven plays to drive just 49 yards on a touchdown drive that saw the Gators have to go for it on 4th and 1. For most teams, scoring on its opening two drives would be enough. But Florida isn’t like most teams and Vanderbilt isn’t like most teams Florida plays -- the Commodores are considerably worse. Not to mention, as soon as the football season kicks off, Florida fans like to instantly use Georgia as their measuring stick. And in most seasons, that makes sense. After all, all too often it comes down to the game in Jacksonville to decide the winner of the SEC East. But this season, it doesn’t appear to be shaping up like that. Florida’s loss to Kentucky two weeks ago likely derailed the Gators’ road to the SEC Championship game. And, though Gators fans hate to hear it, the Georgia Bulldogs are damn good this season -- likely better than anyone anticipated. But for most, a win over the Dawgs would help chalk this season up as a success. But the Gators can’t sleepwalk their way through the first half like they did against Vanderbilt if they want to win the Cocktail Party. And correcting that starts this weekend in Baton Rouge. Noon kickoffs (11 a.m. local time in Louisiana) are hard enough as it is. Which is what makes the fact that Dameon Pierce was shocked to learn the game kicked off at noon, and not 7:30 p.m., on Monday a little concerning. Mullen better hope that Pierce and the rest of his roster is awake and ready to roll on Saturday. Florida Gators fans want to see the Dan Mullen from halftime last Saturday stick around Dan Mullen wasn’t his cheerful self last Saturday. If one was playing a drinking game that required them to drink everytime Mullen ripped his headset off, one would be very drunk by the end of Saturday’s game. And though the fact that Mullen was having to rip into players and assistant coaches isn’t typically a good sign, Florida Gators fans ate it up. Mullen’s very brief halftime interview with SEC Network sideline reporter Taylor Davis went viral after Mullen offered just four words to Davis. Following the game, Mullen wanted to be sure he didn’t offend Davis and also mentioned he used more than four words when addressing the team in the locker room at halftime. “I probably said some more words in the locker room,” Mullen said in his postgame presser. Whatever words Mullen used during halftime seemed to have helped juice up the Gators, who performed considerably better in the second half against Vanderbilt. Following Florida’s loss to Kentucky, Mullen was criticized for not holding himself and others accountable. Needless to say, fans were pleased to see Mullen go nuclear on defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, as well as be painfully honest when addressing his quarterbacks’ first-half performance last Saturday. Florida Gators fans want to see shoes stay on feet While yes, fans especially want to see shoes stay on everyone’s feet on Saturday after last year’s incident, this is code for cleaning up the penalties. Fortunately, the Gators haven’t committed penalties nearly as embarrassing as Marco Wilson’s shoe throw from last year, there’s been no shortage of dirty laundry on the field. In the Gators’ loss to Kentucky, Florida racked up 15 penalties for a loss of 115 yards. Of the Gators’ 15 penalties, eight came due to false starts as Emory Jones and the Florida offensive line struggled with the snap count in a rambunctious Kroger Field. And if they thought Kentucky was loud, they’ve likely got a surprise coming on Saturday when they travel to Tiger Stadium in Death Valley. The fact that LSU has been off to a turbulent start and the game is at noon should be in the Gators’ favor. But it’ll still be loud. "It was a loud environment up there at Kentucky,” Mullen said. “I always know Death Valley is going to be a pound place. Anytime you go there it’s a wild, crazy environment.” Mullen was asked this week about working on the snap count and the quarterback’s cadence. And while he didn’t offer much, it oughtta be reassuring for Gators’ fans that it’s being addressed. When Emory Jones was asked the same question, he told reporters that he and the offense would likely stick with the same regime, but really dial in on the focus involved pre-snap. “We're probably going to stick with what we've been doing every game," Jones said. "Just the level of focus that is needed this week, knowing what happened last game we played in a hostile environment, it's mainly just the focus and the discipline in making sure we're just locked in every single play because we have to be. That's for all 11 guys on the offense. Really on the whole team, but I mean in the sense of the snap count and stuff like that we're probably going to do the same thing, it's just a point of just being focused and disciplined."

A few thoughts to jump start your Friday morning: BEWARE OF TRAINWRECKS By any stretch of the imagination, LSU (3-3, 1-2 SEC) is a trainwreck this year. Starting with the season-ending injury to Myles Brennan back in August, it has been one debilitating injury after another to the point the Tigers will be missing at least five starting defenders Saturday when 20th-ranked Florida (4-2, 2-2 SEC). Injuries, are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg for LSU, however. There is a serious problem with coaching because for the second straight year, HBC Ed Orgeron has made some bad decisions when it comes to assistant coach/coordinator hires. And then there are those teensy matters of Title IX and the NCAA. Add it all together and you’ve got a full-fledged trainwreck in Baton Rouge where it seems buzzards are circling the LSU football compound in anticipation of Coach Oeaux losing his job. It’s so bad that some are speculating that if Florida blows the doors off LSU this weekend that athletic director Scott Woodward could pull the plug on his $9 million a year head football coach. Whether it’s this week or a few weeks later on, it does seem that inevitable that Coach Oeaux will be forced to squeeze by on the $21 million it would cost LSU to buy out his contract if fired prior to December 31. So a question to ponder is whether the Tigers are willing to rally around their embattled coach or have they already given up on this season? With two losses in SEC play, it will take a miracle of parting the Red Sea proportions for the Tigers to win the Western Division even if LSU goes on to win the remaining games on the schedule. Add those grim prospects with the fact the players read social media, message boards and newspapers. They know Coach Oeaux is most likely a goner. Do they think they can save his job by playing unconscious the rest of the way and winning games they have no business winning? Or do they start thinking maybe it’s a good time to put out some feelers to find out if there are some potentially good landing spots if they put their names in the transfer portal? Ten years ago, that wouldn’t have been a question to ask, but in this changing world it’s every man for himself. For Florida, it’s a question of coming to play from the moment foot hits football. There is no way for the Gators to know what to expect from LSU. Even though the Tigers are a trainwreck, they’re dangerous because there is no way to know what to expect. They could play as fired up and determined as any team the Gators will face all year or they could play like rats abandoning a sinking ship. Either way, the Gators need to be prepared to play their best and most consistent game of the season. In spurts the Gators have played as well as any team in the SEC but they have yet to play a complete game for four quarters The Gators can’t go into this game thinking they can flip on the switches to go from a lackadaisical beginning to a dominant finish. That won’t work Saturday. If UF comes out ready to play then the running game will dominate just as Kentucky dominated the Tigers last week on the ground. Since LSU is missing three key members of its secondary and it’s best edge rusher, Emory Jones should have a big day throwing the football. LSU has no one capable of handling Jacob Copeland deep and the middle of the field should be open all day long for Trent Whittemore. The defensive game plan should center around constant pressure from Zachary Cater and Brenton Cox Jr. on LSU QB Max Johnson. He can’t complete passes from his back. This is a very winnable game for the Gators if they come to play from the very start. The Sayer says sooth: FLORIDA 35, LSU 14 THE SEC SOOTHSAYER No. 11 Kentucky (6-0, 4-0 SEC) at No. 1 Georgia (6-0, 4-0 SEC): Everything about the way Georgia has played points to a blowout win. Vegas agrees because it favors the Bulldogs to win by 21.5 points. Kentucky is the best defensive team Georgia has faced since Clemson in the season opener but even if the Wildcats play a great game, can they score enough points to score an upset of the nation’s No. 1 team? The only way they can do it is to (a) give QB Will Levis enough time to throw the ball to Wan’Dale Robinson, easily the best wide receiver Georgia’s secondary has had to cover this year; and (b) for Levis to make