Scouting Florida
The big question surrounding Florida's offense right now is who will play quarterback Saturday. It certainly looks like Skyler Mornhinweg will be the starter unless Tyler Murphy makes a recovery that isn't expected by Saturday.
I don't know much about Mornhinweg. He was considered a dual-threat quarterback coming out of high school. I know people at Florida think he is more of a pro-style quarterback than Murphy is. He was considered a project coming out of high school. Some people thought he had good potential but it would take a few years to develop.
He hasn't played any this season and didn't look good during pre-season practice when they were open. I would expect Florida to be very vanilla on offense. They should come out and run the ball a lot and try to give Mornhinweg as easy throws as possible.
I think it is almost a given that Florida will utilize the wildcat with Trey Burton. How much they use that offense will depend on the score. If South Carolina can start fast and get a lead, then they shouldn't see it as much. If Florida stays in the game and has a lead, then I would expect a heavy dose of it.
Florida's offensive line is one of the worst in the SEC right now. That is because of the injuries they have suffered this year. The will be without their two best offensive tackles. The stat that really stands out to me is they have given up at least four sacks in their last four games. Vanderbilt, who I think has an average defensive line, was able to get consistent pressure and also stuffed the run at the same time. South Carolina's defensive line matches up perfect against this line and they should have a field day.
It will be Kelvin Taylor and Mack Brown for Florida at running back. Taylor is only a true freshman and will be a good one down the road. He should get the most touches out of the two. He has some talent but just hasn't had much room to run lately.
I think Burton has been Florida's best and most reliable receiver this season. Solomon Patton is the big play threat in the offense. He has great speed. They will try to get the ball to him out in space and he will also carry it some. Patton is also very dangerous on kickoff returns. True freshman Ahmad Fulwood has shown some flashes lately at receiver as well.
The bottom line is that Florida's offense is probably the worst in the SEC right now. I know Tyler Murphy hasn't been great this season but it is only going to hurt this offense with him likely out. South Carolina should dominate upfront.
On the other side of the ball is a lot different for the Gators. Florida is very strong upfront on the defensive line. Dante Fowler, Jonathan Bullard, and Ronald Powell are players for the Gators. They are going to make things very tough for the South Carolina offensive line. That is where I think Florida matches up the best against the Gamecocks.
It is going to be interesting to watch Mike Davis in this game. There is no doubt that he is going to be extra motivated and has had this game circled this season. He always looks like he runs angry but he should run a little angrier in this game. The concern with that is you don't want him trying to do too much. I think he will have a big game.
Florida did lose their leading tackler and starting linebacker Antonio Morrison for the season. Veteran Michael Taylor will move over to his spot in the middle and true freshman Jarrad Davis will get the start at the other linebacker spot. I know people at Florida are really high on Davis and they think the loss of Morrison isn't that big.
Florida's secondary is pretty good. They are going to play press man and try to be physical with the Gamecock receivers. South Carolina's receivers didn't have their best game against Tennessee when they played man coverage so it will be interesting to see how they respond Saturday. Vernon Hargreaves is going to be a stud for Florida at cornerback. He is a playmaker. Loucheiz Purifoy is one of the better cornerbacks in the SEC. They have some talent back deep.
My Top 10:
1). Alabama: T.J. Yeldon was a beast last week. They still have a couple tough tests to go.
2). Florida State: I think it is amazing how dominant they have been this season.
3). Stanford: They have three straight wins over top 25 teams. They could be due for a letdown this week.
4). Baylor: If they win out, then I would move them ahead of Stanford.
5). Ohio State: They are in cruise control until what I think will be a good matchup with Michigan State.
6). Oregon: I could see them putting up over 60 points this week.
7). Auburn: The hot team in college football but they have something to prove this weekend.
8). Missouri: I think this team will get a big boost once they get James Franklin back at quarterback.
9). Clemson: The offense has looked smoother the last few weeks after being inconsistent for several weeks.
10). South Carolina: It was between them, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma State for the last spot. USC has the better wins.
Bowl Predictions:
BCS National Championship: Alabama (13-0) vs. Florida State (13-0)
Orange Bowl: Oregon (11-1) vs. Clemson (10-2)
Sugar Bowl: Auburn (10-2) vs. UCF (11-1)
Fiesta Bowl: Baylor (12-0) vs. Fresno State (13-0)
Rose Bowl: Ohio State (13-0) vs. Stanford (12-1)
Capital One: Texas A&M (9-3)
Outback: South Carolina (10-3)
Cotton: LSU (9-3)
Chick-fil-A: Missouri (10-2)
Gator: Georgia (8-4)
Music City: Ole Miss (8-4)
Liberty: Vanderbilt (8-4)
Compass: No other eligible teams
AdvoCare: No other eligible teams
Big Game Predictions:
I went 12-2 last week. I didn't have the guts to predict the upset of Vanderbilt over Florida. I'm not 101-27 overall and 52-14 in the SEC.
