Prediction podcast for Florida Gators vs. Michigan Wolverines

GatorCountry brings you a new podcast as we bring you our Florida Gators vs. Michigan Wolverines prediction podcast.

Andrew Spivey and Nick de la Torre break down the latest suspensions around the team, plus break down the keys for the game as we see them.

Andrew and Nick also give you their three players to watch in the game, plus predict the score of the Gators game, plus four other games.

TRANSCRIPT:

Andrew:                 What’s up, Gator Country? Your man, Andrew Spivey, here with Nicholas de la Torre. Nicholas, can we please have a boring day before we go to Dallas? Please.

Nick:                         I would love a boring day. Would love a boring day. I’m just not getting one.

Andrew:                 I had it planned out. I had my Wednesday planned out. Teleconference. Skip. Little break to write. Then we knew it was going to be Mac, and while I’m writing Jordan Scarlett and Rick Wells get suspended. Not going to Dallas. Mac announces it. Broke the team rules. Did the whole credit card fraud stuff, like the other seven did. The police investigation found Scarlett and Wells were involved as they were doing it. Supposedly that investigation just started two days ago. That means those guys will not go to Dallas.

I think the overlying problem, Nick, isn’t so much that you lose your top running back, because that hurts. I think you have depth at running back, but I think it’s the distraction, the distraction that has now been taken off your team once again. You go into the game without Callaway. You go into the game without several of your key backups in the game, I would say. Then you lose Scarlett now. I just think it’s constant distractions.

Nick:                         It’s distractions.

Andrew:                 Stupidness.

Nick:                         There’s no way to spin it. Your two best offensive players are not playing. You’re not a better team. I don’t care. It’s true, you have more depth at receiver than you would have two years ago if this would have happened. You have more depth at running back. I think you might have had the same depth at running back. Florida’s actually had a pretty good staple of backs for a while now, but you take the two best players off the team, and you’re not a better football team. Your offense is not better without Jordan Scarlett or without Antonio Callaway. There’s no way to spin that.

Andrew:                 Right. I think the thing that, I guess you hit on it, and this someone said to me. “If Callaway and Scarlett would have been injured in practice, it doesn’t get as much attention as it does with the suspension.” If they’re getting injured, that. Getting suspended is that. That’s kind of where I was saying the distraction per say. It just seems like it’s a heavy distraction against them. Quite frankly, it’s just a look that I know Mac personally doesn’t like. We can say what we want to, Mac does not like this whole bad stuff going around his program.

Nick:                         You’ve got 10 guys suspended for the opening game of the season. To me, that’s wild. It’s wild to me. 10 guys suspended.

Andrew:                 Yeah. Exactly. There was some other news that came out. For the first time since 1984, the Gators will trot out a redshirt freshman to start the season opener. Feleipe Franks. To me, that’s no surprise. To you it was a surprise, because you called Del Rio the starter. I called Franks the starter, and I think that it was the best move for Mac.

Nick:                         You’re betting her on upside. Don Brown was interviewed today. He is, for Gator fans that don’t know, Don Brown is a great defensive coach. He’s the defensive coordinator at Michigan. He was interviewed today and asked about having to prepare for all three quarterbacks. He gave the assessment. He had to prepare for Malik Zaire when Zaire was at Notre Dame. He basically said, without saying it, is not worried about Zaire throwing a ball, but he mentioned about he can run, and sometimes he can stretch the pocket and throw on the run. Basically was saying he can run.

Talked about Franks, and says, “He’s young, but he does have that big arm.” Then talked about Del Rio, and he said, you’re probably the most multiple, Florida can be the most multiple on offense, in terms of Del Rio’s adequate enough as a passer, and can run.” They ran him on a bunch of naked bootleg, and he can throw on the run adequately as well. Then as far as the knowledge of the game, Don Brown said he’s probably the guy that lets them do the most with their offensive playbook.

When it comes down to it though, I think Feleipe Franks, he’s a redshirt freshman. That’s a guy recruited to come and play. You could say McElwain recruited Del Rio in a sense as a transfer student, but this is a guy you recruited, redshirt freshman. Really you’re making a move right now for the future of the program. It’s not saying you’re making a move for the future at the detriment of what’s going on right now. I think was a close battle.

