Billy Napier could use a hand with Florida football, but Tennessee coach Josh Heupel is no 'Goof' | Toppmeyer

While Steve Spurrier catapulted Florida football onto a higher plane in the 1990s, he gained an assist from one ‘Goof’ball.

Ray Goff’s Georgia Bulldogs were mired in mediocrity during Florida’s ascent. A former Georgia quarterback, Goff became recast as “Goof” as a coach. Spurrier contributed to the needling.

“Is Ray Goff still the coach there?” the quip master once said when asked if the Gators could beat Georgia that season.

Goff wasn't the coach for much longer. He was fired in 1995, having never beaten Spurrier.

As current Florida coach Billy Napier stares into a daunting Year 2, he sure could use some help from a Goofball on a rival’s sideline, but there’s no relief in sight.

The coaching talent among Florida’s rivals is as robust as I can recall.

If "The Wizard of Oz’s" Dorothy were recast as a Gators football coach, I could envision her singing, “Kirby Smart and Brian Kelly and Josh Heupel, oh my! Bulldogs and Tigers and Vols, oh my!”

Smart is no 'Goof’ball. He’s the nation’s best coach.

Kelly won the SEC West in his first try.

And Heupel is no clown in orange pants. Florida coaches, from the good to the bad, enjoyed beating up on Derek Dooley, Butch Jones and Jeremy Pruitt while memories of ’98 faded and the Vols went from rival to cupcake.

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Florida fans probably don’t want to even hear mention of Mike Norvell, whose Florida State Seminoles are a dark horse for the College Football Playoff.

Of course, Napier has enough problems to worry about without sparing thought for his rivals. In the Gators’ most recent appearance, they were whipped, 30-3, by Oregon State to finish 6-7.

Imagine Spurrier or Urban Meyer or, heck, even Dan Mullen getting gnawed that badly by the Beavers. Wouldn’t happen.

Jack Miller, Florida’s quarterback for that game, is expected to be on the two-deep this season after an NIL deal with Jaden Rashada unraveled, resulting in the blue-chip recruit ditching the Gators for Arizona State.

Transfer Graham Mertz, a battered Badger, joins Miller as Florida’s top quarterback options. Suffice it to say there’s no Danny Wuerffel on Florida’s roster. Maybe closer to Jeff Driskel.

Florida’s offensive line is in a state of transition, and its defense must replace several linchpins. A talented backfield will only take the Gators so far, especially when facing such a perilous schedule.

The Gators open at Utah, and, by Week 3, Heupel may be positioned to crank up the heat on Napier if the Vols win in The Swamp for the first time since 2003. Ron Zook was the last Florida coach to have a losing record against the Vols. Zook lasted three lackluster seasons.

The Vols' rapid resurrection from being flatlined under Pruitt to Heupel's heart-pounding fun comes at a bad time for Napier. Georgia is here to stay, and in the rivalry trio of Florida, Georgia and Tennessee, three is a crowd.

Since the SEC moved to divisions in 1992, there’s only been six seasons when Florida, Georgia and Tennessee each attained at least nine victories in the same season.

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Nine is sort of a magic number for Florida coaches. Spurrier won at least nine games in all 12 of his seasons wearing a Gators visor. Urban Meyer won nine or more games in all but the last of his six seasons.

When Florida and Tennessee ruled the SEC East in the ‘90s, Georgia got goofy.

Georgia straightened out under Mark Richt, and, in the early 2000s, the East belonged to Georgia and Tennessee while Florida faded after Spurrier’s exit.

Then Tennessee booted Phillip Fulmer off the headset and ushered in a series of bad coaches who quested to outstooge their predecessor. Florida benefitted and rejoined Georgia as the pride of the East – until Heupel doused the Big Orange Dumpster Fire.

In fact, Heupel’s got a little Spurrier in him, or at least his offense does.

When Napier looks across to a rival’s sideline, he’ll find no Goof – only high-functioning coaches who are squeezing out the Gators.

Blake Toppmeyer is an SEC Columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Florida football: Billy Napier needs a hand, but Josh Heupel no 'Goof'