enough plays with his feet to prevent big losses. Easier said than done. In Lexington, you might be tempted to give UK a puncher’s chance. In Athens, it doesn’t seem feasible even with DB Tykee Smith done for the season after tearing his ACL in practice Thursday. The Sayer says sooth: Georgia 28, Kentucky 7 No. 5 Alabama (5-1, 2-1 SEC) at Mississippi State (3-2, 1-1 SEC): Probably the worst possible thing that could have happened to Mississippi State was for Alabama to lose to Texas A&M last week. You can bet the mortgage on Grandma’s house that Nick Saban has mentioned the fact that Mississippi State beat the Aggies in College Station at least 5,000 times during the past week. Alabama won’t take the Bulldogs lightly, which is bad news for the folks in Starkville. When Nick is unhappy, Alabama plays angry, and when Bama plays angry, bad things happen to the team the Crimson Tide is playing. Alabama is a 17-point favorite and that just doesn’t seem like enough points. The Sayer says sooth: Alabama 38, Mississippi State 14 No. 13 Ole Miss (4-1, 1-1 SEC) at Tennessee (4-2, 2-1 SEC): What a joke. The over/under on this one is 83 points. They might score that many in the first half. Not much defense will be played Saturday at Neyland. Lane Kiffin was once the UT head coach and his offensive coordinator was UT head coach Josh Heupel’s offensive coordinator at UCF for two years so there is a good bit of familiarity with these guys. Doesn’t matter. Even if the other defense knows what’s coming – and they probably will – they’ll have problems stopping the other. Ole Miss is a very shaky 2.5-point favorite. The Sayer says sooth: Ole Miss 54, Tennessee 53 Auburn (4-2, 1-1 SEC) at No. 17 Arkansas (4-2, 1-2 SEC): Arkansas hasn’t forgotten that rotten work by both the SEC zebras and replay booth handed Auburn a win last year. That loss is all the motivation the Hogs need to right the ship after consecutive SEC losses the last two weekends. Auburn will start Bo Nix once again. If good Bo Nix shows, the Tigers will be in the hunt until the end. If Bo’s evil twin Skippy Nix shows, Arkansas and KJ Jefferson are going to exact their revenge. Arkansas is favored by 4.5 points. The Sayer says sooth: Arkansas 38, Auburn 30 No. 21 Texas A&M (4-2, 1-2 SEC) at Missouri (3-3, 0-2 SEC): It doesn’t take a brain scientist or a rocket surgeon to know what Texas A&M is going to do Saturday at Mizzou. Jimbo Fisher is going to line the Aggies up and pound it between the tackles. This is the kind of game that Isaiah Spiller could run for 200 yards. Mizzou has the worst run defense on the planet (288.33 yards per game, a whopping 6.09 yards per carry). The Aggies are 8.5-point favorites. It feels like the spread should be much worse. The Sayer says sooth: Texas A&M 35, Missouri 17 Vanderbilt (2-4, 0-2 SEC) at South Carolina (3-3, 0-3 SEC): The loser of this one probably avoids the cellar in the SEC East. Neither team is very good, but compared the Vanderbilt, the Gamecocks look like a playoff challenger, which is why Vegas makes them 18-point favorites. Vanderbilt has yet to score in an SEC game. There is every good chance the Commodores will put points on the board this week but even if they get a field goal or a touchdown it’s not going to be enough. The folks at Willy Brice will have a first SEC win to celebrate. The Sayer says sooth: South Carolina 24, Vanderbilt 7 SEVEN GAMES TO KEEP AN EYE ON SATURDAY No. 12 Oklahoma State (5-0) at No. 25 Texas (4-2): The Cowboys find out if they are contenders or pretenders. Texas will find out if the second half against Oklahoma is the norm or an aberration. Texas is a 4-point fave which means Vegas is leaning toward the Longhorns still feeling shaky. TCU (3-2) at No. 4 Oklahoma (6-0): Does Lincoln Riley give Spencer Rattler a second chance or go with his hot hand, Caleb Williams? It probably doesn’t matter who starts at quarterback for the Sooners, who are 13.5-point favorites, but if it isn’t Rattler, the transfer portal could be very, very interesting next week. Army (4-1) at Wisconsin (2-3): Wisconsin leads the nation in run defense while Army leads the nation in rushing. That is one reason why this one is interesting. Another reason is because if Wisconsin loses this game, the natives are going to be quite restless. Paul Chryst is 6-6 since last season and he’s lost 15 games in the last four seasons. Wisconsin is a 14-point favorite but this one has a white knuckles feel to it. Miami (2-3) at North Carolina (3-3): Miami really can’t afford to fire Manny Diaz but if the Canes manage to get blown out by UNC, there will be bake sales and car washes all over South Florida to put the money together to buy him out. North Carolina might be a bigger disappointment than Miami, but they aren’t going to fire Mack Brown. Carolina is a 7.5-point favorite which feels about right. Clemson (3-2) at Syracuse (3-3): The only reason this one is relevant is because you have to go all the way back to 2014 to find the last time Clemson lost three games in the regular season. Clemson is a 13.5-point favorite but this is in the Carrier Dome where weird things are the norm and not the exception. Pittsburgh (4-1) at Virginia Tech (3-2): Pitt thinks it should be ranked and probably makes its way into the top 25 with a win. Virginia Tech thinks it should be unbeaten but if the Hokies figure out a way to lose to Pitt at home, the alums might be calling for Justin Fuente’s head on a pike at the entrance to Lane Stadium. Pitt is a 5-point favorite. Yale (2-2) at UConn (0-7): Having lost their only other chance to score a win in 2021, UConn takes on Yale from the Ivy League. If the Yalies have any pride whatsoever, they’ll figure out a way to avoid having to tell their grandchildren 30 years from now that they lost to UConn. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: If you watch enough college football this weekend you’re sure to see some player ejected for targeting. I understand the intent of the rule, but is ejection the right way to deal with helmet-to-helmet or defenseless-player contact unless it’s blatantly obvious that there was intent to harm? I’m all for making the game safer, but I’ve seen too many ejections when it’s obvious there was no intent to cause harm. Maybe a better idea would be a 15-yard penalty for any targeting in which there is no intent to harm and a warning that if there is a second targeting call against a player within the next two games, then the perp has to sit an entire game. Maybe that’s not the solution but the current rule is punishing players who clearly didn’t intend to cause harm.

A few thoughts to jumpstart your Thursday morning: KICKOFF SATURDAY 11 A.M. CST COULD BE A BLESSING IN DISGUISE If you’ve been around football in the Southeastern Conference for any length of time, then you’re well aware that daytime games at Tiger Stadium aren’t the same as games after the sun goes down. Tiger Stadium at night seems to be worth anywhere from 7-10 points to LSU’s advantage. The daytime Tigers have never seemed quite so fierce. A plausible theory behind why LSU is so much better at night is that the crowd – the stadium seats more than 100,000 – starts drinking on Thursday and then continues throughout Friday and all day on Saturday. By the time foot hits football after sundown, the crowd has lost all its pent up inhibitions, making Tiger Stadium one of the most intimidating places to be found anywhere in college football. Kickoff Saturday when the Florida Gators (4-2, 2-2 SEC) take the field against a struggling LSU (3-3, 1-2 SEC) team is 11 a.m. central time. The Gators can expect the Tiger Stadium crowd to be loud, but as loud as they would be after dark? Doubtful. Given the way Florida struggled offensively with the boisterous crowd at Kentucky a couple of weeks ago, a less raucous Tiger Stadium could prove to be a blessing in disguise. At Kentucky, the Gators had eight false starts, two holds and a delay of game among their 15 penalties. A good many of those could be attributed to communication issues since the noise level was the highest anyone could remember in recent years at Kroger Field. The experience of that Kentucky game combined with what is likely to be an LSU crowd that is a few decibels lower than usual, should help Emory Jones, who will be playing his second SEC road game, and the offensive line, which had a handful of false starts in Florida’s first four games. If everybody can hear themselves think – a problem for visiting teams at night at Tiger Stadium – then Jones could be in for a second straight career passing day. LSU will be without its two standout corners (Daryl Stingley Jr. and Eli Ricks), safety Major Burns (Georgia transfer), edge rusher Ali Gaye, linebacker Andre Anthony and tackle Joseph Evans. No matter what time the game kicks off, Florida still has to play at a high level. Even in the daytime and with a depleted roster, LSU is not to be taken lightly, but if the Gators show up focused and ready to play, they should win this football game by more than the 10.5 points they’re favored. OVER, UNDER, AROUND AND THROUGH THE