To me, it’ll be interesting to see how Franks handles that first start against a team like Michigan on a stage like this, and against a defensive coordinator like Don Brown, who’s going to disguise blitzes, disguise coverages, and really make a rookie quarterback, sure he redshirted, but he’s a rookie quarterback, really make him earn the passes and make him question himself and question what he’s seeing at the line of scrimmage.

Andrew:                 Yeah. I think it goes back to this. It goes back to who does the team have the most confidence in. Granted, I think there is a lot more confidence with Del Rio now than it was last year. Had a couple people say, “You can definitely tell what he was when he wasn’t injured, what he is when he is injured.”

I think the thing is Franks really got the team to rally around him in the spring, in the summer months. I don’t want to say they rallied around him because of Zaire, but at the same time, I think Zaire coming in forced Franks to mature, forced Franks to up his game. Also, the guys kind of rallied around what they knew. That’s not to say they didn’t rally around Zaire. I think if Zaire was named the starting quarterback, everything would have been fine as well. I just think that really rallied around Feleipe.

I say he gives Florida the best chance to win going into the game, and you know I haven’t been a Franks supporter. I think going in with Callaway out, Cleveland in, the big play receivers you have, I think Franks can do some things. Franks can also run, and run effectively. Is he Cam Newton? No.

Nick:                         I think he’s kind of like a Jameis runner, where it almost looks goofy. He’s so big. He’s 6’6”. It’s almost like he starts running, and you’re like, “No, no, no.” Then he make someone miss, and you’re like, “Oh, I guess that worked, but it wasn’t pretty.”

Andrew:                 Right. I think that’s a good example of what it is. Does it look good? No, but I mean, he’s a quick guy. He’s a basketball guy, played some baseball as well. He’s an athletic guy. The key goes back to this. Will his mistakes overshadow what he does positive?

Nick:                         I think he’s going to make mistakes. He has a cannon for an arm, and he knows it. He’s got that gunslinger mentality where, “Yeah, he’s covered, but that’s my read, and I think I can trust myself to get it in there.” That’s going to cause turnovers. Turnovers are going to happen. It’s going to be how you handle that then.

Andrew:                 Here’s the question I pose to you in that. I posed it to everyone, and that is can Franks overcome that? Neither you nor I know that, because he hasn’t played in a game yet. If he goes out, and he has four touchdowns and one interception, I think you’ll go back, and you’ll say, “Okay. He really did. His positive overweighed his negative.”

Also, it’s going to be interesting to see, because now you’re going to go Perine. In my opinion, that’s your only legit go-to back you have right now. You and I have both agreed, Mark Thompson’s not a guy you’re going to rely on. Malik and Adarius are guys you’re going to play a lot, but you can’t really rely on those guys. Can you really go in there and say, “We’re going to focus heavy on the run, let Feleipe work his way into the game, because you’re without one of your better running backs.

Nick:                         Yeah. No disrespect to the freshman, I haven’t seen him yet, but I’d rather have a one, two of Perine and Scarlett, Scarlett/Perine, then Perine/Thompson, Perine/Davis, Perine/Lemons. Lamical Perine, everyone knows that Gator Country and you and I have been very high on him since last year. We said last year as soon as he got on campus, “He’s the second best running back, behind Jordan Scarlett.” I don’t feel better about not having Jordan Scarlett. Do I feel good about Lamical Perine and what he can do against Michigan? Yeah. He’s a strong kid, fast kid, and a good back. I don’t know what’s behind him though.

Andrew:                 I can tell you what’s behind him. A lot of fumbles in 24. That’s what it is. Fumbles. He didn’t get better with it. Malik and Adarius is your next best two options, and that’s sight unseen with those guys in a game. They just strictly are. They can’t be worse.

Outside of that, it also puts more pressure on that defense, that defensive back group of Marco Wilson, Chauncey Gardner, Duke Dawson, Nick Washington. It puts a lot of focus on those, and puts pressure on those guys in that there might be a turnover at the 50. We’re going to need you to hold them to at least a field goal, nothing more. We’re not going to be able to allow you to have a touchdown. That’s what Mac’s got to go in there telling those guys. Franks may have a pick. What are you doing there? Last year you felt pretty good about the team not allowing those big plays. So that’s kind of where I’m at.

