Pat Dooley’s Back Nine: Florida Underdog In Next 4 Games

The Back Nine comes at you after a relaxing weekend that included some golf, some friends and a lot of recliner time.

10. So, here we go. No more bye weeks, no more questions, just a team that will be a gigantic underdog the rest of the way (except, of course, at FSU). In a way, Florida is exactly where it should be with the teams that have beaten them going 21-2 so far this season and the teams the Gators have beaten going 10-21. Yes, I will keep the updates coming. The bottom line is Florida will be a double-digit underdog against Georgia and at Texas and probably seven-ish-point underdog against LSU and Ole Miss.

11. Yep, going to have to pull off an upset and then win in Tallahassee to get bowl eligible. But is that really the goal? You watch a team play and it gets better in the second half of the season and going to a crappy bowl game really means little in the new world of NIL. It used to be players loved bowl games, because they would get enough swag to come up with Christmas presents. I’m not sure a Gasparilla Bowl T-shirt matters to guys making more money than most people trying to feed a family. Or maybe that’s just me.

12. It starts with Georgia and the Gators are 17-point underdogs, although it opened at 21 so money is coming in on the mighty Gators. Here’s what you need to know — nothing Georgia has done this year has anything to do with this game. Every game is its own game, right?  I wish I could relive the 1990s, but then again, Georgia fans are fine right where we are.

13. It was kind of a soft weekend for college football with almost all of the favorites winning. Man, I did not see Texas A&M being this good, but I do want to point out to Kirk Herbstreit that Marcel Reed, who came in to save the game for the Aggies against LSU, also played the entire game against Florida and accounted for 261 all-purpose yards. So don’t act like he came out of nowhere. In both cases, the defenses were not ready for him.

14. One of the big discussions in my circle heading into the weekend was whether we were rooting for Miami to have its unbeaten season ended or rooting for FSU to continue down the worst rabbit hole ever. In the end, I casually rooted for the underdog with the sound off. That didn’t work out so well. From 13-1 to 1-7 only seems possible if your coach left for another job five minutes before the season started. As you know, it’s not my problem.

15. Some way, somehow, I have to get over the hump. Dr. Football went 3-2 on The Picks last week which left me at 23-20-1 for the year. Feel like I am just treading water. Let’s have a good one:

• As I said, the Gators are underdogs by at least two TDs+ and who knows where it will be by game time? I don’t think Florida will win, but I think it can cover.
• Ole Miss is a 6.5-point favorite at Arkansas and one week after a lot of people believe Sam Pittman saved his job by hammering Mississippi State, he could go right back on the perceived hot seat if Ole Miss finds its offense. I’ll take the Rebs.
• Texas A&M, coming off a huge win, is a four-point fave against South Carolina in Columbia. This is a risky pick, but I like the Gamecocks in a stunner.
• North Carolina is favored by two at FSU and, well, the Heels play no defense and FSU has no offense, so I can’t wait to watch this. Not. FSU has to win sometime right? I’ll take the Semis.
• Duke is getting 20.5 points at Miami and I will fall for it and take the Dookies.

16. Which fanbase is more demoralized right now — the Semis or the Cowboys? And while Okie State would qualify at 0-5 in the Big 12, I’m talking about Dallas. The Big D is now 3-4, while my Commanders (I’m a big fan of former UF defensive coordinator Dan Quinn) are 6-2 after that Hail Mary win Sunday evening. Rooting against the Cowboys and (Seminole) Indians is one of my favorite things.

17. It has been interesting for me once the Braves were eliminated. I have to root for the Dodgers, my third least favorite team. But I have no problem rooting for Freddie Freeman. And I rewatched the 30 for 30 on Fernando-mania Sunday even though that was painful as a Braves guy.

18. It did feel kind of empty to have a second bye week, but I filled it with this playlist:

• “She’s Leaving You” by MJ Lenderman. I remember a Mike Lederman who played at Florida in the 1970s and had the sweetest jumper. I wonder if they are related. Wait, it’s Lender-man? Never mind.
• “Shut Up and Let Me Go” by The Ting Tings.
• And for an old one that’s not really that old, but I saw these guys in a new video and they sure looked old — “Sowing the Seeds of Love” by Tears for Fears. Love the group and love this faux Beatles song.

WRUF.com sports columnist Pat Dooley can be heard on “The Tailgate” along with Jeff Cardozo from 4-6 p.m. Monday-Friday on 98.1-FM/AM-850 WRUF.