Tag: weekly

Dooley’s Dozen: Previewing Florida basketball’s 2022-23 campaign

Take a look at a dozen of the most important storylines ahead of Florida’s 2022-23 men’s basketball campaign.

Very early on in his new job as the University of Florida head basketball coach, [autotag]Todd Golden[/autotag] couldn’t figure it out.

Here he was, finally in the big chair at a Power 5 school with a pretty sweet trophy case he would see at work every day and nobody seemed interested in talking basketball in the fall with the hoops season right around the corner.

As the story goes, it was explained to him that all the media focus is on the other sport in this drinking town with a football program (I bought that same t-shirt in Athens in 1995).

So, Golden thought outside the box and that’s not the last time you will see that. He opened practices to the media. It was unprecedented access which was much appreciated and generated more stories on hoops.

Hmm, making life better for the media. What a novel idea.

Golden is still getting his feet wet in Gainesville, but he is about to be knee-deep in his first season as the Gators’ head coach. It will be an interesting mix of transfers, holdovers and recruits to go to battle in the difficult SEC and the season begins Monday when Stony Brook comes to town.

A bonus Dooley’s Dozen this week gives you a look at 12 Things to know about this Gator basketball team.

Dooley’s Dozen: A look at Florida’s trip to face Texas A&M Aggies

Here’s everything you need to know about this Saturday’s road matchup in College Station.

Nobody thought when this season began that Florida and Texas A&M would be playing a game that started at 11 a.m. CDT in a battle of 1-4 SEC teams.

After all, the Aggies started the season ranked sixth in the country, while Florida jumped up to No. 12 after beating Utah in the opener.

But hard times have fallen on both programs. Florida has struggled, but A&M has been a bigger flop this season because of the No. 1 recruiting class and Jimbo Fisher’s contract extension.

This is where we are with both coaches talking this week about how important this game is for bowl eligibility.

And it is big in that regard.

This week’s Dooley’s Dozen takes a look at everything you need to know about… the Texas A&M Aggies (3-5, 1-4 SEC).

Expert Predictions: Will Florida prevail over Missouri in its homecoming game?

Mizzou has given the Gators some fits in their recent history. Will the Orange and Blue prevail in front of a homecoming crowd?

Florida football gets set to play its 2022 homecoming game against the Missouri Tigers this Saturday inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and the excitement is steadily rising as the week wears on. The Gators are hoping to build some momentum after a blowout win over an FCS opponent while Mizzou has had a pair of straight heart breakers in SEC play.

Both teams are 0-2 so far in their conference schedules but how they arrived at that mark was quite different. The Orange and Blue was shocked at home by the Kentucky Wildcats in Week 2 before being bested on the road against the Tennessee Volunteers in Week 4. Missouri dropped a road match against the Auburn Tigers that same week while losing a late lead against the Georgia Bulldogs at home last weekend.

The two schools have evenly split the series since Missouri joined the SEC over a decade ago at an even 5-5 record — the Tigers holding the overall tie-breaker with a 20-18 win way back in the 1966 Sugar Bowl. It is not a storied rivalry but there has been plenty of back-and-forth, especially in recent years.

The Gators Wire crew converged to give their predictions for Florida’s upcoming homecoming game against Mizzou — the third time they have served as UF’s opponent on the university’s special alumni day. Take a look below at what we think will happen this Saturday in the Swamp.

Dooley’s Dozen: 12 must-know facts ahead of Florida’s homecoming game

Pat Dooley dishes out a dozen important facts about Florida’s upcoming homecoming game against the Missouri Tigers.

Remember in the old days when Florida would play a non-SEC school on homecoming so the alumni would be sure to go home happy?

That changed in 1996 when Florida started playing SEC games on its special day.

This is the third time that Florida will play Missouri on homecoming. They also did in 2014 and 2016.

Florida will have its Hall of Fame induction the night before the game as usual with football players [autotag]Joe Haden[/autotag] and [autotag]Jeff Demps[/autotag] being inducted along with seven others including former athletic director [autotag]Jeremy Foley[/autotag].

But this is about the school that goes by “Mizzou” more than by the school name.

So, here we go with 12 things you need to know about… MIZZOU.

Expert Predictions: Can Florida keep up its winning ways against Tennessee?

Can Florida keep its winning mojo over the Vols this weekend? It’s a tough task, and the Gators Wire crew weighed in with their thoughts.

Florida football faces one of its long-time Southeastern Conference rivals this Saturday in Neyland Stadium as [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s squad treks up to Knoxville to face the Tennessee Volunteers. The Gators have owned this series since the mid-aughts having won 16 of the last 17 meetings between the two schools but the tables are ripe for turning this time around.

The Orange and Blue enter the game ranked No. 22 by the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and No. 20 in the AP Top 25 after a narrow win over an inferior South Florida Bulls team at home. That and a loss to the visiting Kentucky Wildcats have undone much of the progress earned from the season-opening upset of the Utah Utes in the Swamp.

The Vols, on the other hand, have started off strong winning all three of their opening matchups, including a grueling overtime win against the Pitt Panthers on the road. For their efforts, the polls have them at Nos. 12 and 11, respectively heading into Week 4.