Nick:                         Yeah. Kylan Johnson, where is he?

Andrew:                 Yeah. I think Skip was …

Nick:                         Yeah. Skip, his position coach, said day to day, but said basically we have two plans, one where he’s subbing in, and one where he’s not. To me, that says …

Andrew:                 We don’t know.

Nick:                         That says we don’t know about him, but that also says to me, we’re planning on starting Jeremiah Moon, because it doesn’t look good. Basically, what we’ve seen from Kylan and the injury, and how he’s been able to progress from it, or how slowly he’s been able to progress from it. We had to go ahead and make the decision and say, “We’re going to ride with Moon, and we’ll see how this plays out.”

Andrew:                 Yeah. Again, do you feel in trouble with Moon? No. Not at all, but you would love to have Kylan, who is one of the better backs on the team. One of the better younger backs in the SEC. You’d rather go in there and do that. Again, I think, and I’m going to go into this game with a different mindset of what we went in last year.

Last year it was how does the offensive line play. I’m going to go into this game, how does the team look? How does the team react? What is the confidence? Do they go in doubting themselves? Where do you go into this game? I know there’s going to be some smart ass that says, “They’re going to go in there thinking they can win.” Of course, they’re going to say that. In the back of their minds, what is going through their mind? What is the focus of this team?

You know what I’m saying? You know what I mean when I say that. Of course, they know, or I don’t think they know, but they’re going in expecting to win. What I’m saying is what’s in the back of the mind? Is there doubt?

Nick:                         It’s not even just media now too. I think it also is they’re getting text message. They’re hearing about this, all the players, from friends, classmates, family. They’re being hounded by this. What’s happening? Why are there 10 guys? Are you mixed up in this? It’s not even just the media. To me, it’s a distraction coming from all ways. McElwain says, “Sometimes when a team deals with adversity that’ll bring you closer together.” I don’t know. I don’t see this as being a positive for Florida in any way, shape, or form.

Andrew:                 Yeah. Here’s what I would say to that. I understood them rallying without Callaway. They’ve done it before. I think a lot of people are over that, are sick of dealing with that, but it will be something interesting. Do I think they were rallying, were together more without the eight? Sure. When you lose Scarlett two days before you’re going to Dallas, that one’s kind of a punch, because your game plan was installed with Scarlett. Now you have a redirect. You know what I’m saying, Nick?

Nick:                         Yeah. I think that probably affects the backups more than it affects Perine. Perine’s been in the system, and was probably already expecting to get 15, 20, around that ballpark, carries. I think it affects maybe the other guys more, where it’s Malik or Adarius, you had 5-10 plays you’d be in, maybe you’d get the ball 3, 4 carries, something like that. Sorry. Things change. You might have to carry a bigger load. Here’s this extra part of the playbook that we weren’t going to have you run. Now you got to learn this in the next 48 hours.

Andrew:                 Right. I don’t know. Let’s go to something positive. I’m kind of tired of talking about suspended guys. I use that mindset of they did stupid things. They don’t deserve time on our show.

Let’s move on, Nick. We got a lot of different angles we can approach this game. I think you and I both agree the game’s going to be won or lost in the trenches. 90% of games are. I think though this game in particular is, because of what happened in Orlando at the Camping World Stadium, Citrus Bowl, whatever you want to call it, two years ago.

Getting physically your ass whipped up front, where do you go from this now? Where do you go? You hired a new offensive line coach. Where does this team go now? Does this team have that mindset? Is it a better offensive line, like Mac says? I think you and I would agree it’s better than last year. Do we know how good it is? I think there’s still some doubt. Defensively, I think the defensive line will be fine. Offensive line is what I kind of worry about.

Nick:                         I think the defensive line is fine, and I’m worried about the offensive line. It’s kind of what we’ve said. It almost hit me while we were taping the podcast that went up on Wednesday. When we were taping that on Tuesday, it almost hit me while I was talking. All off season I was worried about the defense, and I said, “There’s going to be a step back. There’s going to be a step back. I think the offense is going to be better. You’ve got these guys coming back.”