SEC Alabama (5-1, 2-1 SEC): On ESPN’s “Get Up” Wednesday morning, Paul Finebaum said he can’t see Alabama making the College Football Playoff this year. Finebaum said, “I don’t think I’ve gone against Alabama in 10 years but I’m betting my house against them this time. I don’t see it because they have to play Georgia. They can negotiate the rest of the season. They probably will. They don’t have what I would call a dangerous game left. Of course, I didn’t think Texas A&M was a dangerous game but to beat Georgia this year, they have to do things they haven’t done this year. I don’t see it happening.” Arkansas (4-2, 1-2 SEC): On the SEC Coaches Teleconference, HBC Sam Pittman said the Razorbacks have had to curtail some of their hitting at practice. “We were a little beat up heading into the A&M game, so we cut a few reps there,” Pittman said. “We’ll cut a few reps today simply because we are a little beat up. Normally, I wouldn’t do that. We’ll cut just a few, but not many.” Auburn (4-2, 1-1 SEC): Auburn, which had seven dropped passes in its loss to Georgia last week, has 24 drops on the season, tops in the SEC. Georgia (6-0, 4-0 SEC): Kentucky’s defense has impressed HBC Kirby Smart. The Wildcats rank 18thnationally in total defense, allowing just 305 yards per game. On the SEC Teleconference Smart said, “They have a lot of different looks. They change up their coverages. They’re really good at disguising … It’s hard to play-action these guys.” Kentucky (6-0, 4-0 SEC): HBC Mark Stoops knows Saturday’s game at Georgia will be decided on the line of scrimmage. “It’s a line of scrimmage league,” Stoops said on the SEC Coaches Teleconference. “We want to be very good at the line of scrimmage. We pride ourselves on being physical. We’re going to need to take that up another notch playing them [Georgia] this year.” LSU (3-3, 1-2 SEC): On the SEC Coaches Teleconference, Coach Oeaux confirmed that cornerback Eli Ricks will have surgery and will miss the rest of the season. “It was a nagging injury,” Coach Oeaux said. “He kept on playing with it, playing with it and it just kept reoccurring, so he and his family decided that he will get operated on.” Mississippi State (3-3, 1-1 SEC): Through five games, QB Will Rogers has thrown 14 touchdown passes and leads the SEC in total offense at 371.2 yards per game. Rogers is completing 75 percent of his passes in the fourth quarter and hasn’t thrown an interception in the final period. He has 10 completions of 15 or more yards in the fourth quarter, most in the SEC. Missouri (3-3, 0-2 SEC): Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko has impressed Mizzou HBC Eli Drinkwitz. “He does a really good job disguising his blitzes,” Drinkwitz said on the SEC Coaches Teleconference. “He was able to get Alabama with bringing overload pressures. He has a multiplicity of schemes.” Ole Miss (4-1, 1-1 SEC): HBC Lane Kiffin discussed the Tennessee defense Tuesday. “Very multiple, fast players, different scheme than what we’re used to seeing in practice,” Kiffin said. “Presents a lot of challenges because we haven’t played much of it and haven’t played it in practice so this is very challenging for us because of the way they play the front and all the single high they play.” South Carolina (3-3, 0-3 SEC): South Carolina’s offense is ranked No. 109 nationally at 335.5 yards per game. Quarterback Luke Doty says the Gamecocks’ problem is “just starting and finishing drives. We’ve come out in the first quarter and we go three-and-out, three-and-out, maybe get a drive going then stall out. So, really, it’s just about finishing drives and starting fast.” Tennessee (4-2, 2-1 SEC): HBC Josh Heupel and Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin faced each other when Heupel was at UCF and Kiffin at Florida Atlantic. Kiffin’s offensive coordinator, Jeff Lebby, was with Heupel at UCF, so there is a good bit of familiarity. “There are certainly some similarities from him as far as what they’re doing offensively and what he did at FAU,” Heupel said on the SEC Coaches Teleconference. “There are some changes, too, with who he brought in as offensive coordinator. There are some similarities to what we do actually.” Texas A&M (4-2, 1-2 SEC): Discussing what it will take for Texas A&M to avoid a letdown against Missouri following their win over then No. 1 Alabama, Jimbo Fisher said, “It takes leadership. It takes trust. It takes everything and that’s the challenge. People who can stan focused, no matter who your opponent is. That’s what I’m talking about. Your opponent’s faceless. It’s your standard, based on nothing else. You match the standard.” Vanderbilt (2-4, 0-2 SEC): HBC Clark Lea expects tailback Rocko Griffin to be available for Saturday’s game with South Carolina. Griffin injured his ankle in the Commodores’ 42-0 loss to Florida. “He has got to have a healthy week in practice,” Lea said. “I saw Rocko this morning. He was in good spirits and I think he’s trending the right way. So, we’ll be excited to have him out there with us on Saturday.” BRUCE FELDMAN OF THE ATHLETIC ON MANNY DIAZ REMAINING GAINFULLY EMPLOYED “A couple of key factors to know: The buyout if UM wants to move on from Diaz is believed to be north of $8 million. Additionally, they have assistants on multi-year deals, so any coaching search would likely mean an investment of some $20 million for 2022 if they’re paying market rate for a new staff. “… Sources told The Athletic that Miami leadership is going to back Diaz at least through this year unless they believe that the team essentially quits on him and stop showing grit.” CONFERENCE USA MAKES A REALIGNMENT PROPOSAL WITH THE AMERICAN In a letter obtained by Sports Illustrated, Conference USA has proposed what it calls “realignment/reorganization” with what’s left of the American Athletic Conference, which is about to lose Cincinnati, Houston and UCF to the Big 12. It’s an interesting proposal that, if implemented, would produce a scheduling alliance between two 12-team conferences with some natural geographic advantages that would result in rivalry games and immediate savings on travel. Here is what the two conferences would look like: Eastern: East Carolina, Charlotte, Old Dominion, Temple, Marshall, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, South Florida, Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky and two new teams. Navy, which is currently a football-only member of the AAC is not included. Western: SMU, North Texas, Rice, UTEP, Southern Miss, Tulane, Tulsa, Louisiana Tech, Wichita State, UAB, Memphis and Texas-San Antonio. From a strictly geographic standpoint, there is merit to this proposal. However, CBSSports.com reports there isn’t much interest from the American or from the Sun Belt, which could also be involved in the realignment talks. Why it isn’t going to work: Until the next wave of expansion and realignment takes place within the five power conferences, leagues like the American aren’t going to go for a proposal that would create new leagues and scatter its teams. There is a really good chance the Big Ten, whose media contract with Fox Sports and ESPN expires in 2023 will poach Kansas (for basketball) and Iowa State (decent football team for the Western Division) as a way to move along contract talks with Fox Sports and ESPN. Kansas basketball scores better ratings for ESPN than Saturday night college football. Imagine the ripple effect in the Pac-12, ACC and Big 12 if the Big 12 expands. Imagine the chaos in the Group of Five. You can’t blame Conference USA for trying to get ahead of the realignment/expansion curve but right now everybody is waiting to see which power conference blinks first before all hell breaks loose. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Back when he was everybody’s leading candidate to win the Heisman Trophy, Spencer Rattler was picking up NIL deals that included a couple of cars and endorsements that have been reported to be somewhere in the $200,000 range. All of the money was guaranteed. There is speculation that Rattler could be transferring out rather than sit the bench behind freshman Caleb Williams, who led Oklahoma to a miracle comeback when Rattler was yanked in the second quarter of the Texas game. To those who ponied up to get Rattler signed, sealed and delivered, all you can say is suckers. Up at Ohio State, Quinn Ewers has an NIL deal worth $1.4 million. He left high school early to cash in on the deal, but he’s up at Ohio State where starting QB CJ Stroud, who is a redshirt freshman, has thrown 18 touchdown passes. Backing up Stroud are Kyle McCord (freshman, former 5-star recruit) and Jack Miller (redshirt freshman, former 4-star recruit). How long does Ewers stay at Ohio State given the circumstances? Alabama’s Bryce Young has deals worth something like $1 million, but how many NIL success stories are there and how many questionable deals like the ones Rattler and Ewers have? My guess is there are few real NIL success stories and that there will be fewer big deals to be had in the future. I’m not sure that will be bad for college sports.

