Can the Gators continue their dominance of relative college sports? What a time to live in Gainsville, right? This is a place that has celebrated 3 straight titles, with a football title sandwiched between 2 basketball championships. Quite a contrast from living in Columbus (sorry Ohio State), where being a bridesmaid has been a rather popular university function of late (2 straight championship losses to these Gators will do that to you!) As for this year’s football unit, I find it hard pressed to put these guys into the top 10, with the major losses to the NFL from last years squad looming large. But hey, who am I to argue with a team that’s done what the kids in Florida have done over the past 2 years.
That being said, the defense, which was instrumental in picking apart the aforementioned Buckeyes last January in the BCS title game, loses all but two key players. Urban Meyer may find that building a team with the speed of the D he inherited last year may be a bit tricky.
Like other major players, however, UF has had little trouble in recruiting strong in talent rich area, especially home grown Florida talent. The offense will be led by one such wonder, Tim Tebow, who was instrumental in last year’s title run by bringing a variety in to replace incumbent starter Chris Leak. However, with the weight of the offense completely on his shoulders, look for Tebow to stumble out of the gate early. For all the verbal punishment Leak received over his 4 year career in Florida, his ability to slip defenders and make plays downfield were key in getting the Gators to the top in 2006. Tebow is a better fit for Meyer’s spread offense, and many pundits are expecting this year’s Gator team to more resemble Meyer’s old Utah Utes teams led by Alex Smith. In the overly athletic and defensive minded SEC, this could spell trouble for Tebow and a young group of unproven wide receivers. The spread relies heavily on the knowledge and reads of a QB, and the sophomore may not be able to make the quick decisions required for success against the speedy and complicated defenses he will face week after week.
In other words, I think Meyer’s spread offense will falter this year, and without the outstanding speed on defense he had at his disposal last year, don’t expect a repeat appearance in the BCS for the Gators. I think a home loss to Tennessee and a road shellacking at LSU will put the Gators at 10-2 for the year.
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