While I was talking, it kind of just hit me. I’m significantly more concerned about the offensive line. Martez Ivey’s nursing an injury. As soon as that goes down, you almost get the feeling of he’s going to get hurt. When will it happen? Not hurt as miss the rest of the year, but hurt to the point of he’s going to miss time. What happens then?

Andrew:                 Right. Again, I think it’s going to all depend on that. Where does this team go with the offensive line? If the offensive line’s playing well, then I think team does well. If the offensive line’s not playing well, Feleipe Franks is not going to have a good game, because no quarterback has a good game when the offensive line sucks. You’re going to really need the offensive line to go in and do their job.

You’re really going to need the defensive line to control the running game of Michigan, not to let that go, but to also make their new quarterback feel uncomfortable. I think, again, going in, I think the defensive line’s going to be fine. I think the defensive line’s really good, especially on the edge.

Nick:                         I think they’re deep, and I like those freshmen too. I know you do too. I didn’t want to cut you off, but I know we like those. I think our question about the line was tackle, and I think those freshmen have impressed us.

Andrew:                 Right. That’s kind of where it is. This team needs to be mentally tough. We’ll see really how it goes going forward. I guess, outside of that, what’s your key?

Nick:                         For me, the key is the offensive line, and not even the defensive line. You say battle in the trenches, and you’re talking about both of them. For me, the key is the offensive line. You can’t. That encompasses so many things. It goes back to Franks and being a freshman, starting his first game. If he gets sacked twice on the first drive, where is his confidence the rest of the game?

If you can’t open up running lanes, and now the defense says, “We don’t need to bring run blitzes to stop the run. We’re stopping it with four guys and a linebacker. We’re just going to sit back in zone coverage and make Feleipe Franks dissect what he’s seeing as it moves at such a fast pace, and beat us with your arm in your first ever start.”

To me, it’s the offensive line. You got to be able to come out, move the line of scrimmage on that first drive in that first quarter, and make Michigan respect the run. You’re doing that without your starting running back, but make Michigan respect the run. You have to take pressure off of Feleipe Franks, and I think that starts up front.

Andrew:                 Again, I think it all depends on how the pockets sets up for Franks, how they allow Lamical to get going. Then how do you get Toney, Massey, involved in the game? How do you get them involved? Do you start the game off with some quick screens to those guys to get Franks in a rhythm? I mean, a quarterback’s like a pitcher, once he gets in a rhythm, watch out. If Franks hits five in a row, watch out. He may start going big time. How do you get him involved in the game? Getting Toney and Massey and those guys involved in the game is something that’s a positive.

Nick:                         Yeah. Maybe I’m just in a bum mood. It’s been a long day. I travel on Thursday. Normally we tape this Thursday. I’m leaving early Thursday, and Andrew’s leaving Thursday, so it’s just been a long day. I’ve been up dealing with this. I don’t know. I got a bad feeling. I’ll be honest. I’ll spoil my pick. I woke up on Wednesday ready to pick Florida, and actually picked Florida to win the game when I did a radio spot in Tampa Bay on Wednesday morning. I’m not picking Florida to win this game. The distractions are too big. I think the players that you’re missing are too much, and I think they shot themselves in the foot. I worry about, now the Gainesville police is investigating, and UFPD is investigating. How deep does this thing go? I really don’t know.

Andrew:                 I mean, I think what’s out there is out there. The thing that’s concerning to me, Nick, and this is the last thing I’m going to hit on with the suspensions, but have one of our good friends, Zach Aldridge, who works at a news station, saying one of his sources are saying a Gators player ratted out Scarlett and Wells. If that’s true, there’s issues.

Nick:                         That divides the locker room. I tweeted that, and some people are saying does it divide a locker room, or does it just alienate a player? It can do both. I think it divides the locker room though.

Andrew:                 I think it alienates that player. If you and I are thinking of who Zach’s being told it is, then it probably has the team rally around each other against that guy. Would you agree? I think you have a pretty good idea, as well as I do, of who that player is.

