Florida Number 3?
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by Andygates23
College football starts Thursday and nobody could be as excited as I am. Preseason polls came out two weeks ago and there's one spot that sticks out as a huge mistake. That spot belongs to the defending national champions the Florida Gators at #3 in the USA Today/Coaches poll. I understand that some feel that you're the champion until dethroned, but it doesn't and can't work like that in college football. Unlike the pros, NCAA teams are constantly replacing some, if not most, of their players. This year Florida finds itself in unusual circumstances. Not only did the Gators lose their leading passer (Chris Leak), runner (Deshawn Wynn) and receiver (Dallas Baker) to the NFL, they also lost nine of their starting eleven defensive starters. How can a team lose ALL that and still be considered the third best team in the nation? Don't get me wrong, Florida has weapons. True sophomore QB Tim Tebow will take over the Gator offense, but now he'll have to throw it and defenses won't be stacking the line so his receivers should be well covered. Tebow does have a lot of talent, but we've yet to see if he has the mental capacity to read the complicated defenses of the SEC. One person that will make Tebow's job easier is sophomore receiver Percy Harvin. Harvin has all the abilities to be a superstar and even a Heisman Trophy winner. The question is can Tebow get him the ball down field. Expect a lot of blitzing from opponents to see how the first time starter responds. Florida's offense is a concern, but not the main one. It is said that a true dynasty doesn't rebuild, they reload, but how does a team reload nine new starters on defense? In the most competitive conference in football even the smallest weak point can be a team's downfall. Expect offenses to challege this young defense by going deep often and using a lot of misdirection plays and if it's done right it'll work.
