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
Saturday, August 22, 2009
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.
Monday, August 3, 2009
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.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
ESPN Prestige Rankings
An Explanation.
Gators at 15 (and rising). Early futility and probations are factors that bring down an otherwise impressive recent standing.
Gators at 15 (and rising). Early futility and probations are factors that bring down an otherwise impressive recent standing.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Spikes to return !
ESPN is reporting that Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes is returning for his senior season.
An official announcement from UF is expected to come later today. The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft is today at midnight.
UF is still awaiting word on junior wide receiver Percy Harvin. Harvin has not made an official announcement yet, but at least one family member has said he is going to enter the draft.
An official announcement from UF is expected to come later today. The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft is today at midnight.
UF is still awaiting word on junior wide receiver Percy Harvin. Harvin has not made an official announcement yet, but at least one family member has said he is going to enter the draft.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Tebow returning for senior season
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida quarterback Tim Tebow began to walk off the stage to close the Gators' national title celebration Sunday. Then the junior stopped.
"Oh, and by the way, one more thing," Tebow said. "Let's do it again. I'm coming back."
With Tebow back, the Gators probably will begin the 2009 season atop the polls. Florida returns most of a defense that held Oklahoma -- which averaged 54 points a game this season -- to 14 points in Thursday's BCS title game.
Gators coach Urban Meyer said Sunday that linebacker Brandon Spikes and receiver Percy Harvin, both juniors, are still trying to decide whether they should enter the NFL draft.
"They're still researching," Meyer said. "That's all I want is for them to make a good decision."
"Oh, and by the way, one more thing," Tebow said. "Let's do it again. I'm coming back."
With Tebow back, the Gators probably will begin the 2009 season atop the polls. Florida returns most of a defense that held Oklahoma -- which averaged 54 points a game this season -- to 14 points in Thursday's BCS title game.
Gators coach Urban Meyer said Sunday that linebacker Brandon Spikes and receiver Percy Harvin, both juniors, are still trying to decide whether they should enter the NFL draft.
"They're still researching," Meyer said. "That's all I want is for them to make a good decision."
Friday, January 9, 2009
Best win of them all
Thursday night's national title win over Oklahoma was the Gator's best title win ever, capping their best season.
1996 was special because it was the first and it came against FSU, a team we lost to earlier in the season, but it was a blowout.
In 2006, the season was special because I didn't believe we had the offense to be national champs, but our defense carried us the whole way. Again the title game was a blowout.
But this win, and season, was special. We beat No.1 teams in back-to-back games with all the chips at stake. Our offense-talent wise- was the best ever and the defense was one of the best ever. And the final game was a classic, the best BCS title game yet. It was the first time the title game had been tied in the fourth quarter. It featured the greatest offense in the history of college football against one of the best defenses in the country. It pitted a conference known for its offensive firepower against a conference loaded with great defenses. And in the end, it was the greatest college football player/leader refusing to let his team lose.
I like the blowouts, but they aren't as satisfying as winning a tough battle. And this season was a battle the whole way. The 2008 champs battled through dozens of injuries, a loss to Mississippi and two No. 1 teams to win it all.
GO GATORS
1996 was special because it was the first and it came against FSU, a team we lost to earlier in the season, but it was a blowout.
In 2006, the season was special because I didn't believe we had the offense to be national champs, but our defense carried us the whole way. Again the title game was a blowout.
But this win, and season, was special. We beat No.1 teams in back-to-back games with all the chips at stake. Our offense-talent wise- was the best ever and the defense was one of the best ever. And the final game was a classic, the best BCS title game yet. It was the first time the title game had been tied in the fourth quarter. It featured the greatest offense in the history of college football against one of the best defenses in the country. It pitted a conference known for its offensive firepower against a conference loaded with great defenses. And in the end, it was the greatest college football player/leader refusing to let his team lose.
I like the blowouts, but they aren't as satisfying as winning a tough battle. And this season was a battle the whole way. The 2008 champs battled through dozens of injuries, a loss to Mississippi and two No. 1 teams to win it all.
GO GATORS
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