Nick:                         It could. Issue is, if you’ve got a player turning and saying stuff like that now, if he gets alienated, he probably has more information.

Andrew:                 Right. Exactly. Nick, we are going to go to our usual Friday ritual here of picking some games, and picking some players that we think are going to have good games. I forgot, Nick, do we do games first or players first? I forgot.

Nick:                         Games.

Andrew:                 Okay. Let’s do games first.

Nick:                         It’s our show. We can do whatever we want.

Andrew:                 Yeah. We’ll do whatever we want. Let’s go with the worst of them all. I had to do this, just because I’m going to have fun with it. Tennessee travels to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech. Nick, who do you got?

Nick:                         I’m going to go with, man … I’m not sure where I want to go. I don’t know what Tennessee is going to look like at quarterback.

Andrew:                 Nick, coach of Tennessee.

Nick:                         Butch Jones is still the head coach at Tennessee. I’m going to go with Georgia Tech. Tennessee lost some defensive players, some big defensive players, and that Georgia Tech, I know they’ve had six, seven, eight months to get up on it and practice for the triple option, but that’s a tough offense to get ready for.

Andrew:                 I’m going to surprise you with my pick.

Nick:                         Go ahead.

Andrew:                 Are you ready for it? I’m going to go Ramblin’ Wreck. I’m not going with Butch.

Nick:                         That surprises nobody.

Andrew:                 That surprises nobody. I can’t say I’m going with Tennessee. That would be like picking the loser of a fight. No thank you. I’m not picking Butch. This game gets Butch really on the hot seat. Ramblin’ Wreck by 10. There you go.

All right, Nick, let’s go to the only other top 25 game, outside of Florida-Michigan and Alabama-Florida State.

Nick:                         Give it to me.

Andrew:                 You got the Fighting Will Griers versus the Virginia Tech Hokies.

Nick:                         Will Grier. The Fighting Will Griers. I am looking forward to seeing him back on the field. I don’t care if you Gator fans don’t like him. I’m looking forward to watching Will Grier all season long. Mountaineers are going to put up video game numbers with Grier at quarterback, and that starts this weekend at FedEx Field. They beat VA Tech.

Andrew:                 I’m agreeing. Like it or not, Will Grier’s a fantastic player. I think that they’re going to have a great offense as well. I think that’s the perfect offense for him. West Virginia rolls big time.

Nick:                         Okay. So let’s go to your game.

Andrew:                 Okay. Go ahead.

Nick:                         Your game, the South Alabama Jaguars travel to the Grove to take on Ole Miss.

Andrew:                 Can I get the saying for South Alabama from you?

Nick:                         South in your mouth. Not for me. Shay Patterson and the Rebels probably love to get on the football field and get rid of all this Hugh Freeze stuff that’s going on and get back to just playing some football. Shay Patterson leads them, the Rebels, past your Jaguars.

Andrew:                 Ole Miss doesn’t get out of the locker room. Apparently, Hugh Freeze has called the hookers for the locker room. There won’t be the starters on the field for Ole Miss.

Nick:                         What?

Andrew:                 Nothing. Nothing. South Alabama rolls by 3. Just because it’s got to be an upset. Took care of the fighting Mississippi State Bulldogs. Ole Miss is in turmoil. You think about Florida having 10 guys suspended and the distractions. Think about not having your head coach around anymore. As much as I’m not sure about it, I want my Jags to get that upset. But we got shitty quarterback play. You guys think Florida’s quarterback play is bad, take a look at South Alabama’s quarterback. Ugh. Kadarius Toney may be starting at quarterback for South Alabama if he stays home.

Nick:                         Okay. We’ve picked all the same teams.

Andrew:                 No. I got South Alabama.

Nick:                         Okay. There you go. I’m highlighting these hold you true, because I don’t know if you were honest in saying you won things last year.

Andrew:                 I did. No doubt.

Nick:                         I’ll have to keep a running tally here.

Andrew:                 Let’s go to the granddaddy of them all. Florida State-Alabama. Mercedes Benz Stadium. Opening up the dome in Atlanta.

Nick:                         Alabama.

