Florida Gators Will Be NCAA Football Champs
SEC Powerhouse Looks Poised to Repeat as National Champions
When Tim Tebow walked off the field after having just loss to Ole Miss early last year, the Florida Gator quarterback did not know what the future held for his team. When he addressed the media, Tebow showed why he is loved by Gator fans and his fellow teammates.
Promising that his team would play harder than any other team in the country for the rest of the year, Tebow took the loss upon his shoulders. The response from the Florida Gator team was to go out and win their second national title in three years.
And that is why the Gators will be holding the BCS Championship trophy at the end of this season.
Tim Tebow Won’t Let Florida Lose
Tebow can’t be everywhere on the field and football is a game where 11 people line up per side and each must do their job to be successful. But when the Gators are in the huddle or before games and they see someone like Tebow standing there, they know they need to bring their A-game.
Tebow probably has more credentials coming into his senior year than any other quarterback or player for that matter in NCAA history. A two-time national champion, a Heisman winner in 2007 and a Heisman finalist last season all dot Tebow’s resume. With all that, Tebow could have easily jumped to the NFL but instead ended any speculation early by announcing he would return to Florida immediately after winning the Championship game last season.
Tebow’s upsides do not end at his leadership. He can run and fits well into Florida coach Urban Meyer’s spread/option offense. And coming into this season, he is working on fixing his mechanics on his throwing motion, an area that Tebow has not excelled in. If Tebow becomes a legitimate passing threat, that adds just another dimension to an already potent offense.
Urban Meyer’s Florida Gator Offense
Meyer is the pioneer of bringing the concepts of the spread offense and applying them to big name programs. Before Meyer, the spread really was a small conference phenomenon.
And with the bringing the offense to Florida from Utah where he got his start, Meyer has gone a mere 44-9 and collected two national titles and a 4-1 record in BCS Bowls.
The beauty of Meyer’s offense is the way the Gators run out of the shotgun formation. Florida led the SEC in rushing a year ago, amassing 231 yards per game. Those yards, however, came from several different areas as running backs Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey and Emmanuel Moody along with wide receiver Percy Harvin shared carries last season. Also Tebow gobbled up many of those yards.
Harvin is gone but Demps and Rainey are veterans in this offense and last year averaged for a combined 7.8 yards per carry. Moody has the ability to be a feature back but injuries slowed him last season. But with these three backs, Florida has depth at a position that is very important in the SEC where teams can get beat up during conference play.
The Defense Returns
Overshadowed by Tebow’s return was another player who could have went to the NFL but decided to stick around for his senior campaign, linebacker Brandon Spikes. Spikes was the leading tackler from last year’s squad. Like Tebow on offense, Spikes is the heart and soul of the Gator defense.
And that defense is a veteran group as Florida returns all four defensive linemen to anchor the defense. In the backfield, Florida is deep at both linebacker and defensive backs.
How Could the Florida Gators Lose?
Playing in the SEC, arguably the best conference in College Football, the Gators can point to eight conference games where Florida could get tripped up. Possible opponents that could derail the Gators run for the title include an early contest against Tennessee, games against No. 11 LSU and No. 13 Georgia. Florida ends the regular season against non-conference, in-state foe No. 18 Florida State, after which is the SEC Championship game where Florida, if they get there, would most likely face No. 5 Alabama for the right to go to a BCS game.
Can Florida run the gauntlet as the reigning National Champs?
In the preseason, most experts are saying yes. The Gators are the top ranked team in both the USA/Today Coaches Poll and the Associated Press Poll ahead of Texas, Oklahoma, USC and Alabama.
A start to finish run at No. 1 would be hard for any team in this era of college football, but when the dust clears at the end of the season, Tebow and the Gators have a good chance of hoisting the championship trophy for the third time in his tenure at Florida.
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