Expectations,expectations...

USA Today sportswriter Danny Sheridan, who set the line for all sports in the publication, was in Gainesville this week.

He originally set the Florida-Charleston Southern line at 73 then amended it to 63. But the most interesting thing he said was that Florida right now is favored by 21 or more points in nine of its 12 games. In fact the only game they are not double digit favorites is the one against LSU (9 points).

With such high expectations can come disappointment. My thought is, try to enjoy this year, whether we win by 21 or 1. A win is a win and if we win the eight in the middle (the SEC slate) we play for the SEC title. Those are the most important to win. It helps (or could hurt-more on that later) that three of the four remaining games are patsies, so if you win the SEC, more than likely we will be playing for the BCS title.

Now the hurt part. Say we lose a middle to late SEC game like Georgia or South Carolina. Our strength of schedule outside the SEC is so weak, we may not have time to play back into the title picture unless another SEC West team goes undefeated or is ranked 1 or 2 and we beat them in the SEC Championship.

Enough of the negative vibes. All things now point to a great season for the Gators, so take it one game at a time and sit back and enjoy history being made.

PS: Florida 70, Charleston Southern 3

Who do you want Florida to play opening day?

There is no dancing around this--Charleston Southern is not going to be much of a challenge. In fact, unless you like watching bullies ganging up on one little kid half their size on the playground, then you won't be much interested in this game after half time. This begs the question: Who should Florida be playing in its opener? An SEC opponent? Utah? Miami? FSU?
According to Urban Meyer, the Gators almost had Utah as an opener. Remember the Utes? They were undefeated last season and some said they should have shared the title with the Gators. That would have been sweet.
I prefer Miami or an SEC opponent because I want there to be more excitement heading into the opener. No matter how you spin it, no one can get excited about playing the Buccaneers (Chas So). Sure, I get excited about opening day. But not about our opponent. What makes the game special is the fear that you might lose. That elevates the game to a whole other level for me.
Just think how pumped you would be right now if we were playing Mississippi State on Saturday!

Percy replacement?

Highly touted freshman Andre Debose sore hamstring is more than just pulled. An MRI revealed he has a tendon tear where the hamstring connects to the bone. If he has to have surgery, he could be out for the year. Debose was tabbed as the heir apparent to take over as next Percy Harvin. Sad for Debose, but it always seemed like Demps, Rainey, Moody and James weren't getting their fair share because Harvin got the ball all the time. it will be exciting to see those other guys get to show what they can do.

Florida loaded for bear...or tiger, or bulldog, or wildcat..

Gainesville Sun Sportswriter John Patton gives 10 reasons why Florida will have an awesome team this year. It's stuff Gator fans already know, but we love to read about how "great it is to be a Flor-i-da Gator."

Put a leash on Old Smokey

At least one person in Knoxville is grounded in reality. Follow the link to Knoxville News-Sentinel Sportswriter John Adams column on Tennessee's prospects over the next few years.

Gator Football Schedule

Sept. 5, 2009 Charleston Southern (FSN-FL) 7:00 pm ET
Sept. 12, 2009 Troy (SEC-TV) 12:00 pm ET
Sept. 19, 2009 Tennessee (CBS) 3:30 pm ET
Sept. 26, 2009 at Kentucky TBA
Oct. 10, 2009 at LSU 8:00 pm ET
Oct. 17, 2009 Arkansas
Oct. 24, 2009 at Miss. State
Oct. 31, 2009 Georgia (CBS) 3:30 pm ET
Nov. 7, 2009 Vanderbilt
Nov. 14, 2009 at South Carolina
Nov. 21, 2009 Florida Int'l
Nov. 28, 2009 Florida State

Gators are No. 1 in AP preseason Top 25 poll

As Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators prepare to make a run at their third national title in the last four seasons, the defending champions have already made some history.

Florida is No. 1 in The Associated Press' preseason Top 25 released Saturday, followed by Texas, Oklahoma, Southern California and Alabama. But the Gators are in a class by themselves, the most overwhelming preseason No. 1 in the history of the media poll.

Florida received 58 of the 60 first-place votes, or 96.7 percent. Texas got the other first-place votes.