A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning: SATURDAY IS A CHANCE FOR REDEMPTION FOR FLORIDA’S DEFENSE The shoe. Everybody remembers the shoe that Marco Wilson threw late in the fourth quarter of Florida’s 37-34 loss to LSU. Who could forget it? On a third-and-10 at the LSU 25 with just over two minutes remaining in the game, Marco Wilson and Tre’Vez Johnson stuffed tight end Kole Taylor for a 4-yard gain, finishing off a critical defensive stand in a game in which the Gators had problems getting the Tigers off the field. Taylor’s shoe came off as he went to the turf, Wilson picked it up and threw it in celebration, resulting in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that gave LSU new life. Six plays later Cade York drilled a game-winning 57-yard field goal. Shoe-gate, as some Gator fans call it, was the poster play of a year to forget for Florida’s defense, which gave up 428 yards and 30.8 points per game. If not for one of the most prolific offenses in UF history, 2020 could have been the ultimate season to forget. So here we are a year later. The stars of last year’s offense – Kyle Trask, Kyle Pitts and Kadarius Toney – are all in the NFL. Florida’s offense is very good but lacks the quick strike capabilities of a year ago. The defense is much improved and beginning to look one that could very well finish among the nation’s top 15-20 units. At the midway point of the season, Todd Grantham’s defense is allowing 319.2 yards and 16.5 points per game. The Gators are fifth in the SEC and tied for 30th nationally in total defense. Florida ranks 15thagainst scoring. The Gators are allowing only 110.83 yards per game on the ground, a 60-yard improvement over last season and 208.3 yards per game passing, a 49-yard improvement. Last year the Gators gave up 16 rushing TDs and 28 passing TDs. This year, they’ve allowed seven passing TDs and only five on the ground. The Gators are second in the SEC and tied for ninth nationally in sacks with 20. A year ago UF had 35 in 12 games. The numbers tell of improvement, but by no means is Grantham’s unit a finished product. They’re still way too young in a lot of positions, they’ve had too many injuries and it’s only now that we’re starting to see transfers like Antonio Shelton, Daquan Newkirk, Tyrone Truesdell and Jadarrius Perkins really come into their own. Where they are now compared to where they were four games ago is night and day different. After shellshock first quarters against Alabama and Tennessee, the Gators played extremely well in the final three. Alabama managed only 10 points in quarters two through four while Tennessee was shut out. Against Kentucky, the Gators gave up only 224 yards. Only one of Kentucky’s three TDs can be pinned on the defense. The other two were from a blocked field goal and a short field after an interception. The Gators got their first shutout of a Division I team since 2016 last week against Vanderbilt, a game in which UF dominated the second half (87 yards total) and gave up 287 total. Saturday in Baton Rouge, it’s a chance for UF to in some way atone for the sins of last season but only if they’ll play a complete game on defense. LSU quarterback Max Johnson has a big arm but he’s had problems staying upright the last two games and he will be without his favorite target Kayshon Boutte (38-509, 9 TDs), gone for the season with a leg injury. Florida needs to put the heat on Johnson early and often. It’s the kind of game that Zachary Carter and Brenton Cox Jr. can dominate off the edge and there is no one on the LSU offensive line capable of handling Gervon Dexter. With Kaiir Elam returning to the starting lineup and safeties Trey Dean and Rashad Torrence coming off their best games at safety, this sets up as a game Florida can dominate. It’s a game Florida needs to dominate in the worst way. The Gators will have an open date next week followed by Georgia in Jacksonville so the last thing they need is an inconsistent or poor performance. Dominating LSU defensively won’t exactly erase the memory of Shoe-gate, but it will be further proof that last year was an aberration. OVER, UNDER, AROUND AND THROUGH THE SEC Alabama (5-1, 2-1 SEC): If you’ve written off Alabama’s chances to win a national championship because the Crimson Tide lost to Texas A&M, then consider this. Since 2008, Alabama has never lost two consecutive regular season games. Alabama has won six national championships under Nick Saban but only two (2008, 2020) were unbeaten seasons. What that should tell us is that it’s business as usual in Tuscaloosa and the Crimson Tide are still very much in the playoff and national championship hunt. Vegas says: Alabama is a 17-point road favorite at Mississippi State. Arkansas (4-2, 1-2 SEC): Saturday’s game with Auburn probably rehashes some rotten memories, not only for Arkansas, which lost the game 30-28, but to the SEC officiating crew and replay booth which awarded a fumble of an unintentional backward spike by Bo Nix to Auburn even though the Hogs Joe Foucha recovered the loose ball. Auburn kicked the game winning field goal with seven seconds left. Vegas says: Arkansas is a 3.5-point favorite over Auburn. Auburn (4-2, 1-1 SEC): In Auburn’s last three games, the Tigers have run the ball 92 times while throwing it 134. HBC Bryan Harsin says, “Well, ideally you want to run the football. One way to do that is to stop losing early. That’s a way to do that. So, don’t get behind and stay in a position were you can’t run the football.” Vegas says: Auburn is a 3.5-point road dog at Arkansas. Georgia (6-0, 4-0 SEC): Greg McElroy of ESPN on who Georgia should start at QB vs. Kentucky: “I don’t care what anyone says, the guy [Stetson Bennett] has got the hot hand. So I know that JT Daniels maybe, even with his legs … how many different plays does Stetson Bennett make with his legs this past weekend. I don’t know. You know me, everyone who listens to this show, I am not one that thinks JT Daniels is the second coming of Peyton Manning. I think he’s a good solid player. I don’t think he’s a future top 5 pick. I’ve never thought that. I think he’s got a limited ceiling, and I think he’s very, very accurate on the underneath throws. However, I don’t think he’s this total game changer, take over the game.” Vegas says: Georgia is a 23.5-point home favorite over Kentucky. Kentucky (6-0, 4-0 SEC): Linebacker Deandre Square says Kentucky will be ready to play Georgia. Square says, “After the Florida win we were already locked in on LSU whereas in past years we would get hung up on big wins, but this year, it’s different. We know we can win big games. We just have to prepare.” Vegas says: Kentucky is a 23.5-point road dog at Georgia. LSU (3-3, 1-2 SEC): Coach Oeaux on the Florida Gators: “They’re third in the country in rushing offense. Known Dan for a long time. He’s one of the best play callers I’ve been around. They’ve got some talent, they’ve got a good offensive line, good stable of running backs. Lot of speed at wide receiver. On defense, we all know about their defense. They’re an attacking defense – 16 points per game, led by Zachary Carter with six sacks. Vegas says: LSU is a 10.5-point home dog to Florida. Mississippi State (3-3, 1-1 SEC): Mike Leach on what separates Nick Saban as a coach: “What I have always thought he does best is that I think he evaluates really well. He’s in a position where he can get pretty much anybody, but I think he evaluates as far as which ones to take very well. The other thing is he is not afraid to tell somebody no or push somebody hard. Occasionally, somebody will get some 5-star Parade All-American and then he’s afraid to coach them. Coach Saban is not afraid to coach that guy and push that guy. I have always thought the strongest thing he does is evaluate and push guys.” Vegas says: Mississippi State is a 17-point home dog to Alabama. Missouri (3-3, 0-2 SEC): HBC Eli Drinkwitz says he’s just trying to keep the Tigers focused on their emotional stability. Drinkwitz says, “I try not to get into the ebbs and flows or comparisons. The process is we’ve got to try to be 1-0 this week. You can’t get up and down because of every different thing that happens. Obviously our season has had some ups and downs but we’ve got to try to maintain even keel. You can’t get too high or too low, can’t get into those emotional swings.” Vegas says: Missouri is an 8.5-point home dogs to Texas A&M. Ole Miss (4-1, 1-1 SEC): The 3-2-6 defensive scheme the Rebels have used the last two games against Alabama and Arkansas hasn’t worked very well. Lane Kiffin says, “It works when you do it right. We have to get off the field on third down. We have to play more players and we have to tackle.” Vegas says: Ole Miss is a 3-point road favorite at Tennessee. South Carolina (3-3, 0-3 SEC): Vegas says: South Carolina is an 18.5-point home favorite over Vanderbilt. Tennessee (4-2, 2-1 SEC): The likely candidates to step in for linebacker Juwan Mitchell, who will miss the rest of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery are former walk-on Kwauze Garland, Michigan transfer William Mohan or freshman Aaron Willis. Garland and Mohan have played extensively on special teams.Vegas says: Tennessee is a 3-point home dog to Ole Miss. Texas A&M (4-2, 1-2 SEC): Zach Calzada was selected National Quarterback of the Week by the Davey O’Brien Award. In leading the Aggies to a 41-38 upset win over then No. 1 Alabama, Calzada was 21-31 passing for 285 yards and three touchdowns. Vegas says: Texas A&M is an 8.5-point road favorite at Missouri. Vanderbilt (2-4, 0-2 SEC): HBC Clark Lea says that for Vandy to stop the South Carolina running game it has to account for QB Luke Doty on every play: “He’s certainly athletic enough to move the chains and create scheduled runs. So, we’re going to be accounting for him, and there’s similarities in that sense in the style that Florida plays.” Vegas says: Vandy is an 18.5-point road dog at South Carolina. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Just a couple of months ago, Big Ten commish Kevin Warren was moaning that in a 12-team playoff the Southeastern Conference could have five or six teams! He didn’t exactly use the words conspiracy theory, but that was the implication as he and cohorts George Kliavkoff (Pac-12) and Jim Phillips (ACC) all but accused Greg Sankey of coming up with this 12-team model to crush the non-SEC leagues. Well, here we are halfway through the season and if the playoff were held today the Big Ten, not the SEC, would have five teams in. Based on the current rankings, the six automatic qualifiers (highest ranked conference champs) would be Georgia (SEC), Iowa (Big Ten), Cincinnati (American), Oklahoma (Big 12), Oregon (Pac-12) and Wake Forest (ACC). The SEC would have two of the remaining six at-large teams (Alabama and Kentucky) and the Big Ten would have the rest (Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan State). Sounds like a real SEC conspiracy, doesn’t it? Warren should be begging for playoff expansion to 12 teams, the sooner the better. Notice Greg Sankey hasn’t said much throughout this other than to say the SEC (a) wasn’t pushing for expansion and (b) will be fine if it’s four, six, eight or 12 teams in the playoff. Warren would be wise to brush up on the writings in Proverbs. I’m paraphrasing here: Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: MULLEN ON THE FRAGILITY OF COACHING IN THE SEC Saturday, Florida (4-2, 2-2 SEC) will take on LSU (3-3, 1-2 SEC) in Baton Rouge, a game the Gators are favored to win by 10 points. That’s one of the largest point spreads for a Florida-LSU game in quite some time, brought on in part by speculation that Ed Orgeron’s time as the LSU head coach could be drawing to a rapid close. Orgeron is 