Dooley’s Dozen: 12 things Florida football must do to make the CFP
Now that “talking season” is in full bloom and the radio shows and podcasts are alternating between tired old stories and favorite snack food debates, we know that it will not be the Summer of Love for Florida football.
The over/under is 5.5? When was the last time Florida was not expected to have a .500 season?
But these guys can be wrong and there is optimism over at the Hev (as I call the $85 million Heavener Center) that this team will be better than the so-called experts believe it will be.
So, let’s let a little sunshine in on this season before it gets so close we can smell the Fireball and Red Bull. Let’s imagine a world where Florida makes the last College Football Playoff with only four teams.
Dooley’s Dozen gives you 12 things that need to happen for that to happen, and it they happen it will be happening.
You can’t lose twice
So, don’t. This isn’t the world where LSU lost twice and still made the two-team playoff. You can make it by losing one game but even that puts the chances of making the foursome in jeopardy. You’re trying to figure out how Florida will be bowl eligible this year and I’m finding a path to the playoff. The heat is already getting to me.
Take care of the must-not-lose games
I have often said there is a difference between the must-win games and the must-not-lose games. Florida has a pile of them. McNeese, Charlotte, Vanderbilt, Mizzou, did I mention Vanderbilt. If your one loss is in this tier, you are likely out.
Quarterback play has to be efficient
It doesn’t have to be spectacular. We saw spectacular last season and it was not good enough. This is going to be a team that is going to try to win games 24-20. The Gators need Graham Mertz or Jack Miller or whoever is in there to be solid and give the team a chance to win every game.
Georgia needs to take a step back
I’m not saying the Bulldogs will. There really is no reason to think they will, considering how soft the schedule is. But it would be nice to have some breaks go against Georgia. Maybe Ray Goff can join the staff.
Oh, and you have to beat the Bulldogs
Yeah, you’re not going anywhere unless you beat Georgia. I mean, you could go 11-1, but that was tried in 2012 and didn’t work. You really need to get into the SEC title game. It’s not impossible to make it and we’ve seen it happen before. But you need to beat Georgia. Good luck.
And take care of the bookends
Florida opens the season at Utah and closes at home against FSU. Florida beat Utah a year ago. FSU is considered a Final Four team. Imagine how big that game would be if both teams from the state were playing a de facto playoff game.
Reverse this road trend
What did Marv Levy tell the Buffalo Bills? That Hitler lost the war because he couldn’t win on the road. OK, this isn’t life or death or the Holocaust, but Florida in the last two years is 2-7 in true road games. In the three previous years, Florida lost only two road games. There are five true road games this season.
The kids need to be better than alright
No pressure, young squires, but you had better be good. It would be nice to have a couple of impact receivers, slobber-knockers in the secondary and an elite linebacker or two. There is not an opportunity to go into the wading pool. You’re in the deep end right away.
Hope that some weird stuff happens
It’s what makes college football great, that we have no idea what might happen. It would be nice if those things happened in a way that would help any shortcomings Florida has. You know, someone else throws a shoe or jumps offside on fourth-and-1 or loses to Vanderbilt.
Hope that LSU isn’t back and Alabama is declining
Because the deal is that Florida almost certainly needs to win the East to make the playoff and then beat the team in the West. If Jaydon Daniels is busy winning the Heisman and Nick Saban is ticked off, it won’t be easy in Atlanta. The rest of that division, meh.
Be a smarter team
This goes for everything from penalties to nutrition to staying out of trouble. Just be smarter about everything. It could be the extra block on a punt return or not taking the bait when someone taunts you or recovering a fumble instead of batting it around. Be smart.
Don’t rest on your achievements
I have seen so many teams do this. They win a big game and are still talking about it when the bus leaves for the airport for the next game. It’s a weekly game. The only time to sit back and enjoy it is when it is over.
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