Three things Florida Football fans learned from Championship Weekend

All the conference championship games have come and gone, and while Florida Football wasn't playing, there were plenty of great games for Gator fans to watch over the weekend.

If fans were paying attention, there would be three main takeaways for Florida fans moving forward.

Rebuilds don't take forever

In 2022, Arizona State was 3-9 and even had two of those wins vacated. Herm Edwards was fired, and Kenny Dillingham came to town. His initial campaign wasn't much better, as the Sun Devils went 3-9 in 2023.

But in just his second season in Tempe, Dillingham is taking the Sun Devils to the playoffs after an 11-2 campaign that ended with a Big 12 title over Iowa State.

So in two years, Dillingham took a three-win team that was placed under probation to 11 wins, a conference title, and the playoffs. Yes, there are circumstances as to why winning in the new look Big 12 is easier to rebuild than winning in the SEC, but it is another reminder that rebuilds don't have to take forever.

Arch Manning is no Tim Tebow

We commented earlier in the week on a piece that On3 wrote that tried to boldly claim that Texas QB Arch Manning was their version of 2006 Tim Tebow after Manning ran for a touchdown against Texas A&M. We said it was silly to make the comparison given that Tebow was a mainstay of that 2006 squad while Manning still felt like an afterthought for the Longhorns.

In the SEC title game, Manning was largely forgotten about again, even as Quinn Ewers was struggling. Manning came in during overtime to run the ball one time, and that was it.

If you are keeping score at home, Tebow ran the ball eight times in the 2006 SEC title game.

The SMU vs Alabama debate matters for Florida

If we are being fair and objective, teams should not drop in the final College Football Playoff ranking behind anyone who didn't play this weekend. The most relevant of examples is going to be the SMU vs Alabama debate for the final at-large bid when the rankings are released.

There is a very real world where Florida could have actually made the SEC title game this season.

Both Tennessee and Georgia tied for second at 6-2 in the conference, and Florida had both teams on the rope. Had the Gators not given the game away against Tennessee and DJ Lagway hadn't gotten hurt in Jacksonville, it would not be insane to state that Florida could gone 6-2 in SEC play, made the title game, and have been in a playoff spot at 9-3 heading into this weekend.

So, in one boat, if SMU gets dropped out because they had to play an extra game that Alabama did not have to play, it's a very real boat Florida could have been in this year or could be in next year.

On the other boat, if SMU is kept ahead of Alabama, it devalues having to beat someone of relevance. Florida's schedule is going to be just as difficult in 2025, and there is a pathway. If the Gators go 9-3, they will be having the same arguments Alabama is trying to make today that having a hard schedule should matter (if we just ignore losses to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma).