After Sugar and you're doubting your Gators

[gatorich]

Nobody is saying the game didn't matter or that it was meaningless. Nobody wanted our Gators to go out and play like that. All that is being said is what was their motivation going into that game compared to Louisville's? How much would winning that game really matter in the long term? No doubt it was very disappointing but for me, it doesn't take away from the regular season at all. This team has had it's weaknesses all year but has been able to overcome them for the most part. Just about everything that could go wrong in that game, went wrong. It happens sometimes. It's was one of those games that if it happened during the regular season, you just forget about and move on to the next game. The problem is, there is no next game.

[UFreak]

Originally Posted by gatorich

Nobody is saying the game didn't matter or that it was meaningless. Nobody wanted our Gators to go out and play like that. All that is being said is what was their motivation going into that game compared to Louisville's? How much would winning that game really matter in the long term? No doubt it was very disappointing but for me, it doesn't take away from the regular season at all. This team has had it's weaknesses all year but has been able to overcome them for the most part. Just about everything that could go wrong in that game, went wrong. It happens sometimes. It's was one of those games that if it happened during the regular season, you just forget about and move on to the next game. The problem is, there is no next game.

I can get down with your sentiment, I think. There were, however, a number of people who stated the loss was meaningless. And that's ridiculous, unless they mean it from like an existential philosophical standpoint???
The thing is, we missed out in front of a prime time audience when we were the only game on TV. And we missed out on a top 3, 1-loss season. Those are very hard to come by. I would have liked to seen this team pull it off.

[gatorich]

Originally Posted by UFreak

I can get down with your sentiment, I think. There were, however, a number of people who stated the loss was meaningless. And that's ridiculous, unless they mean it from like an existential philosophical standpoint???
The thing is, we missed out in front of a prime time audience when we were the only game on TV. And we missed out on a top 3, 1-loss season. Those are very hard to come by. I would have liked to seen this team pull it off.

I don't think anybody would disagree with this.

[luciaboy]

saying it doesn't matter is a losers mentality. playing in a bcs game is the goal of every team.

[ovillegator]

Originally Posted by gatorich

I don't think anybody would disagree with this.

There are plenty of 'what ifs' we could deal with. Shoot, we were a few yards from possibly tying and beating UGA -- THAT was the season's biggest disappointment. Sure, you want to win this game, but I think most of us knew we were not the best team in the nation, and we came close to losing to some teams far below Louisville.

I get the point that most Gators, me included, don't see the Sugar Bowl as a meaningless game. But if we had lost one of those other games earlier in the season ( which we easily could have were it not for superhuman efforts by our team to come back) we would never have been in the Sugar Bowl. So of all the games this season, this one didn't hurt as bad losing.

Especially knowing we have an awesome recruiting class coming in, stronger QBs, OL, etc.

Makes it easier to deal with this one and move on.

[Tebowism0823]

Originally Posted by WarDamnGator

Yeah, how about recruiting? ... I really like this incoming class. Some people here seem extremely worried about something, though. Is there something specific I should be concerned about here? … or should I just worry about general worst case scenarios that I have no control over until the esophagus spasms take over my body and force me to check into a hospital?

No, if that was the case we'd have to change your name to Urban

BUT

To make a comment saying a game doesn't effect recruiting is a crazy.

[WarDamnGator]

Originally Posted by Tebowism0823

To make a comment saying a game doesn't effect recruiting is a crazy.

I'm sure some recruits just saw a team that they come to and push for playing time as a freshman. But, in the end, I think our 11 wins has more impact on recruiting than our two losses. And if some recruit bails ... F-em ... I want guys that want to be Gators.

[SkyChimp]

Originally Posted by jagervol01

I am kind of surprised at the perspective on here. It seems like the consensus is if you're not playing for a national championship you guys really don't care about the outcome of the bowl game anymore. Will this be true in years you don't make the playoff? That's a spoiled outlook isn't it?

I agree. Even with no title on the line, it speaks volume of your drive and character to play your @ss off in the bowl game so you dont have the appearance like your spoiled or giving up.

[fox]

Ask yourself if you're upset because you know how bad our players and coaches feel, and how much they would have liked to play better, or if you feel less manly because of what some jerk fan from another program says.

Are you the least bit happy for Strong?

Every bowl game matters to the teams playing in it. It was huge for UL. Strong will be able to pull a few more guys from our state.

No one in their right mind can question the direction of our program and have anything but optimism for the future.

The loss gives coaches, especially Dillman, a huge lever for the off season.

Muschamp has now nearly completed his on-the-job HC training. The only thing left is how to handle success after the first championship.

[SkyChimp]

We have always had 5 big teams in the SEC. Florida, Bama, South Carolina, LSU, and Georgia. With our two additions I see that Missouri still has yet to prove they are SEC material but TAMU clearly took their rookie season in the SEC and laid down the law being demonstrative that they belong. With that said, our Sh*ty performance in the Big Easy better wake up our program. I have faith in Muschamp that he will hold the players' feet to the fire. We are the Gators and you have to be the best of the best to play on our team. Muschamp said Florida is about championships and he was speaking of the program and directors. However Muschamp himself is ALSO about championships and I think we are going to see him show up to a gun fight in 2013 with a Tomahawk cruise missile.

