The Alligator Army Weekly Open Thread, Vol. XXXIX

Things have been going well for the Florida Gators recently. Success is smiling in particular on two of Florida’s most favored programs.

Florida football roared into 2017 with a defensively dominating demolition of the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Outback Bowl, ending their season with an exclamation point.

The gridiron Gators followed up that feat by finishing with a bang on National Signing Day. After weeks of noise in the system deriding Florida’s recruiting yields leading up to February 1, Jim McElwain and company silenced their critics with an impressive close that leaped the Gators’ overall class ranking into the top-ten.

But that is not the only thing that has me feeling exuberantly about our guys in orange and blue.

The very next day the Florida’s men’s basketball team returned home to the beautiful new O’Dome and obliterated the Missouri Tigers. While Mizzou looked hapless and hopeless, the Gators took care of business by notching their third consecutive victory of over 30 points. The last time that Florida defeated three straights opponents by that margin was during their second national championship run.

These Gators are enjoyable to watch, and they feature a rotating cast of players who take turns heating up and making the most of their respective moments. The cherry on top of the sundae that is Florida basketball fun is the Gators’ resounding 22-point win over the Kentucky Wildcats.

That was the largest margin of victory in this rivalry ever. Ten different Gators played and all of them scored. Florida led the entire game on their way to a momentous win that will be remembered for years to come. The Gators extended their current win streak to four games with their corralling of Calipari’s ‘Cats. That’s four wins in which Florida has won by at least 20 points.

So... what now?

What other formidable feats lay before both of these Gator teams? What heights may Florida yet reach? What do you see coming of both Florida football and Florida men’s basketball’s positive early 2017 returns? What’s up next for the Gators?

And as always, this Weekly Open Thread is for any and all comments on any and all topics, with the rules of commenting decorum still applying.