48-17 as LSU’s head coach and just two years removed from an unbeaten national championship season but after a 5-5 2020, this year’s 3-3 start and a Title IX lawsuit that names Orgeron as a defendant, that 15-0 record in 2019 seems to be a distant dot in the rearview mirror. LSU fans and media alike seem resigned to the fact that it is simply a matter of when athletic director Scott Woodward pulls the plug. Asked Monday about Orgeron, Florida coach Dan Mullen replied, “It’s a weekly deal right now as coaches, right? I think we get to learn that. I’ve known Ed a long time. I like Ed. Great coach, won a national championship just a couple of years ago there, and you haven’t forgotten how to coach in that time frame.” Mullen does understand just how fragile head coaching jobs are in the SEC. Nowhere are the coaches better compensated and nowhere are the fan bases more rabid and expecting results right now. Former Gator walk-on Gene Chizik won a national championship at Auburn with an unbeaten team in 2010. A year later, having lost his Heisman Trophy quarterback Cam Newton to the NFL, Auburn went 8-5. In 2012, Auburn went 3-9 and Chizik was gone, never to be hired as a head coach again. Mullen hasn’t come close to being fired whether at Mississippi State or at Florida, where he’s 33-11 since arriving after a 9-year run at MSU, but he does know the fans in the SEC are, for the most part, what have you done for me lately types. “I just think in today’s world, with coaching a lot of times it’s a week-to-week, your rating as a coach is week-to-week,” Mullen said. “If not play-by-play on Saturdays, and then after Saturday, it’s week-by-week. That’s not him [Orgeron]. That’s all of us, you know what I mean? You go to anybody in the SEC and they’ll tell you it’s pretty much you’re either really smart or really dumb and there’s nowhere in between and it’s a week-to-week deal.” BIANCHI ON DAN MULLEN … Mike Bianchi weighed in on the Florida fan base over the weekend in this Orlando Sentinel column: “Now, with the playoff-ification of college football, Gator Nation can’t even get juiced up about going to major bowl games such as the Peach, Orange or Cotton. Those are the three New Year’s Six bowl games Mullen has taken the Gators to in his first three years on the job. Pretty freaking good if you ask me. “It’s true, Florida is not Alabama, but guess what? Nobody else is either. It’s also true Florida has been a notch below Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma in recent years, but other than Bama, Georgia, Clemson, Oklahoma and Ohio State, has anybody else really been better than the Gators since Mullen took over? “Florida will probably finish 9-3 this season and go to another New Year’s Six bowl game, which, of course, will not satisfy many Gator fans.” BLADES HAS BEEN DISMISSED When Elijah Blades announced he was transferring to Florida from Texas A&M during the summer, it seemed like a missing piece was added to an inexperienced secondary. When Jaydon Hill was lost for the season due to a knee injury, it was again assumed that Blades could be an impact player in the corner opposite Kaiir Elam. It hasn’t worked out that way at all. Blades didn’t play at all Saturday against Vanderbilt and in the three games he did see the field he registered only three tackles and one pass breakup. Against Kentucky, he was flagged for a personal foul. Reports surfaced Sunday that Blades was no longer with the team, confirmed by Mullen at his Monday press conference: “We dismissed him from our program. He’s no longer with the team. I met with him and dismissed him from the program yesterday.” INJURIES: Mullen expects cornerback Kaiir Elam, left tackle Richard Gouraige and running back Malik Davis to be back in uniform and ready to play Saturday in Baton Rouge. Elam has missed the last three games although he could have played against Vanderbilt Saturday. Gouraige and Davis missed the Vandy game. PAUL FINEBAUM SAYS … “Three weeks ago if we were talking about Alabama losing to Florida, I don’t think we could have honestly said that we were shocked. It would’ve been surprising, but losing at The Swamp to a team that we all thought was pretty good … but this is a different story and I give A&M the credit for but Alabama it’s now a matter of finding a way. Immediately the conversation will turn to Georgia, but I think that’s the wrong conversation. This Alabama team … they can’t play like that again.” Could it happen again? “It’s hard to find that club that’s capable of beating them, but I can assure you, there are teams that are playing better on a week-to-week basis on Alabama’s schedule than the way Texas A&M was playing after the Mississippi State game heading into the Alabama game.” OVER, UNDER, AROUND AND THROUGH THE SEC Alabama (5-1, 2-1 SEC): Asked why Alabama was throwing so much in the red zone instead of pounding Texas A&M with the run, Nick Saban replied, “I don’t know if we challenged them running it as much as maybe we could and you know that’s one of the things that I think we need to improve on.” Arkansas (4-2, 1-2 SEC): HBC Sam Pittman thought some of the injuries Ole Miss players went down with Saturday were suspicious and that rules for injury stoppage need to change. “I’m not saying that the guys weren’t hurt … that’s the first time that many injuries had happened in a game this year. Last year it happened to us a few times and we’ll address that. Again, I’m not saying they were hurt or weren’t hurt or whatever. It’s just [that] there were a whole bunch of them” … Starting right tackle Dalton Wagner (6-9, 336) will be out indefinitely after surgery on his hand. Auburn (4-2, 1-1 SEC): Auburn ranks dead last in the SEC and 123rd nationally in red zone defense, having allowed opponents to score 94.79% of the time (18-19). Georgia (6-0, 4-0 SEC): Kirby Smart offered an update on injured QB JT Daniels, who has been sidelined the last three games. “He is much improved,” Smart said Monday. In Daniels’ absence, Stetson Bennett IV has thrown for 746 yards and eight touchdowns. Kentucky (6-0, 4-0 SEC): Defensive tackle Octavious Oxendine (6-1, 318) is done for the year with a lower leg injury. Wide receiver Josh Ali (17-248, 1 TD) is doubtful for Saturday’s game with Georgia in Athens. LSU (3-3, 1-2 SEC): Kayshon Boutte (38-509 receiving for 9 TDs) is out for the rest of the season. Coach Oeaux said Monday that defensive end Ali Gaye (19 tackles, 2.5 sacks), defensive tackle Joseph Evans (8 tackles, 2 tackles for loss) and defensive back Major Burns (25 tackles, 1 interception) will all miss Saturday’s game with Florida. Mississippi State (3-2, 1-1 SEC): Asked if Mississippi State is going to relax a little bit when playing Alabama this week since Bama lost to the same Texas A&M team Mississippi State beat, Mike Leach responded, “If we relax against the University of Alabama then we are the stupidest team in college football. We may have some very good qualities and we may have some very positive things and stuff like that, but you have to really be a dumb team to relax if you’re playing Alabama or anybody.” Missouri (3-3, 0-2 SEC): Linebacker Chuck Hicks, who transferred to Mizzou from Wyoming back on August 23, has been declared immediately eligible by the NCAA. Ole Miss (4-1, 1-1 SEC): Lane Kiffin is hoping running back Jerrion Ealy is available for Saturday’s game with Tennessee in Knoxville. Ealy (40-201 rushing, 1 TD; 8-79 receiving) has been undergoing concussion protocol since early in the Rebels’ loss to Alabama. South Carolina (3-3, 0-3 SEC): The Gamecocks are 13th in the SEC and 109th nationally in total offense at 335.5 yards per game. Of their 15 touchdowns in six games, only nine have come against Division I teams. Tennessee (4-2, 2-1 SEC): Linebacker Juwan Mitchell, who transferred to Tennessee from Texas, will miss the rest of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery. Texas A&M (4-2, 1-2 SEC): Jimbo Fisher was named the Bobby Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week after the Aggies beat Alabama. COUNTDOWN TO FIRING DAY: WEEK FIVE Extinct Species List Les Miles, Kansas Randy Edsall, UConn Clay Helton, Southern Cal Chad Lunsford, Georgia Southern On Life Support Walt Bell, UMass: He did the unthinkable and won a game. Mind you, it was UConn, but a win is a win as they say. Tom Arth, Akron: He also did the unthinkable. He beat Bowling Green to avoid the dreaded oh-fer 2021. Ed Orgeron, LSU: Buzzards are circling in Baton Rouge. It seems a matter of when not if Coach Oeaux is invited to have his contract bought out. Butch Davis, Florida International: His only win in the last 11 games was this year against Long Island University. He’s 1-5 this year with the five losses by a combined 90 points. Folks are wondering why they’re paying him $1.5 million a year. Marcus Arroyo, UNLV: He went 0-6 last season and is 0-5 so far in 2021. Endangered Species List Scott Frost, Nebraska: The Fighting Frosts are 3-4 and could easily be 6-1 at this point but they seem snakebit when it comes to close games. The alums are starting to see the progress. Frost is no longer on life support but he needs to get the Huskers to a bowl game to ease the tensions. Scot Loeffler, Bowling Green: Yes, he’s beaten Minnesota this year but he lost to Akron. Akron! Nobody loses to Akron and remains confident that he will have a job next year. Dino Babers, Syracuse: He’s 3-3 and 16 points away from 6-0. He’s safe if he can just get to six wins. Chip Kelly, UCLA: UCLA is 4-2 and looking like an 8-4 or 9-3 team, which will probably enable Kelly to stay gainfully employed another year. Seth Littrell, North Texas: He’s lost four in a row and is heading for a third straight losing record. They’re wondering why they’re paying him $1.8 million. Phil Montgomery, Tulsa: The Phighting Phils are 2-4 this year. There are four winnable games remaining on the schedule. They need to win all four or else his seat will be toasty. Steve Addazio, Colorado State: The Lambs scared the bejabbers out of Iowa and then had the audacity to win a Mountain West game over last year’s league champ San Jose State. The schedule is conducive to six wins and a bowl. Justin Wilcox, California: The Bears are 1-4 with three of the losses by a combined 14 points. He needs to start winning some of the close ones because he’s heading for a second straight losing season. Manny Diaz, Miami: This was supposed to be Miami’s year. Now the Hurricanes are in trouble and D’Eriq King is done for the year. Manny needs to win five of the last seven to breathe easily. Jeff Scott, South Florida: Tulsa comes to Tampa this weekend. It might be the only chance the Bulls have to win a game the rest of the season. Checking for a pulse Ken Niumatolo, Navy: In the last two weeks he’s beaten UCF and nearly handed SMU its first loss. He’s two years removed from an 11-win season, so put him on the safe for now list but that could change. Thomas Hammock, Northern Illinois: Since losing by 53 to Michigan the Huskies have won three in a row. Win their next two (Bowling Green, Central Michigan) and they’re bowl eligible, which will make folks forget last year’s oh-fer. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Greg Sankey probably giggles in his sleep. Here we are halfway through the 2021 college football season and the Pac-12 and ACC have practically been eliminated from playoff contention, the Big 12 has train wreck written all over it and does anyone really think Cincinnati can go 13-0? Okay, maybe they will, but if they don’t and the Big 12 implodes, we could wind up with two teams from the SEC and two from the Big Ten. If that happens, watch how quickly “The Alliance” dissolves and you have the Pac-12, ACC and Big 12 begging for the playoff to expand to 12 teams.

