Zero Looking Ahead!

It is always great to hear from my good
friend Frank Frangie. He knows this rivalry,
he knows the Gators, he knows the SEC, he
knows Jacksonville. Frank is the voice of the
Jacksonville Jaguars, an esteemed talk show
host, and one of the most respected football
minds and broadcasters in the business. I’m
often asked who I’d love to regularly do a
show with, Frank is at the top of the list. We
are always grateful to get Frank’s tremendous
insights as a longtime contributor to Bulldawg
Illustrated.
BY JEFF DANTZLER
A VIEW FROM ...
jacksonville
YEAR ONE, WHAT IS THE
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE
GATOR FAITHFUL AND BILLY
NAPIER?
Gator fans are over the moon for
Napier. The main reason is they
are convinced he will recruit the
way his predecessors did not.
Dan Mullen didn’t turn out to be
much of a recruiter, same with
Jim McElwain. The belief among
most now is that you have to build
the recruiting mechanism similar
to the ones that Nick Saban built
at Alabama and that Kirby has
going at Georgia. No telling if that
will happen, but his background
suggests it might. Fans are very
excited about that possibility. His
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approval rating, even in this 4-3
season, is very high.
WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON
THIS FLORIDA TEAM?
The Gators are a middle of the pack
SEC team. They really struggle on
defense — one of the worst Gator
defenses in my lifetime — and the
offense is hot and cold, usually
based on how well Anthony
Richardson is playing. They are 4-3,
but in fairness, the three teams that
have beaten them are Tennessee,
Kentucky and surging LSU. But it’s
really just an average team.
WHAT DOES FLORIDA
NEED TO DO TO WIN?
This one will be tough. During
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most of the Spurrier years, I really
didn’t think there was much chance
Georgia could ever win. They all
felt like mismatches going in, at
least to me. This is the same, just
in Georgia’s favor. I can’t imagine,
even if everything goes as well
as possible for Florida, that the
Gators could win. Georgia is so
much better. Lots of really good
players, really well-coached. They
are better than the three teams
that beat Florida already. But to
your question — the Gators need
Richardson to play his best game.
They need him to run more than
he has, to create havoc outside the
pocket. He is an inconsistent passer,
but he is an electric athlete. He has
to be amazing in this game. They
need to convert third downs and
stay on the field and keep a really
struggling defense off the field. And
they probably need to get a few
takeaways. I think they have to win
the turnover battle by at least three
to even have a chance. It’s not likely.
WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON
GEORGIA?
I think the Dawgs are terrific.
Talented, tough, smart, wellcoached.
Probably asleep at the
wheel a bit against Missouri, but
still found a way to win. Georgia
might be the best program in
America right now — at least on par
with Alabama and Ohio State — the
only other ones in the conversation.
Kirby has really recruited at an elite
level and they are coaching that
way as well. Stetson Bennett has
seen about all there is to see in
college football and can win with
his arm and his legs. Nobody would
be surprised if they repeat.
MAKE THE CASE FOR
JACKSONVILLE TO KEEP
THE GAME.
I can’t imagine that the game would
ever leave. I know Kirby believes
it is a recruiting disadvantage
to lose that recruiting weekend
every other year, but now that the
home team can host recruits, that
should alleviate that. The game
is financially beneficial to both
schools, more than playing at home
would be. In addition, both schools
get 40,000 seats every year. And I’d
hate to be the one who told those
rich Georgia boosters on Sea Island
and elsewhere in South Georgia
that they are losing their game.
Beyond that, one of the things that
separates college football from
every other sport is its wonderful
traditions. Marching bands and
cheerleaders and student sections
and wonderful neutral site games.
Selfishly, I know how critically
important it is to our city. I hope like
crazy our city has it forever.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAS
UNDERGONE ENORMOUS
CHANGE THESE PAST COUPLE
OF YEARS, WHAT WOULD
YOU LIKE TO SEE NEXT?
The 12-team playoff. We’re headed
there by 2026 at the latest, but it
appears there is real momentum
to get it done by 2024. We need
more teams in the hunt, more
fan bases excited about being
in a winner-take-all tournament.
I’m very excited about that. The
other big talkers are conference
expansion and NIL, and I know both
topics get major headlines, but
I’d be disingenuous if I said I have
strong opinions about either. I like
players getting theirs, so I’m totally
ok with NIL, although I hope we
can find some consistency or how
it is applied from state to state. As
for conference expansion, I’m fine
with exactly where it’s headed. The
best conferences are going to keep
adding the best teams that aren’t
already there. Just how it is. Which
is fine with me.
WHAT IS YOUR SCORE
PREDICTION?
Georgia 41, Florida 24. There is a
gulf between these two teams right
now. I can’t imagine it being much
closer than that.
BULLDAWGILLUSTRATED 24 ISSUE TEN • FLORIDA