The Gators Wire roundtable convened to give its outlook for what looks to be Florida’s biggest challenge yet. See below what our five expert respondents had to say ahead of this weekend’s gridiron affair along with our composite prediction.

Dooley’s Dozen: 12 things you must know for the Florida-Tennessee game

Here are a dozen important facts about Florida’s upcoming road game against the Tennessee Volunteers.

There was a time when Florida-Tennessee was THE rivalry game in the SEC. This is how big it was – a UF player once told us in a press conference in the 1990s that Tennessee week was the week where you made sure you didn’t drink any alcohol.

Now that is serious.

With the emergence of superpowers Alabama and Georgia, the rivalry hasn’t seemed as big a deal. Also, Florida has dominated it to the point that a lot of people were surprised that GameDay was going to be there (to be honest, there’s not much else on the docket Saturday).

This game will finish up what was considered to be the toughest September schedule in the country this year, with Florida facing teams ranked seventh, 20th and 11th. It will also be the first road game in a very unusual schedule for Florida.

All that said, Dooley’s Dozen takes a look at 12 things you need to know about… Tennessee.

Heisman Trophy Odds: Where Anthony Richardson stands after Week 2

Anthony Richardson’s Heisman odds didn’t take quite the hit we expected after an underwhelming Week 2.

Anthony Richardson started out the 2022 campaign en fuego, leading Florida football to an upset win over the Utah Utes in the Swamp to open the schedule as well as the Billy Napier era with a bang. The Gators’ starting quarterback quickly caught the attention of the national media, and even with the preseason hype he received, his stock rose even higher.

However, the redshirt sophomore regressed in his second game, the SEC opener against the Kentucky Wildcats, in which he seemed to be his and his team’s own worse enemy, essentially giving the game away with a pair of picks along with his overall subpar performance.

Nonetheless, many still believe in his unquestionable raw talent. Additionally, that Wildcats squad that shut him down is both a formidable conference opponent as well as a fellow top-20 team. With that in mind, he still seems to be retaining value in the Heisman Trophy odds.

Take a look below at the top 10 candidates for the Heisman Trophy this season and their odds after Week 2 of play, according to BetMGM at the time of publication.

Dooley’s Dozen: 12 important facts about Florida’s game vs. USF

Here are a dozen fun facts about Florida’s upcoming home game against the Bulls.

The Gator Nation is still mourning the impact of the soul-stealing loss to Kentucky, but there is another game to be played Saturday against a team that would love to make Florida fans more miserable.

Nobody is saying the Bulls can or will, but USF certainly will play with a little bit of a chip as all schools from the state do when they play the mighty Gators.

Saturday night will be more about Florida’s improvement than anything else. South Florida is a 24-point underdog.

Florida fans are wondering about the promise to get them off this decade-long and disappointing roller-coaster ride. Two games in, and you can hear the click-click-click as the Gators’ car tries to climb back up the hill.

South Florida is an interesting story. So, let’s get to it with the latest Dooley’s Dozen which is, of course, 12 things you need to know about the University of South Florida.

Heisman Trophy Odds: Anthony Richardson among top candidates, per Tipico

The bookmakers are feeling bullish about Florida’s star quarterback, including our sponsor Tipico.

Florida football’s star quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] dazzled the nation last weekend as he put up a [autotag]Tim Tebow[/autotag]-esque performance in the Swamp to open the 2022 season. Traditionally, the Gators have faced a cupcake team to start the schedule, but this year they opened up against a Utah Utes who were ranked in the top 10 as well as the reigning Pac-12 champs coming into Gainesville.

The redshirt sophomore’s performance electrified the crowd in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium while also profoundly affecting both the national media’s and the bookmakers’ outlook on the talented student-athlete. Among those was our betting partner, the Tipico Sportsbook, which has Richarson among the leaders in the betting odds for the storied Heisman Trophy after Week 1.

Take a look below at the top nine candidates for the Heisman Trophy this season and their odds, according to the Tipico Sportsbook at the time of publication.

The Napkin: Week 0 gambling picks headlined by Big Ten matchup

It’s time to (hopefully) make (I really hope this works out) some money.

The time has come. The college football season is officially here. There is no better feeling than waking up on a Saturday morning, sitting down to watch your pregame show of choice, and placing your bets for the day.

Week 0 is our training camp. It’s our dress rehearsal. It’s the day we use to make sure that our gameday setup runs smoothly. It’s when we make sure that our TV, laptop, tablet, and multi-screen devices are ready to go for the official start of the season next week.

If the Week 1, five-day stretch of games from Thursday to Monday of Labor Day weekend is the “grand opening” of the season, then Week 0 is more like a “soft opening”, a soft launch, if you will.

While Week 0 may not have the pomp and circumstance that Week 1 has, given the much more limited slate of games, that doesn’t mean we can’t sink our teeth into the Week 0 games made available to us.

All odds are provided by Tipico Sportsbook, our current official partner here at Gators Wire.

I’d like to give a special shoutout to my good friend Steven McAvoy for helping me out with The Napkin graphic. You can send him a DM on Twitter @StevenMcAvoy_ for all your design needs.

Without further ado, The Napkin for Week 0.