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: HALFWAY THROUGH THE SEASON IT’S A MIXED BAG FOR THE GATORS Now that we have reached the halfway point of the 2021 football season, we can safely draw this conclusion about the Florida Gators: They will drive you absolutely crazy with their inconsistency. As they proved for three quarters in their matchup with then No. 1 Alabama, the Gators (4-2, 2-2 SEC) are more than capable of going toe-to-toe with Nick Saban’s collection of future NFL talent and even physically dominating them for 40-45 minutes. Of course, the game is played in four 15-minute increments and that first 15 was an absolute killer. Then there was the Tennessee game, another one in which the Gators were physically the dominant team for three quarters. Fortunately, the Gators didn’t fall 18 points behind to Tennessee in the first quarter as they did to Alabama. Against Kentucky, the Gators held those same Wildcats who systematically destroyed LSU to 247 yards. The defense really gave up one touchdown. Special teams gave up one and the other was a gift thanks to an interception that forced the Gators to defend a short field. The offense let the Gators down with eight false starts, two holding penalties, the interception and numerous wasted opportunities to put points on the scoreboard. The Gators took out Vanderbilt 42-0 over the weekend, a game that proved a blowout isn’t always a blowout. Just because it was a 42-point final margin doesn’t mean the Gators played a consistently good football game. If they had, they would have won the game by a minimum of three or four more touchdowns. We’ve seen enough to know the Gators can play with just about anyone when they are playing well and when they’re healthy. So far, they haven’t played well for an entire game in all three phases. Something has always been missing, and they haven’t had a full contingent of healthy players. Would Ventrell Miller have made a difference against Alabama? How about Kaiir Elam against Kentucky? The answer to both questions is quite possibly. Even with all the inconsistencies and injuries, the Gators can look back at the first half of the season and realize two plays against Alabama and two against Kentucky and they would be 6-0 right now, ranked in the top four nationally, and wouldn’t be sweating a road trip to Baton Rouge to play an LSU team that is even more bafflingly inconsistent than the Gators. Saturday in Baton Rouge would be an excellent time for UF to somehow put it all together and play a complete game. It’s a pleasant thought and certainly do-able. I expect the Gators to win, but I’m not holding my breath waiting for consistency. The Coaches Top 25 poll: 1. Georgia 6-0; 2. Iowa 6-0; 3. Oklahoma 6-0; 4. Cincinnati 5-0; 5. Alabama 5-1; 6. Ohio State 5-1; 7. Michigan 6-0; 8. Penn State 5-1; 9. Michigan State 6-0; 10. Oregon 4-1; 11. Kentucky 6-0; 12. Oklahoma State 5-0; 13. Notre Dame 5-1; 14. Ole Miss 4-1; 15. Coastal Carolina 6-0; 16. Wake Forest 6-0; 17. FLORIDA 4-2; 18. Texas A&M 4-2; 19. Arkansas 4-2; 20. BYU 5-1; 21. North Carolina State 4-1; 22. Arizona State 5-1; 23. SMU 6-0; San Diego State 5-0; 25. Clemson 3-2 The Associated Press Top 25 poll: 1. Georgia 6-0; 2. Iowa 6-0; 3. Cincinnati 5-0; 4. Oklahoma 6-0; 5. Alabama 5-1; 6. Ohio State 5-1; 7. Penn State 5-1; 8. Michigan 6-0; 9. Oregon 4-1; 10. Michigan State 6-0; 11. Kentucky 6-0; 12. Oklahoma State 5-0; 13. Ole Miss 4-1; 14. Notre Dame 5-1; 15. Coastal Carolina 6-0; 16. Wake Forest 6-0; 17. Arkansas 4-2; 18. Arizona State 5-1; 19. BYU 5-1; 20. FLORIDA 4-2; 21. Texas A&M 4-2; 22. North Carolina State 4-1; 23. SMU 6-0; 24. San Diego State 5-0; 25. Texas 4-2 THE SEC AFTER SIX WEEKS Alabama (5-1, 2-1 SEC): Alabama’s 19-game winning streak came to an end in College Station with a 41-38 loss to Texas A&M. Paul Finebaum said about Pete Golding, “And the defensive coordinator … I don’t know what is buyout is this morning.” Meanwhile, fans and media alike are questioning the play calling of offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, who called three straight passes after second-and-goal from the Aggie three. Next week: at Mississippi State (3-2, 1-1 SEC) Arkansas (4-2, 1-2 SEC): Give Sam Pittman credit for going for the win instead of playing for overtime. Even though Arkansas didn’t make the two-point conversion that would have beaten Ole Miss, Pittman showing that kind of faith in his team will resonate positively long past this one loss … KJ Jefferson threw for 326 yards and three TDs, ran for 85 more and three more scores. Next week: Auburn (4-2, 1-1 SEC) Auburn (4-2, 1-1 SEC): Auburn’s offensive line couldn’t protect Bo Nix, who was sacked four times and harassed into numerous bad throws, nor could it give Tank Bigsby any running room. Bigsby gained just 28 yards on 10 carries. Next week: at Arkansas (4-2, 1-2 SEC) Georgia (6-0, 4-0 SEC): The last time Georgia was ranked No. 1 was January 1, 1983 when the Bulldogs lost to Penn State, 27-23, in the Sugar Bowl. That was Herschel Walker’s Heisman Trophy season … In the win over Auburn, Stetson Bennett IV played a near flawless game, throwing for 231 yards and two TDs while adding another 41 yards on the ground. Next week: Kentucky (6-0, 4-0 SEC) Kentucky (6-0, 4-0 SEC): Will Levis had his best game as a Wildcat, throwing for three touchdowns and running for two to lead the Wildcats to a decisive win over LSU. The Wildcats ran for 329 yards with Chris Rodriguez picking up 147 and Kavosiey Smoke 104. Next week: at Georgia (6-0, 4-0 SEC) LSU (3-3, 1-2 SEC): Since going 15-0 and winning the national championship in 2019, LSU is 8-8. The Tigers have lost two in a row with Florida, at Ole Miss and at Alabama next … Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, LSU’s most dangerous offensive threat with 38 catches for 508 yards and nine touchdowns, left the field in Lexington on the cart after suffering a leg injury. Next week: vs. FLORIDA (4-2, 2-2 SEC) Mississippi State (3-2, 1-1 SEC): The Bulldogs have to feel a certain amount of confidence with Alabama coming to Starkville Saturday. After all, they beat Texas A&M in College Station and Alabama went there and lost. Next week: Alabama Missouri (3-3, 0-2 SEC): In Mizzou’s 48-35 win over North Texas, Tyler Badie had a career day with 217 rushing yards for two touchdowns … Missouri won the game but the defense gave up 305 passing yards and 188 on the ground. Next week: Texas A&M Ole Miss (4-1, 1-1 SEC): Lost in the exciting finish of the Rebels’ 52-51 win over Arkansas in which Matt Corral threw for 287 yards and two TDs while running for 94 and two more is this stunner: The Ole Miss defense gave up 676 yards (326 passing, 350 rushing) to the Razorbacks. Next week: at Tennessee (4-2, 2-1 SEC) South Carolina (3-3, 0-3 SEC): HBC Shane Beamer is getting roasted for a trick play call on a 2nd-and-goal at the Tennessee two when the Gamecocks were trailing 14-0 in the first quarter. Edge rusher Jordan Burch (6-6, 280) lined up at tailback, took a pitchout from Luke Doty and then threw an interception in the end zone. Next week: Vanderbilt (2-4, 0-2 SEC) Tennessee (4-2, 2-1 SEC): Hendon Hooker lit up South Carolina for 225 passing yards for three touchdowns while running for 66 and one more TD … The Vols got to South Carolina quarterbacks for four sacks. Next week: Ole Miss (4-1, 1-1 SEC) Texas A&M (4-2, 1-2 SEC): At some point you had to know that a former Nick Saban assistant would finally beat the old boss. Jimbo became the first, but it makes you wonder how could he beat Alabama and lose to both Arkansas and Mississippi State? Next week: at Missouri (3-3, 0-2 SEC) Vanderbilt (2-4, 0-2 SEC): Vandy ranks dead last in the SEC and 121st nationally in total offense (310.7 yards per game). The Commodores are next to last in the SEC and 113th nationally in total defense (451.5 yards per game). Next week: at South Carolina (3-3, 0-3 SEC) FOOTBALL IN THE MINOR LEAGUES ACC: Wake Forest (6-0) is the only unbeaten team in the league and its highest ranked team (16th) after squeaking past Syracuse 40-37 in overtime … North Carolina State (4-1) is the only other ACC team in the AP top 25 (21st in the Coaches) while Clemson (3-2) clings to No. 25 in the Coaches … Preseason top 10 North Carolina (3-3) took it on the chin to Florida State (2-4), after which UNC coach Mack Brown said, “So I guess we should all be critical of the media for picking us too high because we’re not that good. So you guys all screwed it up.” Big Ten: There are three unbeatens and two 1-loss teams from the Big Ten in the top 10. No. 2 Iowa (6-0), No. 8 Michigan (6-0) and No. 10 Michigan State are the unbeatens while No. 6 Ohio State (5-1) and No. 7 Penn State (5-1) are the one-loss teams. Iowa doesn’t have another ranked team on the schedule so the Hawkeyes are almost mortal locks to make the Big Ten Championship Game. The other four are in the East