Georgia @ Auburn
This should be a fun game to watch. I'm sure all Gamecock fans will be nervous watching this one. I expect both offenses to put up a lot of yards and points in this game. I'm sure Auburn is going to be able to run the ball with success but they are going to have to be able to complete some passes downfield to win this game. I think Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall makes enough plays with his arm and is able to beat his former team. Auburn also has several Georgia boys on their defensive line and they will make enough stops to outscore Georgia.
The Pick: Auburn 34 Georgia 31
Stanford @ Southern Cal
This is a very dangerous game for Stanford. I could easily see them going on the road this week and having a letdown. Southern Cal is a totally different team since they have changed head coaches. The defense is playing a lot better and they have been doing enough on offense lately. I think it will be a low scoring game and very tight throughout. I got Stanford winning a nail bitter.
The Pick: Stanford 17 Southern Cal 13
Miami @ Duke
You want to know how bad the ACC is? Duke controls their destiny to play for the ACC Championship against Florida State. I like Duke and I think the job David Cutcliffe has done there is great. But things are bad when Duke is in control of the division. Miami has the better talent and should never lose a game like this. I called the upset against Miami last week against Virginia Tech and I'm going to do so again this week. I think Duke believes they are the better team and will find a way to win this game and the division.
The Pick: Duke 28 Miami 24
Other Notable Games:
Alabama over Mississippi State 31-14
Vanderbilt over Kentucky 31-21
Ole Miss over Troy 34-17
UCLA over Washington 38-28
Florida State over Syracuse 52-10
Ohio State over Illinois 44-13
Baylor over Texas Tech 41-24
Oklahoma State over Texas 34-27
Michigan State over Nebraska 16-10
Louisville over Houston 27-20
Florida @ South Carolina
The only way I think Florida wins this game is if South Carolina makes multiple turnovers and Florida finds ways to score on defense and special teams. There is no reason for the Florida offense to be able to score enough points Saturday night to win this game.
I think Mike Davis, Connor Shaw, and South Carolina's defensive line will be the three big reasons why the Gamecocks win this game. Florida's defense is really good but there is no excuse for South Carolina to lose this game. I think they roll.
The Pick: South Carolina 31 Florida 13
The big question surrounding Florida's offense right now is who will play quarterback Saturday. It certainly looks like Skyler Mornhinweg will be the starter unless Tyler Murphy makes a recovery that isn't expected by Saturday.
I don't know much about Mornhinweg. He was considered a dual-threat quarterback coming out of high school. I know people at Florida think he is more of a pro-style quarterback than Murphy is. He was considered a project coming out of high school. Some people thought he had good potential but it would take a few years to develop.
He hasn't played any this season and didn't look good during pre-season practice when they were open. I would expect Florida to be very vanilla on offense. They should come out and run the ball a lot and try to give Mornhinweg as easy throws as possible.
I think it is almost a given that Florida will utilize the wildcat with Trey Burton. How much they use that offense will depend on the score. If South Carolina can start fast and get a lead, then they shouldn't see it as much. If Florida stays in the game and has a lead, then I would expect a heavy dose of it.
Florida's offensive line is one of the worst in the SEC right now. That is because of the injuries they have suffered this year. The will be without their two best offensive tackles. The stat that really stands out to me is they have given up at least four sacks in their last four games. Vanderbilt, who I think has an average defensive line, was able to get consistent pressure and also stuffed the run at the same time. South Carolina's defensive line matches up perfect against this line and they should have a field day.
It will be Kelvin Taylor and Mack Brown for Florida at running back. Taylor is only a true freshman and will be a good one down the road. He should get the most touches out of the two. He has some talent but just hasn't had much room to run lately.
I think Burton has been Florida's best and most reliable receiver this season. Solomon Patton is the big play threat in the offense. He has great speed. They will try to get the ball to him out in space and he will also carry it some. Patton is also very dangerous on kickoff returns. True freshman Ahmad Fulwood has shown some flashes lately at receiver as well.
The bottom line is that Florida's offense is probably the worst in the SEC right now. I know Tyler Murphy hasn't been great this season but it is only going to hurt this offense with him likely out. South Carolina should dominate upfront.
On the other side of the ball is a lot different for the Gators. Florida is very strong upfront on the defensive line. Dante Fowler, Jonathan Bullard, and Ronald Powell are players for the Gators. They are going to make things very tough for the South Carolina offensive line. That is where I think Florida matches up the best against the Gamecocks.
