So here it is. The month of August. Not only is it the dog days of summer, but its also when we can get serious about the upcoming football season. Usually, college football gets underway before the month of August is up. While this is still true for DII (C.W Post Football on WCWP kicks off on Aug.29th), division one fans will have to wait until the first weekend of September. But I can't wait any longer. Each day until the season begins, I'll put up a new team profile to lead into what will be extensive college football coverage all season long.....
Florida: Last Season: 13 wins, National Champions
- The one thing that's great about college football is also the one thing that makes it somewhat difficult to follow. The sport is a variable revolving door. It is extremely rare that a championship caliber core stays around for more than a year or two. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, its just the nature of the beast.
Because of this, the outlook of the 2009 Florida Gators has to be looked upon with awe. How can a national championship team look as good, if not better, then they did the year before? One name says it all.
Tim Tebow
Like him or hate him, there is no arguing his impact of the game. Sports media types often talk about how much fun it is to watch true greatness. The reality is, Tim Tebow may not only be the best player in the country, he may be one of the all time college football greats when its all said and done. Tebow is the Florida offense. Without him, it ceases to exist. He is not only the returning team leader in passing yards, but also the returning rushing leader. He is the most dynamic player in the game- and its not even close.
But the Florida love fest doesn't end with Tebow. Plenty of teams have had play making, dynamic quarterbacks and failed to win the way Florida has. On top of Tebow, Florida lost only two offensive skill position players. One of those, Percy Harvin, was struggling to play at full strength (or at all) for the stretch run last season.
But don't get me wrong, replacing Harvin will be no easy task. Although hampered by injury, Harvin still racked up more all-purpose yards by himself in 2008 than the Gators top 5 receivers on the 2009 roster. Trying to replace Harvin is where the Gators will see the majority of their offense hiccups (I don't think anyone with Tebow under center can 'struggle' offensively).
Watch for tight end Aaron Hernandez to have a big role. Hernandez is widely regarded as the best tight end in the SEC. Hernandez caught 34 balls for 381 yards and 5 touchdowns last season. I think if the receiving tandem of Carl Moore, Justin Williams, and David Nelson struggles like they did at points last season, the tight end could quickly become a go-to option out of the passing game.
The loss of Harvin is doubly huge because it affects the running game as well Jeffery Demps and Chris Rainey will share the bulk of the running back load in the begining of the year. Look for freshman Andre Debose to have a serious impact in the second half.
If you're looking for something that could derail the 2009 Gators, its the inability to find that explosive "keep the defense honest" option that Harvin was. However, I'm never confident as a defense when it comes to making Tim Tebow make plays. That tends to work out.
The defense is almost a non issue because it's basically the same. Every defensive starter is retuning. Last year, the defense averaged a little under 13 points allowed per game. I'd have no reason to believe that it will be any different, barring injury of course.
Despite the loss of Harvin, I still think a Tim Tebow led offense will score two touchdowns a game.
Just a hunch....
3 Games to Watch
September 19th- Tennessee- Over under on the amount of times we'll see the Lane Kiffin "recruiting violation joke" tape on ESPN this week? My guess is about 502. I have a feeling this game has been circled in the locker room for a mighty long time.
October 10th- @LSU- The Gators haven't won in their last two trips to the bayou. This is a tough road game against a team that is in a lot of unofficial pre-season top 10's. If there's a loss on the schedule, it could come here.
November 14- @South Carolina- So Steve, Tim Tebow's not a preseason all-american...Really?...Really??
Jordan Lauterbach
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