and have to play each other in the second half of the season … Iowa leads the nation with 16 interceptions and 20 forced turnovers … Ohio State QB CJ Stroud has back-to-back games with five touchdown passes. Big 12: There are two remaining unbeatens in the Big 12, No. 4 Oklahoma (6-0) and No. 12 Oklahoma State (5-0). They don’t play until November 27 … Two months ago Spencer Rattler was everybody’s pick to win the Heisman. Now he’s everybody’s pick to hit the transfer portal after he was benched in the second quarter Saturday when Oklahoma was getting killed by Texas 28-7. His replacement, freshman Caleb Williams, proceeded to lead the Sooners to eight straight scores and a remarkable 55-48 win. Pac-12: No. 9 Oregon (4-1) and No. 18 Arizona State (5-1) are the only teams in the Pac-12 with fewer than two losses. It might take something miraculous for a Pac-12 team to make the College Football Playoff. Group of Five: About the only thing standing in the way for an unbeaten regular season for No. 3 Cincinnati (5-0) is a November 20 date with No. 23 SMU (6-0). With Alabama’s loss to Texas A&M, Cincinnati is in good shape to become first Group of Five team to crash the College Football Party … San Diego State (5-0) has to be wondering when it’s going to start feeling some love. The Aztecs are the only unbeaten in the Mountain West. They’ve got a tough game this week with Air Force (5-1), which handed Wyoming (4-1) its first loss … No. 15 Coastal Carolina (6-0) puts its unbeaten record on the line October 20 (next Tuesday right) at Appalachian State (4-1). Coastal’s Grayson McCall is averaging a ridiculous 13.6 yards per pass attempt and has 14 TDPs against a single interception … UT-San Antonio (6-0) is the lone unbeaten in Conference USA. Independents: Notre Dame (5-1) has only one loss but does anyone believe the Irish can make the playoff? … BYU (5-1) got exposed by Boise State (3-3). ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: How soon they forget in Baton Rouge. Two years ago, Ed Orgeron could have run for governor in Louisiana after he led LSU to a magical 15-0 national championship season. The folks in Louisiana still love Coach Oeaux. They always will. They just don’t want him to be their football coach anymore. Unless he does the unthinkable such as go on a serious winning streak he will be fired by an athletic director who doesn’t trust him to regain the magic. The dilemma for AD Scott Woodward is when to pull the plug. Now would seem to be the right time except who on this coaching staff is capable of being the interim? The biggest reason Coach Oeaux is in the mess he’s in is because he’s hired bad assistants to replace the ones who left after the national championship season. Not everyone is Nick Saban, who seems to replace at least half his staff every year. Coaches come, coaches go at Alabama. The results stay the same. Not so at LSU, which is why Coach Oeaux won’t be head coach much longer.

Dan Mullen didn’t like what he was seeing. Nor should he have. His players are running out of time to adjust to the learning curve. We are at the halfway point this season. It was time for an intensity adjustment. Ah, October football. Here on Spectacular Saturday, while the Gators were fulfilling a homecoming playdate with the perennial SEC doormat Vanderbilt, around the country there was fearless balling going on. Some huge trees fell. Even if they may have fallen in the forest, everybody heard them – especially in Texas – with the shuffling of the college football landscape. In Gainesville there seemed to be a new sense of urgency. Dan Mullen, criticized by some last week for not appearing engaged enough in his sideline demeanor during the loss to Kentucky, was highly animated and seemed to manufacture some badly needed fire. That’s not easy when you’re a 39-point favorite. He was engaged and enraged, stomping around the sidelines, getting chippy with officials, yelling at an assistant coach or two, personally expressing dissatisfaction at a wide receiver for going east and west instead of north and south. In general, being a grouchy coach. He was hot at halftime. Call him Coach Grumpy. There was Mullen’s mea culpa for perhaps being dismissive to the TV reporter, sort of semi-apologizing and half-kiddingly saying: "I probably used some more words in the locker room, maybe. I mean, hey, I didn't mean it, I wasn't trying to be short with the reporter. She asked a question, I gave an answer. It wasn't her. She wasn't on the field doing it. But for the players I thought the first half, I thought there was things we did well, things you did poorly. But overall it's to me and that's on the coaching staff, of us, of making sure that we have crossed every T, dotted every I, that our execution is exact, it's not just, hey, looking at things as a whole but looking at it individually on every snap of the game.” Lemme stop right here and say that while maybe some of the message board dimwits and media flame-throwers might disagree, this is the Dan Mullen that needs to be present and at the helm of the Florida Gators as they re-tee it in SEC Play in Baton Rouge. Coach Grumpy. It’s not the usually fierce Tigers, playing a noon game in what they call Death Valley, with Ed Orgeron barely hanging on to his job. No matter what denials may be issued, these next two games over three weeks will define the Gators season. LSU is owed one after the way the Tigers embarrassed the Gators in LSUGate last season, starting the three-game side by Florida. The Gators need that Grumpy version of Dan to show up. The guy who delivered the wakeup call at halftime Saturday after his defense stunk up the joint and his offense sleep-walked through the first half with almost-undeserved 21-0 halftime lead over Vandy. Dan Mullen didn’t like what he was seeing. Nor should he have. His players are running out of time to adjust to the learning curve. We are at the halfway point this season. It was time for an intensity adjustment. “Are we playing at the level we need to play at with the intensity we need to play at?” Mullen said he asked. “I don't know that we did that for the first half as a whole. There's things I can circle in the first half that were great. And there's things I can circle in the first half that just were not up to our standard. And our job as coaches is to make sure we are up to our standard on every snap." One of the defensive players said Coach Grumpy reminded the team that the first half vs. Vandy wasn’t acceptable “and playing defense that way was not our brand.” Except for two missed goals and had a touchdown called back, Vandy would have been in a one-score game after the second quarter. Sometimes players don’t listen. Fans don’t listen. The media doesn’t listen. Mullen has been trying to tell us for weeks that Emory Jones is – and should be – the starting quarterback because Anthony Richardson isn’t ready. Yeah, but what about that leap over the would-be tackler? The 80-yard touchdown run? The across-the-body dart he completed vs. South Florida? What about those? Well, there are things like knowing how to set protection, how to check down, how to get in and out of the right play – all the nuances of playing quarterback. A four-year guy knows that stuff. Frankly we expected to see more snaps for AR#15. Clearly he wasn’t ready, for whatever reason. And Jones was on a bit of a roll, as he stepped up to click off two of his four touchdown passes – the first to Dameon Pierce for a 61-yard score, the other a 25-yard touchdown to Jacob Copeland. "Well I think all quarterbacks have a learning curve,” Mullen explained. “That's why there's development that goes into it. I do think Anthony works his tail off, has a great approach in what he's doing. Great approach getting ready at practice. I see him improving. The nice thing, we're throwing him in, he's getting some opportunities during a game to go show what he can do and he's got to continue to improve." I have no doubt that Richardson is going to show up in a big way somewhere in the near future to make a big play in a big game. We’ll just have to learn to trust the instincts of Mullen. The good news is that as the 2021 season unravels, Florida is not out of this thing. Don’t ask me how, or what scenario must take place for the Gators to make Atlanta. But as I watched Spectacular Saturday unfold, it looked like the beginning of Moving Month. You could feel the heat of a late summer, just as you could pressure, which could also be seen on the faces of coaches and players. Oklahoma with a 21-point comeback win over Texas after benching its Heisman-hyped quarterback, only to bring Spencer Rattler back for the winning two-point play. A field goal victory for Michigan over struggling Nebraska. Arkansas and Ole Miss in a dogfight, won by the Rebels on a missed two-point PAT. And of course, Alabama is down, even if not necessarily for the count.

