Rockne's Roundtable

Ham,

I don't think this is necessarily an SEC problem as it is a human nature problem. This game was almost identical to the Sugar Bowl four years ago when a 12-1 Alabama team was not excited at all about playing Utah from the Mountain West. Alabama barely missed playing for the national title when Florida rallied late for a victory in the SEC title game. No matter how good a motivator Nick Saban was, Alabama's heart just was not into playing the game. They couldn't get over just missing out on playing for No. 1, and the residual effect showed. Utah jumped out to a quick 21-0 lead and held on for a 31-17 win.

Likewise, Florida believed it should be playing for the national title after playing the nation's toughest schedule, beating Georgia, and not even getting the chance to play for the SEC title. It's heart just wasn't into it, and Louisville jumped on it quickly. That Florida team that showed up tonight wouldn't have been the same one had it been playing next Monday night. It's not always about just the talent.

And I absolutely agree that it makes one appreciate ND's accomplishments this season. It is very, very, very difficult to win week after week, and you need some bounces to go your way. That's why a year like this is so cherished.

Lou is apparently a subscriber to the philosophy "If the SEC wins, they're dominant, if they lose, they were unmotivated." Not a fan of that rhetoric.

I still think the SEC is the best conference, though.

Lou,

Florida was def interested. They were jawing after every play.

Beating Georgia?

I just have a hard time believing that once that ball is snapped, CB's are thinking, "I just don't feel like covering today," or O-linemen are thinking, "I really don't want to block."

Florida wanted to win the Sugar Bowl. Florida did NOT want to lose.

Florida's problem is the same problem the rest of the overrated SEC is having right now. ESPN may get to decide which conference is best, but ESPN doesn't get to pick the winner. The mighty LSU lost. The mighty Gators lost. Mississippi State was beaten by Northwestern. South Carolina won in the last second.

Had Florida won, ESPN would dedicate an afternoon on how awesome the SEC is. When they lose, it's filed under, "Florida didn't want to win." Bullsh*t. Keep it up, LSU and Florida. Just keep playing Bowling Green, La-Lafayette, North Texas, Towson, and Jacksonville State to pad your idiotic numbers and this is what happens when you play a team people have actually heard of.

Make no mistake - Florida's players tried. They simply failed.

Lou, it's one thing to be unmotivated, which may or may not have been the case, but it is another matter to be undisciplined and execute poorly, both of which were the case for Florida. Georgia, who suffered that heartbreaking loss to Alabama in the SEC title game had much more reason to be unmotivated playing a lesser bowl, against a team that had given up 70 points in their prior game, but they still managed to hold it together for four quarters. Florida was all hat and no cattle. They brought their mouth last night, but they didn't bring any tough.

Lou, you can say it's not about the SEC, and to an extent that's true, because it's always an individual team playing, not a conference, but their body of work in the post-season has hardly been overwhelming. In fact, I'm not even "whelmed." If anyone can make a case to substantiate the SEC hype, based on the fact that they rarely strayed from their conference during the season, except to play undermanned "directional" foes, and how they've stacked up against the Big Ten, ACC and Big East in the bowl games, then that person should be working for ESPN, if he/she isn't already.

Ham,

At the half, I was thinking about the ND-Pitt game this year. I kept thinking that Florida would get their poop grouped and come out huge in the second half to win the game. Then, as the 3rd quarter came to a close and Louisville was still up big, I realized how good a team ND is and how the mentallity of this ND team is just better than 99% of the other teams out there.

Looking at it, Louisville outplayed Florida from the first play to the last... but I still think that Florida would win that game 8 out of 10 times.

This^^^^.
And let us not forget about Wofford for Florida earlier this season. Their schedule top to bottom was pathetic for a number 3 team. Pathetic. I was actually at a karaoke bar in Chicago a few nights back playing giant jenga...this guy gets up and sings Sweet Home Alabama, and inserts "roll tide roll", which we promptly overpowered with a "let's go Irish chant" to interrupt his song.
After he sat down I said...wait till that soft schedule catches up with you on the 7th.
His response was "SEC".
To which I said..."ya, such a tough conference...Auburn, Arkansas, Vandy, Kentucky."
He replied with "weak, what about Florida?"
WE'll see how well they do against a decent Louisville team with that subpar offense"

Well.. it looks like we have came to a majority decision. Louisville beat Florida last night by completely outplaying them. By exposing their Bad offense and showing Florida what real QB play looks like at the same time. The gators bitched and punched after every single play, were clearly motivated during the game, and still got sand pounded up their asses.
By the way Lou, Utah was an undefeated team that had been rolling all year when they went into face Bama in that Sugar bowl four years ago. If you can't be motivated to beat an undefeated team in a BCS showcase game then what the hell will motivate a player? I remember thinking Utah would outplay and beat Bama that year, and it played out much like i thought it would. I believe in praising a team when they are flat out the better team on a given day, not making every excuse in the book as to why an "all mighty" major conference team didn't show up!