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Florida's win impressive, but there's still work to do

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Updated Nov 1, 2009 12:33 AM ET
     
 
CFN's Instant Analysis of No. 1 Florida's 41-17 blowout victory over Georgia in Jacksonville.

Where's the real Georgia?

Florida did its job and put away a bad Georgia team, and that's what it is, and we're all supposed to be convinced this is the be-all-end-all, No. 1 team in the nation? If it's possible to look mediocre and still beat a rival by 24 points, this might have been the game. Yeah, Florida keeps winning, and, yeah, it's hard to argue with the results, but this isn't Georgia. From the penalties to the turnovers to the lack of offensive punch to the limited production from the running backs, there's little there to suggest Georgia is any more than a big name trying to be scary in black jerseys. But that's Georgia right now. It's an aberration, and the program will be SEC title-good again sooner rather than later. But it's making a bid to be dead last in the nation in turnover margin, is last in the SEC in rushing and is last in the SEC in scoring defense. In other words, this is a team that Florida is supposed to beat 41-17. The bar is raised higher for a team like Florida, and while style points don't matter, the point now is to show the team really is better than the other 119 teams in America without any real debate. The passing game is still average, even though Tim Tebow was throwing darts at times. The 374 yards of total offense were more than enough, but Georgia was giving up 366 per game. The point is Florida beat a mediocre team, and this really didn't prove all that much looking ahead. Don't just assume the Gators are going 14-0 based off this win; there's still work to be done. — Pete Fiutak

Georgia may need to start rebuilding

For the first time in the Mark Richt era, Georgia is a complete mess. Although it didn't look possible as the Bulldogs rolled to 10-win season after 10-win season and recruited blue-chippers annually, the program is in danger of facing a rebuilding period. Saturday in Jacksonville was just another example of how far the school has slipped, getting hammered 41-17 by top-ranked Florida. The Gators were good, showing a little more punch on offense, but it was the persistent futility of Georgia that was almost the bigger headline. Nothing has gone right in Athens in 2009. The offense has been horrible, failing to generate any running game. The defense hasn't been much better, yielding more than 40 points for the third time in the last six games. And the Dawgs entered the weekend 119th nationally in turnover margin, just one of many examples of how sloppy they've played. The MVP this fall? How about P Drew Butler, Kevin's kid, who leads the nation at just under 50 yards a boot. Richt is the right man to turn things around at Georgia. He has the temperament and the teaching skills to get through to a roster that's going to lean heavily on underclassmen in 2010. However, don't be surprised if the staff looks a little different in the offseason. Someone is going to pay for a team that has underachieved the past two years. — Richard Cirminiello

Cut the garbage, and let's play

1. Maybe in 2011 or 2012, when a lot of players have graduated from these teams, we can just play a spirited rivalry game in Jacksonville. It's fine to hate a rival and show plenty of passion, but ever since Georgia's end-zone celebration in 2007, the behavior in this series has gotten ridiculous, and we saw more evidence of that today. Brandon Spikes' status for Florida's next game should be evaluated at the very least; fortunately for the Gators, Vanderbilt is next ... at home. 2. OK, so Herschel Walker had five bowl touchdowns that weren't officially entered into the NCAA record books. Let's just acknowledge that Tim Tebow, 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, and Walker, the 1982 Heisman hero, are two of the 10 greatest college football players who have ever lived. That should be good enough for most football fans. The two communities that gathered near the banks of the St. John's River this afternoon can carry the debate well into the evening, cocktails and barbecued meat in hand. — Matt Zemek

Is UF that good, or is UGA that bad?

It's hard to tell whether Florida's 41-17 win over Georgia was an indication the Gators are headed toward the type of dominating play their ranking would indicate, or whether the Bulldogs are truly hurting and not able to stay on the same field with even a lesser version of their rivals. Whatever the case, give UF credit for taking full advantage of everything Georgia gave it — and that was a lot. The Dawgs committed four turnovers and found no answer for Tim Tebow, who again was the fulcrum of the Gators' attack, accounting for 66.7 percent of the team's yardage. Tebow made big plays with his feet and was steady enough throwing on rollouts and bootlegs to take advantage of Georgia's many shortcomings, and the Florida defense took it from there. As the Gators continue to progress toward the SEC title game, they may be vulnerable, but it's hard to imagine their losing to anybody else on the schedule, provided Tebow stays healthy. The Gators defense allows its offensive counterpart the luxury of not having to be overwhelming, and Tebow's ability to deliver big plays, almost on demand, provides the ultimate safety net, along with tremendous leadership. The resounding win over a limping Georgia team wasn't overly impressive, but it was certainly good enough to keep Florida in the top spot in the BCS standings and moving ahead. — Michael Bradley
Tagged: Vanderbilt, Florida, Georgia

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