Andrew:                 I don’t know how you don’t pick Alabama. I mean, you really think Saban’s going to poop an egg first game of the year? Come on. Who’s Florida State’s offense?

Nick:                         No. It’s Alabama. Alabama wins this game.

Andrew:                 Is Ermon back on offense?

Nick:                         I don’t think it matters.

Andrew:                 I don’t think it matters either. I’ve got Alabama. One side note, Nick, did you check Hard Knocks and see Bobo Wilson crying like a five-year-old?

Nick:                         That’s my South Florida boy. You know I don’t say bad things about them.

Andrew:                 Oh my stars, that was terrible. That was atrocious. That was embarrassing.

Nick:                         You know I don’t speak ill of South Florida players. I say no ill of my Broward County brethren.

Andrew:                 It was bad. All right. We’ll save Florida-Michigan for the end of the podcast. Stay tuned for that. Nick, since I won everything last year, and it was by far I won, I get to pick our players first. If you guys don’t remember, Nick and I will throw three players out apiece, and see how it goes. I’m going to go first, Nick. Dallas like their #22s running up and down the field. The Gators are going to trot out at #22, for his first start as a Gator, and I’m going to say Lamical Perine has a big game.

Nick:                         Yeah. I was arguing to get the first pick, because that would have been my first pick as well. I will not be going with any of the other running backs.

Andrew:                 You’re not going with Mark Thompson for his many fumbles he’s going to get?

Nick:                         I will not be going with the other ones. My pick will be Chauncey Gardner. I think Gardner is going to get a pick this week. He’s my first guy.

Andrew:                 Okay. My next one’s going to be Eddy Pineiro.

Nick:                         What’s constitutes a win for Eddy Pineiro?

Andrew:                 He’s got to kick at least two field goals, right? Or a game winner. I don’t know.

Nick:                         I’ll set the bar to game winner.

Andrew:                 No. I mean, I’m not going to give you game winner.

Nick:                         You just said that. You just set the bar.

Andrew:                 No, I did not. I said two field goals or a game winner. If he only has one, it has to be a game winner.

Nick:                         So two 13-yard field goals, he’s good?

Andrew:                 If the game’s 6-3, yeah.

Nick:                         I’ll give you that.

Andrew:                 Yeah.

Nick:                         Just be ready for me to fight.

Andrew:                 You’re telling me that you can’t go into this game and walk away and say, Eddy Pineiro was a difference maker in the game?

Nick:                         Yes. Okay. I can do that. I just know you and how sneaky you try to get when justifying wins and losses with these players.

Andrew:                 Homeboy, you tried to say your boy, Duke Dawson, had one tackle, but because he was out there he won last year. Don’t trot me that garbage. Anyway.

Nick:                         You’re just making stuff up.

Andrew:                 Anyway, with Scarlett down, maybe a closer game. Pineiro is going to be big. I think he’s going to be big for Florida period.

Nick:                         Hopefully the game’s that close.

Andrew:                 Yeah. So who do you got?

Nick:                         For me, Tyrie Cleveland’s going to be my second player. This is more of, not really a feeling that I have, more of just a Florida needs him.

Andrew:                 Okay. Tyrie. Okay. I think Tyrie is a good pick. I have high hopes for Tyrie. My third is Cece Jefferson. It’s time for Cece, and I feel like Cece’s just been one of those guys that’s been overshadowed. I think he’s had two really good years for Florida, but he doesn’t get a ton of talk. Now this is his defensive line, per say. I think Cece has a little bit of a showing out, but I almost went Marco Wilson, Nick.

Nick:                         Really. You go Cece over Marco.

Andrew:                 I almost went Marco, because I have a feeling Marco says, “Quincy who?” with his first pick as a Gator.

Nick:                         You’re locked in. You can’t change anyone. Your three are locked in. Perine, Pineiro, Jefferson. I almost went Marco, because I think as the freshman across from the senior that’s the guy you’re going to test early.

Andrew:                 Right.