The previous highest percentage of first-place votes for the AP preseason poll, which started in 1950, was 95.4 percent for USC in 2007. Those Trojans got 62 of 65 first-place votes — and didn't play for the national title.

Ten preseason No. 1s have won the national championship. If the Gators can become the 11th, they will have put together one of the great runs in college football history. Only one program since 1950 can claim three national championships in four years; Nebraska won it all it 1994 and 1995, then earned a split title in 1997.

With expectations soaring in Gainesville, Fla., coach Urban Meyer has been on a mission to keep his team's eyes on the small prizes — to heck with history.

"There's a lot of guys getting patted on the back and being told how good they are," Meyer said in a recent telephone interview. "Their only focus is on survival to the next day and working hard in practice.

"I don't want them to even think about that kind of stuff. Our goal is to get to Atlanta" for the Southeastern Conference championship game.

The rest of the top 10 includes two Big Ten powerhouses (No. 6 Ohio State and No. 9 Penn State) and the defending Atlantic Coast Conference champion (No. 7 Virginia Tech).

No. 8 Mississippi is in the preseason top 10 for the first time since 1970, when the Rebels were ranked fifth.

Florida is preseason No. 1 for the third time (1994 and 2001), and the Gators are the 20th defending national champ to start the season on top.

From the moment Florida wrapped up its 24-14 victory over Oklahoma in the BCS championship game in January, talk of a repeat started.

And when Tebow a few days later announced at a rally on campus celebrating the national title that he would come back for his senior year, there was no doubt the Gators would be the runaway preseason No. 1.

Florida's rugged, multidimensional quarterback won the Heisman Trophy in 2007 and finished third behind Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford and Texas quarterback Colt McCoy last year.

As good as Tebow is — he has a chance to end his career as the most decorated player in college football history with three national title rings and two Heismans — Meyer sees areas for improvement.

"I'd say in the passing game he can certainly improve some things," Meyer said. "Leadership-wise he used to get angry when he felt other guys weren't working as hard as he was. Now he gets those players to play at that level."

While Tebow leads an offense with plenty of speedy game breakers, All-American linebacker Brandon Spikes — another guy who passed on a chance to enter the NFL draft to return for his senior season — leads a defense that has potential to be the best in the country.

All 22 players on the defensive depth chart for the BCS title game are back. Among the standouts are defensive end Carlos Dunlap and cornerback Janoris Jenkins and Joe Haden.

All that experience will allow defensive coordinator Charlie Strong to go deep into his playbook.

"Our defense has been installed at a much greater pace than ever before," Meyer said. "That allows you to put in a lot more different packages, three down (linemen) and four down."

The Gators are one of five SEC teams ranked in the Top 25, matching the Big 12 for the most from any conference. Joining Florida, Alabama and Ole Miss are LSU at No. 11 and Georgia at No. 13.

Meyer to make $4 million a year after agreeing to extension at Florida

Florida football coach Urban Meyer has agreed to a deal that will make him the first $4 million a year coach in the Southeastern Conference — if only for a few moments — and extend the life of his agreement through the next six years, Florida Today has learned.

UF athletic director Jeremy Foley said: "Coach Meyer has certainly proven to be one of the top college football coaches in the country and should be compensated as such. We are proud he is our coach and we appreciate all that he has done for the Gators."

Meyer expressed his appreciation in a statement.

"I continue to be very thankful and appreciative for everything the University of Florida and the Athletic program has done for me and my family. Dr. Machen, Jeremy Foley and the community make this a special place and I'm honored to be a part of it," he said.

He will become the third SEC coach with a deal approaching $4 million per season. He had four years left in his current contract that was worth a little under $3.5 million per year.

Orange and Blue Game

Just got back from the Orange and Blue game. It's difficult to tell the true measure of the team with a scrimmage because so many key players are limited in their playing time, there is no hitting the QB and you have a lot of non-scholarship players filling in gaps. (Andrew Blaylock and Johnathan Phillips alternated at QB in the last couple of series.

