What does this Gator Championship really mean?
Florida Gators 41-Ohio State Buckeyes 14
41-14! You gotta be kidding me!
Show me a person who says they thought this victory would be lopsided in Florida’s favor and i’ll show you a liar. A charlatan, a con artist, a jive Turkey, and any other name that fits. Let’s face it, only those who live in the Sunshine State or those who follow closely had a true understanding of the advantages and matchup problems Urban Meyer and his team would present for Ohio State, but no one predicted this! As the final seconds ticked away in Monday nights championship game, I found myself thinking about a couple of friends I have that deserved to be congratulated for their unwavering team pride throughtout the time I’ve known both of them. A Gator win here or there never waivered their honesty about how the team really performs, in their opinions. To that end, I must thank Kevin Jackson and Curtis Cumberbatch for being true Florida Gator fans. The other thought that flooded my mind was whether Kevin and/or Curtis would be willing to admit that this Gator victory does more for College Football around the State of Florida, than it does for the Florida Gators themselves. If I know these guys, they’ll be seeking some explanation on this one. Allow the BIG MAN to explain!
” I ignored the critics and continued working hard with the rest of my teammates “
There is no secret anymore that the State of Florida’s football talent has been as rich and steady as the Alaska oil pipeline. Yes! The secret came out in the 1980’s when an NFL Assistant Coach decided to take over a struggling college program, we’ve come to know as the Miami Hurricanes. Howard Snellenberger decided he would make this school, as he put it, “the USC of the south”, by drawing a line just above Palm Beach County and holding hostage the then Untapped Highschool talent in the southern part of the state. This move was truly like striking oil in a Texas Desert. Eventually, Bobby Bowden ( Florida State Head coach) and Steve Spurrier ( Florida Gator head coach 1991-2000) were able to gain access to more of this talent from around the state, which culminated into 5 national titles for the Hurricanes, 2 for the Seminoles, and now a second title for the Gators. To put any disputes to early rest, no other state in our great Nation can lay claim to 9 national titles in the last 44 years. What’s even more impressive about this is that the state of Florida didn’t begin winning championships until 24 years ago (1983). In the last 24 years a Florida school has played for the National Title 18 times, leaving only’ 85, ‘90′ ,’97, 2003, 2004, and 2005 without participation. Out of state programs such as Rutgers, West Virginia, Louisville, and Wake Forest have built recent success in their programs by performing a straight up ” Gang Bang ” on the Florida talent pool. Coupled with the fact that two decades of draft day success has left Florida’s talent pool a little light in the posterior. While a disproportionate number of kids from Florida State, Miami and Univ. of Florida enter the draft early, kids from the aforementioned out of state schools generally remain in college four and five years, exhausting their alloted eligibility. It is this phenomenon that produces a Wake Forest, coming out of nowhere to win the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2006. This is why a Rutgers Team from Piscataway, NJ can have its best season since 1976 and go 12-1 on the year.
Now, for those of you who are saying, “C’mon BIG MAN, get to the point”, I’ll do just that!! Now that the Florida Gators have won the National Championship, it will do wonders for recruiting, but not in the way Florida may be thinking. Grab hold to this! including this past season, Florida has won its two titles when one or both of the other major programs in the state have tapered off. Case in point, in 1996 Miami was on probation, and we know about the “Joker” that was Larry Coker and the mess he made this year in Coral Gables. Neverthless, The Gators recent success will energize the recruiting of Florida State, Miami, and University of South Florida. This only spells doom to Florida’s National Title chances in future years. In a already tough SEC conference, there is always pressure to play Florida State and Miami every year. Soon, USF will be added to the schedule. If we learned anything from the Bull Crap System rankings this year, it’s that someone doesn’t like Florida schools after it tried everything in its power to keep the Gators out of the National Title game. Thank heavens for UCLA!! I personally know athletes who have junked their dream to play at one powerhouse simply because they were sold on the idea of having a better chance to be in the starting lineup at the rival school in the state. Once the Gators become maxed out on scholarships in certain positions, other players will look to FSU, USF, and Miami for opportunities, and payback for not being recruited by their first choice. Believe me, It happens more than you know! These factors will prove to be too difficult for the Gators to overcome, in my humble opinion.
While the Gators will continue to be successful, I am not sure another National Title awaits the program in the near future. The way The Big Man sees it, this Gator acomplishment will make the entire state dominant again, but at the recruiting expense of our prevailing national champions. Since it will be a couple of years before we are able to quantify my last point into victories on the field, for now we must be content with the most current Championship. Congratulations Mighty Gators!!!!
-This is How the BIG MAN sees it
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