Reason for optimism.....

CFN is just full of Gator love today....but have you seen College Football Live on ESPN this week? It's even better than the Gator Bowl DVD because it's "Florida" week as they keep saying....

Even Desmond Howard has been heapin the love on the Gators on that show.

http://cfn.scout.com/2/861443.html

 

With good reason, they have a Sr. QB coming back who's a great college player and they have a lot of starters at other positions also coming back. I some how doubt, as great a college player as Harvin was, that he'll be missed.

Gators no doubt will be pre-season #1 or no lower than #2 or #3 and really I don't see how somebody will rate Texas/OU or even USC ahead of the Gators to start the season.

 

I have been saying all along that they should cancel the upcoming season and fast forward right to the White House love fest where the Gators can receive their trophy and give Obama his Gator jersey #1.

This just convinces me even more.....

 

George,

With Tebow around to remind and inspire I think the biggest enemy...complacency...will be kept at bay.

Otherwise the schedule is one of the most conducive in years for Florida to run the table and probably only LSU has any realistic chance of beating the Gators straight up and even then I think the Tigers will need some poor play by UF and some breaks to pull it off.

Then there is always the chance of Ole Miss pulling an upset in the SECCG but I think Tebow will have the team pumped for that one.

Uncertainties like injury to Tebow could also be a factor but you can't make predictions based on someone getting hurt so I say the Gators do go 13-0 heading to the Rose Bowl.

There a very tough foe could be waiting in USC, Texas or OU and those 3 possibilities definitely give cause to wait and see how this thing plays out.

 

SI chimes in:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/andy_staples/04/28/spring-top25/index.html#?eref=T1

Surprise (a little one ) at #7 is Ole Miss but they have 16 starters back along with #5 Va Tech which is more returning than any other team.....except for Florida (17).

Then throw in the depth in Gainesville and you have the recipe for repeat.

 

Nutt is a good coach, but not a great coach. Ole Miss will find a way to blow a top 10 ranking.

 

Glad you've seen the light George.

Terry, I see that three of the top six teams are Big 12. Seeing Oklahoma State there is a tribute to their rise the last few years.

 

Oklahoma State opens with Georgia this year at Stillwater, so we'll find out real fast if they are worthy of the top 10 ranking.

Terry

 

Bill,

It's hopeless for the rest of us. Dave has made a compelling case for the Gators and I'm convinced. There just really isn't any reason to play this charade out.

Gloom, despair and agony on me.
Deep, dark depression. Excessive misery.
If it weren't for bad luck the rest of us would have no luck at all
The Gators have it locked up, only misery have we.

 

George, it is good that you have seen the light.

 

This isn't rocket science. The Gators are defending BCS champs, they return the farm including that great defense and their schedule sucks. (Georgia reloading, Tennessee rebuilding and no big dogs from the West on slate).

This looks like the Gators trophy to lose.

 

Have you all so easily forgotten the effect the Gator Bowl had? And the magic jump start effect it had for the Huskers to not only take what is rightfully theirs (B12), but also finish the season undefeated, only to get screwed out of playing for the NC by a 1-loss Florida team?

:twisted:

It's coming baby!!.....choooooo chhooooooooooooooo..... :wink:

 

B12 North will be pretty interesting. Lots of questions and I don't see one team as clearly the one to win. Missouri lost their Sr. QB and best WR, so the question is has Pinkel just been riding Chase Daniel or has he truly got that program turned so that we can expect them to be good every year. Kansas with the FatMan, he does have his QB back, don't know what else they lost but they will probably be good. The Huskers lost their Sr. QB, but in the 2nd year of the Reign of Bo, will the team be better just due to coaching. I see those as the 3 teams who will compete. I think the 2nd run of Bill Synder at KState is likely to fail, and I think the Hawk at Colorado is finding coaching in the B12 a little tougher than coaching in WAC. Iowa State well their just plain bad.

B12 South will be another war, with OU, OKState, and Texas all having their QB's back and lots of talent that has been waiting their chance to fill any holes left by players leaving for the NFL. Texas Tech is likely to slip back a little bit with the loss of Harrell and Crabtree and Baylor and A&M are likely to creep up a little with their coaches being in the 2nd year. But the Big 3 will stay the same.

Terry