Let's start with some high points. I had heard throughout Spring practice that young guys like Frankie Hammond Jr., T. J. Lawrence, Jon Bostic, Brendan Beal, were having great springs and they did not disappoint. Hammond especially had a good game at receiver, even though he missed a couple of catches, granted they were in traffic, but he made some nice grabs, had several good YACs and showed speed and elusiveness.

With Spikes (actually all 11 defensive starters sat) sitting out the game as a precautionary measure, Bostic and Beal made a ton of tackles from their MLB spots. The Gators are ridiculously deep at linebacker and in the secondary. Anytime you have guys like Will Hill and Dorian Monroe running with the twos, you know you've got talent. Monroe, by the way, made a nice one-handed interception of a tipped Tebow pass and had a good return on it.

Two walk-ons who've gotten some press this spring made some good plays in the game. Christopher Scott ran hard and made some good runs. Rick Burgess scored on a 12-yard run and caught a pass out of the backfield. Looks like the Gators plan to throw some to the fullback this year.

Meyer even pulled out a little trickeration for the game. Tebow handed off to Carl Moore for what looked like an end around, but Moore pulled up and completed a pass to Deonte Thompson for a nice gainer. I can see the SEC East defensive coordinators going "Oh crap," as they add another thing to what they must prepare for when they face the Gators.

Other good news is that I didn't see anyone get hurt. injuries have been a problem this Spring, but looks like everyone made it out alive.

Cheering Fans, Thrilling NCAA Tournament Disgust BCS Officials

Tebow's New QB Coach and the Dilemna of Getting Tebow NFL-Ready

A Commentary on Vertical Passing Routes

What might the University of Tennessee's new offense look like?

On the Meaning of, or Lack Thereof, Matt Stafford's High Wonderlic Score

A Game Doesn't Make a Sport--Agreed.

NCAA as Athletic Cartel

Dungy on college coaching diversity: Presidents influenced too much by alumni and boosters

Another great post from the Smart Football blog (about taking risks on offense), with some very good comments by its readers

An Interesting Reform Idea For The NFL's Overtime Rules

Actually, It Was Kiffin That Was Breaking Recruiting Rules

Kiffin Accuses, Kiffin Apologizes.

Gators Too Smug For Recruit?

Or was it the freshmen living conditions?

Dubose and the Percy Position

ESPN Prestige Rankings

An Explanation.
Gators at 15 (and rising). Early futility and probations are factors that bring down an otherwise impressive recent standing.

Tim Tebow ripped off his sling at the Arkansas-Florida basketball game

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida quarterback Tim Tebow walked onto the basketball court Saturday with his right arm in a sling.

When he walked off, the sling was dangling from his left hand.

Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, ripped off his sling at the end of a brief speech at halftime of the Arkansas-Florida basketball game in an effort to assure Gators fans he would be fine following surgery on his non-throwing shoulder.

"Don't worry about this. I'll be fine," Tebow said as he pulled off the sling.

Tebow had surgery Monday, one day after he announced he was staying at Florida for his senior season, and was expected to be ready for spring practice in April. He had a bone spur removed in hopes of reducing chronic inflammation.

Tebow's appearance Saturday came as the Gators were honored again for winning their second national championship in three years.

Several players, defensive coordinator Charlie Strong and coach Urban Meyer received standing ovations as they walked to midcourt.

Strong took a mild shot at anyone who thought Oklahoma was going to continue its streak of scoring at least 60 points against his defense.

"Anyone who thought Oklahoma was going to score 60 on us, it's a shame," Strong said, adding that he has everyone on his two-deep depth chart returning. "If someone scores a touchdown, don't get too excited. We're going to find a way to win."

Then he added, "When you have Tim Tebow, you always have a chance."

Cornerback Joe Haden thanked Tebow and linebacker Brandon Spikes for staying in school, then said, "We're going to win it again next year."

The loudest ovation -- not surprisingly -- was for Tebow.

He earned the offensive MVP award in the Bowl Championship Series title game. Tebow was 18-of-30 passing for 231 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions in the 24-14 victory. He also ran for 109 yards, most of it in the second half.

"I think we proved who should have won the Heisman this year," receiver David Nelson said.