re: The "Big 6" in Numbers

quote:

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Florida gives the "Other 8" hope that a program can climb up into the upper group.

AP Top 25 Finishes for Florida:

1952- #15
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1957- #17
1958- #18
1959- #19
1960- #14
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1969- #14
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1974- #15
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1983- #6
1984- #3
1985- #5
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Their resume looked very similar to the resumes today for the programs of Arkansas, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Missouri, etc.

Then 1990 came around and Florida embarked on 12 consecutive Top 25 finishes (10 of which were Top 10 finishes). Later came five more consecutive Top 13 finishes (2005-2009) which also included 2 National Titles.

Similar bursts of excellence were enjoyed by Miami and Florida State in the 1980s/1990s.

So here is a message of hope to all the lesser programs out there: All you need is a population explosion in your state coupled with the hiring of a legendary coach on par with Spurrier, Bowden, etc., and you might jump up into the upper echelon.

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Bryant talked about how the state was a sleeping giant late in his career (thanks to the population shift that started after WW2). They just needed the coaching.