Just a day left before we kick this off in earnest and three teams left in our countdown of the Top 25 teams as voted on by you.

Suggest Team Slogan More Than Just Tebow, Sort Of

What we learned in 2007 Tim Tebow is pretty good, the defense backfield was not. I used the past tense their because I believe it won't be as big an issue this fall.

Urban Meyer's offense was designed for a dual threat quarterback like Tebow and during his sophomore season he thrived, to the tune of 3,286 yards passing, 895 yards rushing and a combined 55 touchdowns. Oh, and that Heisman Trophy deal. Question continue to surround his passing prowess, but in 2007 he proved its good enough to dominate college football. We'll leave his professional prospectus on hold for the time being.

We learned Percy Harvin is a frightening threat as a receiver or running back when healthy, quite possibly the most elusive player in college football.

But we also learned that Meyer desperately needs a true rushing attack, with actual running backs. Tebow and Harvin were one and two on the Gators rushing list last season. That should change, or at the very least, they'll have more company.

When we last saw the Gators, Chad Henne was carving up the Florida secondary for 373 yards and three touchdowns en route to a 41-35 defeat to the Michigan Wolverines. That will need to be corrected if the Gators want to get back to the BCS.

Expectations in '08 I, for one, expect record breaking offensive numbers. Few offenses have as many weapons to choose from. This year Tebow can add two talented running back to the mix: the sex-educated Chris Rainey, and USC transfer Emmanuel Moody, who will join Kestahn Moore.

Percy Harvin's health remains a question mark, but even if it's only 8-9 games he plays, he'll become the difference maker. Expect Florida to improve from its 42.5 point per game a year ago.

With this improved offense, and hopefully more stable defense come the expectation for Gator Nation that the team return to the National Title game. The pieces are place, they were last year and came fairly close. So long as ...

What could hold them back Defense, defense, and a lack of consistent rushing from running backs.

Florida's defense didn't allow huge statistical numbers threw the air, but allow enough big plays to hurt the Gators in their biggest games. Matt Stafford connected on two touchdown passes of over 50 yards in their loss to the Dawgs 42-30.

And it's not just the passing attack that show some weakness. LSU rushed for 247 yards and dominated the line of scrimmage, especially when they picked up two late 4th down conversions to comeback from a 10-point deficit. One, just one stop and its possibly the Gators playing Ohio State for a second straight year.

On the other side of the football, Tim Tebow can't do it all by himself. His right shoulder took a beating last season, handling most of the rushing duties. It's doubtful he can keep that up, despite his success. Chris Rainey is uber-fast, but also small. Emmanuel Moody will likely be the man alongside Moore by midseason and his success might determine how Florida handles Georgia's tough defense on November 1st.

Big Men on Campus Big Man on Earth, more like it. Tebow Tebow Tebow. You've heard it all, you've even heard how he'd make a great president someday which officially highlighted his ridiculous hype this offseason.

Cheerleader Grade



I don't know if they're cheerleaders, but who cares. The appear to be cheering, and so am I. A+. Did you expect anything else from Gainesville?

Schedule and Prediction

Aug. 30	Hawaii W
Sept. 6	Miami W
Sept. 20	at Tennessee W
Sept. 27	Ole Miss W
Oct. 4	at Arkansas W
Oct. 11	LSU W
Oct. 25	Kentucky W
Nov. 1	Georgia (Jacksonville) W
Nov. 8	at Vanderbilt W
Nov. 15	South Carolina W
Nov. 22	Citadel W
Nov. 29	at Florida State W

12-0 (8-0 SEC) -- Yes, I predict the Gators go undefeated this season. November 1st will decide everything. Georgia is tough, and even if Florida loses that game, I still expect the Dawgs to lose twice, and sending Urban Meyer to the SEC Championship game. Which, for the record, I predict they'll win as well and meet the Buckeyes again in the national title game.

Your thoughts and predictions?