Gene Chizik Says Florida is Better Than Clemson

Former Auburn head coach and current ESPN analyst Gene Chizik says he thinks Florida is better than Clemson and currently has the Gators ranked inside of his top-four.

With the first set of College Football Rankings set to be released on Tuesday night, the hot takes are really starting to ramp up. 

One of the hottest takes of the weekend came from ESPN analyst Gene Chizik. On the SEC’s Network’s “SEC Football Final” on Saturday night, the former Auburn head coach had a top four of Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Florida, with Clemson at five and Texas A&M at number six. 

Chizik justified having Florida ahead of the Tigers by referencing how close the Boston College game was and the Notre Dame loss. However, he failed to note that Clemson was not only without starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence in both games, but also without a number of other starters, including Tyler Davis, James Skalski, and Mike Jones Jr. 

He also doesn't put much stock into the fact that the Gators' only loss of the season came in College Station to Texas A&M, a team he has ranked behind both Florida and Clemson. 

“I think they’re (Florida) better than Clemson," Chizik said Saturday night. "The last two games Clemson played has been a close game to Boston College and a loss to Notre Dame.”

Both Florida and Clemson are one-loss teams fighting for one of the four spots in the College Football Playoff. Both lost close games on the road to teams currently ranked inside the Top-5. However, with Clemson's weekend matchup with Florida State being postponed at the last minute, it's now been two weeks since the Tigers have played.

Chizik chose to focus on the Gators' high-powered offense led by quarterback Kyle Trask. The Heisman contender has been phenomenal for Dan Mullen's offense this season, but at the same time, he's had to be considering the Florida defense is allowing 28 points per game. 

“First of all, I think Florida’s offense is national championship caliber,” Chizik said Saturday night on the SEC Network. “I think since the A&M game, Florida’s defense has improved. Do they still need to get better? Absolutely, but they have improved."

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