[NJG8tor]

Originally Posted by Big Ed Gator

It doesn't affect recruiting at all and that is what matters.

Clemson getting mauled 70-33 didn't matter 1 bit all. They got many more times the ridicule we're getting from losing by 10 to Louisville and they STILL had an impressive recruiting class.

To some it up, I'm over it. As that meme goes, "not a single f*&k is given this day" over the loss.

Dont we recruit players in order to win football games?

[rpmGator]

Charlie Strong should have been our coach in waiting...

[NJG8tor]

Originally Posted by WarDamnGator

I'm sure some recruits just saw a team that they come to and push for playing time as a freshman. But, in the end, I think our 11 wins has more impact on recruiting than our two losses. And if some recruit bails ... F-em ... I want guys that want to be Gators.

Ive never seen any good evidence that winning or losing a particular game has any demonstrable impact on recruiting. Even when it is between rivals like Florida/FSU; Texas/Oklahoma; UF/UGA, ect. I dont think this particular bowl game will affect recruiting at all, except maybe help Louisville get a player or two who likely wasnt offered by Florida.

That said, we recruit players so we can win big games; we dont play the games so we can win on recruiting day. If Florida/Louisville wasnt a big game before, it is now that they whooped us. Losing happens. We'll move on and hopefully have a good 2013. But it just makes us look like sore losers when posters try to diminish the game's importance.

[WarDamnGator]

That was my exact point. Losing a bowl game has little to no negative impact on recruiting, and I could make the counter argument that it helps in some cases. I'm not the one claiming that recruiting will be harmed by the loss, so why direct your post at me?

And, If the game was so important, then why all the empty seats? If it was such an important game, fans would have gone to see it. I'm really not buying the argument that the game was only important because we lost.

[GatorLaw]

Originally Posted by rpmGator

Charlie Strong should have been our coach in waiting...

I think the Sugar Bowl meant nothing in terms of who our coach should be. But if it meant anything it meant that Charlie Strong isn't a real good HC. Why? Because Louisville clearly possesses superior talent. Bridgewater played as well as any college QB I remember seeing, their undersize lines blocked well, their WRs ran great routes and caught almost everything that was catchable. Lots and lots of great talent.

And with all that talent Charlie's team struggled to wins in almost every game they played this year against mediocre Big East teams. What that tells me is that he can get a team "up" for one game here and there but in a 12 game season he isn't all that good.

[NJG8tor]

Originally Posted by WarDamnGator

That was my exact point. Losing a bowl game has little to no negative impact on recruiting, and I could make the counter argument that it helps in some cases. I'm not the one claiming that recruiting will be harmed by the loss, so why direct your post at me?

And, If the game was so important, then why all the empty seats? If it was such an important game, fans would have gone to see it. I'm really not buying the argument that the game was only important because we lost.

I was just elaborating on what you said and not disagreeing. Sorry if that wasnt clear.

[g8rfan22]

Ok.. Maybe I went a little extreme with my posts, but I guess I just don't understand the full meltdown mode when we had a great season that VERY FEW expected us to have. I get a little worked up because some things that are posted name specific players (a pet peeve of mine) because although they are told to avoid outlets such as this, they do sometimes take a peek. They are student athletes. They don't get paid. Their life isn't a cakewalk as some may think. Some do tend to showboat but this is basically their job interview for the next level. Coaches and players both hate losing, and I can assure you that it was not in anyone's gameplan to get beat like they did. You didn't see anyone taking off on plays. They simply weren't the better team on Jan 2nd with coaching or execution.

Everyone is definitely entitled to their opinion... My apologies

Go Gators!!

[StrengthAndHonor]

I think the players mindset going into this game mirrored that of our fans. Are fans didn't show up and neither did the players. It was Louisville.

Mike Greenberg of Mike and MIke was saying yesterday he didn't feel we got beat because we never showed up to begin with, and if it had been a close game he would look at differently. Felt that if this game had been played in November Gators win.

I put this one more on the coaching staff though. It's their job to keep a bunch of 18-22 year old's focused and disciplined. Hopefully Muschamp and company learn from this one.

[g8rvet]

I hope it hurts like heck to the players that will be returning. I hope they use it as motivation to prepare for EVERY team they play, regardless of point spread. Adverisity reveals character and we will see mext year what they have. Although the loss stinks, it is over now and time to move on, as will they. As fans, we cannot prepare harder so all we are left to do is ask questions (or if you are more bent to the whine mode, then whine harder). None of that will change what happened and although it was a harsh way to end the season, it was still a season in which our team played their hearts out for many of their games. At the end of the day, a Gator fan is a gator fan, 0-10-1 or 13-0. There is always next year.

[The_Graygator]

Originally Posted by danky1313

The performance at the Sugar was certainly an all-time low but I could care less and think NO GATOR fan should be down on CWM and the season we just had. Tell me this how many teams would you trade seasons with bowl performance and all? For me there's 2 (the ones playing for it all) and maybe a 3rd (UGA) I would trade their season for ours and NOT one other team out there. Considering what expectations were before September that's a damn great year to have had even with what happened Wednesday night.

Good post.

I definitely am not going to allow a bad bowl performance ruin what was a terrific season for us.