Nick:                         I think he’s ready to accept that task. I will go ahead and make a prediction that Marco Wilson gets an interception. I’m going to go with David Reese though. I think the game plan for Michigan, they are multiple. They will throw the ball. They will go play action, but I think Michigan is still going to try to establish the run. David Reese is your middle linebacker. He’s going to be the one sticking his nose in there. I think Reese will lead the team in tackles on Saturday.

Andrew:                 Okay. I think you’re right. I think he is your glue for that. If I had to name something that I think happens, I’m going to say two things. I’m going to say Marco Wilson gets a pick, and the Gators do something really good in the return game with Toney and Massey. That’s where I’m going. Okay. That’s where I’m going. Let’s go, Nick. Here we go.

Nick:                         I blew mine. I blew my surprise. There’s no surprise. I was planning on picking Florida. I think it’s going to be an ugly game and a close game, but was planning on picking Florida all the way up until two more suspensions. I’m off. I’m off Florida. I think Michigan wins this game. I think it’s low scoring, mid 20s each. I think Michigan wins the game.

Andrew:                 27-21 Michigan wins the game. I, like you, was going to go 31-21 Gators, but that distraction part, that’s just something that eats away at me for some reason. It’s something that’s sticking that says, this is not good. I think that the offense looks better. I do. I think Feleipe has a pretty good game. I just, again, just don’t like the distractions. I think when you have that many distractions it’s hard to really put your nose forward and focus on what’s at stake. That’s where I’m at. 27-21 Michigan.

Nick:                         27-21 Michigan. You have Eddy Pineiro kicking no field goals. You have Pineiro kicking no field goals in that score scenario.

Andrew:                 Well, hold on.

Nick:                         I’m just saying.

Andrew:                 I’m trying to.

Nick:                         You’re trying to catch two Ls.

Andrew:                 I guess. I don’t know.

Nick:                         You did not think this through.

Andrew:                 I didn’t think my score through at all. Like I said, going in I had 31-21 or 27-21. That was where I was leaning. I’m like you, I think it was a mid 20s game. I was all for picking Florida before the two suspensions at 2:00 on Wednesday.

Nick:                         Doing it to themselves at this point.

Andrew:                 Yeah. Nick, we do get to Dallas. Might get to go trout fishing and see Mike Trout. May get to see Tebow and Emmett at the little pep rally. Good things ahead for Dallas. Whether or not the suspended guys are there or not, we’ll have fun in Dallas.

Nick:                         I’m going to have a great time in Dallas. I think I’m going to be doing a little history tour. I land, I’m an idiot. I land at 7:47, 8:00 in the morning, Dallas time. I think I’m going to go to Dealy Plaza, see the JFK memorial, and do all that. Then get a workout in and start eating food.

Andrew:                 David Bowie and I will arrive tomorrow evening, and I’m sure you’ll have somewhere that you’ll want to go.

Nick:                         There will be food, and a lot of it, involved.

Andrew:                 There you go. All right, guys, we appreciate it again. If you haven’t joined us yet, hit us up. We’ll give you a good deal to get in. Follow along with us, and Nick will tell you how to do that, for all the weekend. We’ll have plenty of stuff. Bringing David, like I said, out there, so we’ll have a lot of photos, and everything else that goes along with it. Tell them where they can see that action.

Nick:                         www.GatorCountry.com for all your Florida Gator news. The podcast is there in audio and written form. You can also get the podcast on iTunes. Still working on Soundcloud and Google Play. Also, social media, as Andrew said, check out @TheGatorCountry on Instagram. David Bowie with his pictures will be there. On Facebook and Twitter, @GatorCountry. You can follow me, @NickdelaTorreGC, and him, @AndrewSpiveyGC.

Andrew:                 There you go. It’ll be a lot of fun. I’m ready for the season to start, and ready to see Dallas. Never been to Dallas before. Ready to see AT&T Stadium. Sure we’ll have plenty of photos from AT&T Stadium on Friday.

As always, guys, we appreciate it so much. Glad to get the season going with you guys again. Nick and I appreciate all the support. Hit that like button on the iTunes or wherever you’re listening to it at. Let us know how we’re doing. We’ll see you guys on Monday. Let us know how we’re doing. As always, chomp, chomp. Go Braves.

Nick:                         You stay classy, Gator Country.

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.