It is going to be interesting to watch Mike Davis in this game. There is no doubt that he is going to be extra motivated and has had this game circled this season. He always looks like he runs angry but he should run a little angrier in this game. The concern with that is you don't want him trying to do too much. I think he will have a big game.
Florida did lose their leading tackler and starting linebacker Antonio Morrison for the season. Veteran Michael Taylor will move over to his spot in the middle and true freshman Jarrad Davis will get the start at the other linebacker spot. I know people at Florida are really high on Davis and they think the loss of Morrison isn't that big.
Florida's secondary is pretty good. They are going to play press man and try to be physical with the Gamecock receivers. South Carolina's receivers didn't have their best game against Tennessee when they played man coverage so it will be interesting to see how they respond Saturday. Vernon Hargreaves is going to be a stud for Florida at cornerback. He is a playmaker. Loucheiz Purifoy is one of the better cornerbacks in the SEC. They have some talent back deep.
My Top 10:
1). Alabama: T.J. Yeldon was a beast last week. They still have a couple tough tests to go.
2). Florida State: I think it is amazing how dominant they have been this season.
3). Stanford: They have three straight wins over top 25 teams. They could be due for a letdown this week.
4). Baylor: If they win out, then I would move them ahead of Stanford.
5). Ohio State: They are in cruise control until what I think will be a good matchup with Michigan State.
6). Oregon: I could see them putting up over 60 points this week.
7). Auburn: The hot team in college football but they have something to prove this weekend.
8). Missouri: I think this team will get a big boost once they get James Franklin back at quarterback.
9). Clemson: The offense has looked smoother the last few weeks after being inconsistent for several weeks.
10). South Carolina: It was between them, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma State for the last spot. USC has the better wins.
Bowl Predictions:
BCS National Championship: Alabama (13-0) vs. Florida State (13-0)
Orange Bowl: Oregon (11-1) vs. Clemson (10-2)
Sugar Bowl: Auburn (10-2) vs. UCF (11-1)
Fiesta Bowl: Baylor (12-0) vs. Fresno State (13-0)
Rose Bowl: Ohio State (13-0) vs. Stanford (12-1)
Capital One: Texas A&M (9-3)
Outback: South Carolina (10-3)
Cotton: LSU (9-3)
Chick-fil-A: Missouri (10-2)
Gator: Georgia (8-4)
Music City: Ole Miss (8-4)
Liberty: Vanderbilt (8-4)
Compass: No other eligible teams
AdvoCare: No other eligible teams
Big Game Predictions:
I went 12-2 last week. I didn't have the guts to predict the upset of Vanderbilt over Florida. I'm not 101-27 overall and 52-14 in the SEC.
Georgia @ Auburn
This should be a fun game to watch. I'm sure all Gamecock fans will be nervous watching this one. I expect both offenses to put up a lot of yards and points in this game. I'm sure Auburn is going to be able to run the ball with success but they are going to have to be able to complete some passes downfield to win this game. I think Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall makes enough plays with his arm and is able to beat his former team. Auburn also has several Georgia boys on their defensive line and they will make enough stops to outscore Georgia.
The Pick: Auburn 34 Georgia 31
Stanford @ Southern Cal
This is a very dangerous game for Stanford. I could easily see them going on the road this week and having a letdown. Southern Cal is a totally different team since they have changed head coaches. The defense is playing a lot better and they have been doing enough on offense lately. I think it will be a low scoring game and very tight throughout. I got Stanford winning a nail bitter.
The Pick: Stanford 17 Southern Cal 13
Miami @ Duke
You want to know how bad the ACC is? Duke controls their destiny to play for the ACC Championship against Florida State. I like Duke and I think the job David Cutcliffe has done there is great. But things are bad when Duke is in control of the division. Miami has the better talent and should never lose a game like this. I called the upset against Miami last week against Virginia Tech and I'm going to do so again this week. I think Duke believes they are the better team and will find a way to win this game and the division.
The Pick: Duke 28 Miami 24
Other Notable Games:
Alabama over Mississippi State 31-14
Vanderbilt over Kentucky 31-21
Ole Miss over Troy 34-17
UCLA over Washington 38-28
Florida State over Syracuse 52-10
Ohio State over Illinois 44-13
Baylor over Texas Tech 41-24
Oklahoma State over Texas 34-27
Michigan State over Nebraska 16-10
Louisville over Houston 27-20
Florida @ South Carolina
The only way I think Florida wins this game is if South Carolina makes multiple turnovers and Florida finds ways to score on defense and special teams. There is no reason for the Florida offense to be able to score enough points Saturday night to win this game.
I think Mike Davis, Connor Shaw, and South Carolina's defensive line will be the three big reasons why the Gamecocks win this game. Florida's defense is really good but there is no excuse for South Carolina to lose this game. I think they roll.
The Pick: South Carolina 31 Florida 13
