Even More Differences

ESPN produced a "College Football Encyclopedia" a few years back that provides surprisingly in-depth knowledge (for ESPN anyway) on college football's history, which is more relevant than any other sport's history maybe with the exception of Major League Baseball, America's pastime. (I mean, everyone and his brother knows that the Cubs haven't won the World Series in 100 years.)

Since we are talking about some major differences between Georgia and Florida before the WLCOP, 2008 edition, I just thought I'd share what ESPN's "College Football Encyclopedia" has to say about each program's history.

We'll start with the best of course:

Georgia: "Several schools have won national championships and fielded Heisman winners. And these accomplishments go a long way toward making a program eligible for 'elite' status in the universe of college football. But a few teams have gone even further and become iconic. To get to this level, you need to have been coached, at some time, by a man whose name is mythic - like, oh, Pop Warner. You need a stadium that doesn't even have to go by its proper name, so when the team is at home, you could say it plays 'between the hedges.' You need a mascot that everyone in the world recognizes - an English bulldog would do nicely. And you need a war cry that has been appropriated all over the football world but resonates best in the original, 'How bout them Dawgs!'

One team, of course, has all these things and, thus, an undeniable place in the pantheon of college football programs. It is impossible, in short, to imagine college football without the University of Georgia." *

And we'll end with the not-so-good:

Florida: "The story of football at Florida is one of almost Sisyphean frustration. For 80-plus years, the Gators were the Great Big Team That Couldn't - couldn't win the big game, couldn't win the conference championship, couldn't put up an undefeated season (STILL HASN'T DONE THAT), couldn't win a national title.

Until the 1990s, Florida routinely raised the hopes of its faithful fans only to dash them, often in some cruel or unusual way. In 1928, 1966, 1969 and 1985 (those Georgia RBs are still running), the Gators went deep into the season with a shot at the national championship, but came up short." *

Of course, Bear Bryant argued that all Florida needed was the right head man (or so the legend goes). We all know they got him in 1990. But, we also know that college football wasn't invented in 1990.

As the saying goes...

Florida football: The arrogance of Notre Dame with the history of Wake Forest.

Differences, man, differences...

*Courtesy of ESPN's "College Football Encyclopedia"