Dan Mullen’s halftime interview was four words. And they said everything. What would his message be to his struggling quarterbacks, Emory Jones and Anthony Richardson? “Yeah, play better.” What was his assessment of his defense, that needed to be bailed out on an overturned touchdown call to hold on to their shutout against the worst team in the league? “Awful.” He said a bit more to his team at halftime. The No. 20 Florida Gators (3-2, 2-2) were leading 21-0 at that point, and would end up defeating the Vanderbilt Commodores (2-4, 0-2) 42-0. But barring a loss, this game wasn’t about winning or losing. It was about proving this team could still be a contender…albeit one that would now need some help. In other words, this was a “get-right game” for the Gators. A chance to catch their breath and reset ahead of the second-third of the season. They did that, defeating the Vanderbilt Commodores on Homecoming day, 42-0. “I love our team. I love the attitude of our team,” said Head Coach Dan Mullen after the win. “We’ve got to do a better job coaching some things up, get it cleaned up and make sure the exactness of what we want is being executed on gameday, but team certainly great attitude all week and I love the guys in that locker room and their mindset. It's our job as coaches to kind of make sure that the intensity level every snap of the game is where it needs to be at.” After falling 20-13 to the No. 16 Kentucky Wildcats, the Gators saw the vast majority of their season hopes vanish into the Lexington night. All they can do now—and please pardon the cliche—is control what they can control and pray for some chaos elsewhere in college football. Controlling what they can control started on Saturday, with a homecoming aura hanging in the air. As eight Gator Nation Olympic medalists got things started, all acting as the honorary Mr. Two-Bits, the standard was set for excellence. Unfortunately, the message got lost in the mail on the way to the Gators football team and didn’t arrive until post intermission, via Mullen’s halftime message. The first half was clunky at times, punctuated by penalties for the second week in a row. Five for 55 yards in the first half alone, as first down runs were wiped away, fresh sets of downs were awarded to the Commodores and STAR Tre’Vez Johnson was ejected for targeting. Granted, the Gators scored on their first two offensive drives. The first touchdown was a 1-yard rush by Dameon Pierce, after a 32-yard pass to Trent Whittemore and 34-yard explosive run by Nay’Quan Wright ate up yardage. The duo would come up huge yet again just before halftime. Following a 5-yard touchdown pass from Emory Jones (14-22, 273 passing yards, four touchdowns; five rushes for 40 yards) to Ja’Quavion Fraziars that sent the Gators up 14-0, Florida stalled on their next three drives. An interception from Anthony Richardson ended one before it began. Mullen, a big believer in letting quarterbacks bounce back from mistakes, had Richardson lead the next drive as well, but the aforementioned penalties stalled it quickly. After the Gators shutout received a gift courtesy of a Dores doink, defensive lineman Daquan Newkirk intercepted Vanderbilt quarterback Ken Seals. It took two plays to bookend the drive and bookend the half, with Wright and Whittemore. A catch-and-go to Wright went 51 yards then a contested catch in the corner of the endzone from Whittemore put Florida up 21-0. "He's a guy, to me, he's always reliable,” bragged Jones of Whittemore. "He’s always going to be in the spot I expect him to be in. He does everything right. He's a very smart guy, has a very good IQ of football. I mean he just does everything right and he's always in the right position, does everything, he reads the defense and just does what he's supposed to do. He's just a reliable guy for me." Then came an extension of the “awful” defensive play Mullen lamented. A 14-play drive that included four first downs put the Dores in the redzone. It was enough for the camera’s to catch Mullen laying into defensive coordinator Todd Grantham on the sidelines. From first-and-goal on the 1-yard line, the defense actually held up the Dores three times. Then on fourth-and-goal, a pass to a streaking Chris Pierce looked to be good for a touchdown. After review, it was overturned. Freshman corner Jason Marshall Jr. had knocked Pierce and the ball bobbled when hitting the ground. Still, it was a fortuitous call for a defense that had given up 73-yards on the drive and 200 yards total in the first half. “They played 50 snaps, gave up over 200 yards of offense, couldn’t get off the field. They were on the field the entire half with the exception of our first, I think, two drives were three and outs…Missed tackles. Giving up third-down conversions.” The Gators were bailed out by Vanderbilt’s deficiencies more than once: an on the money pass that was incomplete because the receiver’s knee was down, badly thrown passes, three missed field goals. But when playing an overmatched team, it’s not so much about what they do or don’t do, it’s about what you’re doing to work on yourself. So at halftime, that’s what Mullen challenged the Gators to do. “Coach Mullen came to us at halftime in the locker room and just told us that, the first half, even though they didn’t score any points, it wasn’t our brand of ball,” shared safety Rashad Torrence (game high 15 tackles). “And just as a defense, we took that to heart. It was kind of like a jab, ‘cause it was kind of disrespectful. We went out in the second half and just played to our brand of ball, and you all saw that.” Added Jones, “To me basically just I had a couple plays that I had a mental error on and probably threw to the wrong guy. Yeah, he got on me about those plays. I mean I moved on from it, I learned from the mistakes. For him he just wanted me to come back out and execute and just move the offense.” It’s also what he challenged the coaches to do. “That's on the coaching staff, of us, of making sure that we have crossed every T, dotted every I, that our execution is exact, it's not just, hey, looking at things as a whole but looking at it individually on every snap of the game. Are we playing at the level we need to play at with the intensity we need to play at? “I don't know that we did that for the first half as a whole. There's things I can circle in the first half that were great. And there's things I can circle in the first half that just were not up to our standard. And our job as coaches is to make sure we are up to our standard on every snap.” So on the opening drive of the second half, the coaches dialed up the intensity with a fake punt, deep in their own territory. It worked, as Jeremey Crawshaw scooted for a 28-yard gain. “I thought he was going to score, actually,” laughed Wright. “Honestly, I didn’t know he was that fast. He showed me something. I didn’t know he was that fast. We gotta put him on offense, maybe throw him at receiver or something. We don’t know.” Then Emory Jones sent a dump over the middle to Dameon Pierce. The senior running back turned up field and scored on the 61-yard touchdown. “He’s a pretty short, powerful guy,” described Mullen. “So he ends up being in there a lot in those situations. He’s a strong, very strong physical runner, low center of gravity with power running the ball between the tackle. He gets the opportunity sometimes to go get those carries. He’s done a great job of punching them in the end zone.” After Trey Dean (seven tackles, one interception) forced a three-and-out thanks to a textbook pass break-up, Emory Jones and Jacob Copeland used two plays to move 72-yards for another score. Said Jones of the drive, “That was definitely something that [Copeland] needed. It was definitely exciting for me. That’s my guy. I always want to give him the ball. But I mean, seeing that actually play out and happen. Him going out and making plays and having fun it’s always best for me because that’s been my guy since I first got here. Even before I got here. We were going through the recruiting process. I mean, just seeing him go out there making plays is always exciting for me.” On the ensuing drive, Trey Dean intercepted Seals for his second turnover of the game. Vanderbilt would have four more drives on the day. In total, the Dores were held to 87 yards in the second half (a 113 yard differential from the first half) and 34 of those yards came on the final drive against backups in garbage time. “In the second half, I saw us go back to where we were kind of those first two drives at the start to the second half where we completely slammed the door on them and played with an intensity,” said Mullen. “It’s not like hey let them drive the length of the field. You look at the first half, defensively, they missed a couple field goals and they had kind of a drop on an overturned play in the end zone. So in the second half, we made sure they didn’t have those opportunities.” After Dean’s interception, Florida’s offense has a short field in which to work, and did so in a flash, as Pierce capped the quick change with a 1-yard touchdown, his seventh rushing touchdown this season (currently second in the SEC), eighth touchdown total. In seven game minutes, the offense scored as many points as they did in the entire first half. They would’t score again, as Anthony Richardson, Lorenzo Wingard and Demarcus Bowman got all of the snaps in the fourth quarter. It was the first time Richardson has looked mortal, and Jones made sure to visit him after the game. "I walked into the locker room, I saw he was, well I just, I know him so well so I can tell if he's feeling some type of way,” explained Jones. “I just went up and hugged him and grabbed him, I told him, 'Everything is OK. You still learning, you still getting those reps and you still just gaining experience.' I told him I went through the same things for three years and I know how hard it is. “I mean basically I just told him, 'Just keep going, keep doing what you're supposed to do, whether you know it or not even as a backup quarterback the guys in the whole locker room still hold you up to a certain standard and still look at you a certain type of way.' So I just told him to make sure he's always being positive and looking positive around everybody and making sure he just keeps doing everything right and it's all going to work out for that guy." Now, the Gators will hit the road and face their permanent crossover, the LSU Tigers. The goal? Don’t be awful. Play better. For now, it’s all they can control.