Will Gators strike again this season?



You kind of have to feel sorry for Florida football, right? They win a national championship, and the basketball team one-ups them by winning back-to-back NCAA Tournaments.

OK, no one is crying for the Gators. (Would those be alligator tears?) But the Florida footballers have their work cut out for them if they hope to match their basketball brethren with another title.

Urban Meyer's squad loses quarterback Chris Leak and nine starters on defense. Their tailback situation is a mess. Their schedule features Tennessee and Auburn at home, Georgia at Jacksonville and visits to LSU and South Carolina.

Of course, SN member dumpsterkitty makes a good point about the Gators: "Let us not forget how brightly they shined when everybody counted them out before last year's BCS championship."

Indeed, this Florida team cannot be counted out of the national title hunt. Despite their losses and their tough schedule, the Gators are No. 5 in SN's Top 25 countdown, thanks in part to an embarrassment of riches at receiver. That Tebow kid is supposed to be a pretty good quarterback, too. And the defense, while inexperienced, has plenty of talent.

Florida's youngsters can adjust to the college game during home dates with Western Kentucky and Troy in Weeks 1 and 2. Not every squad gets such a cushiony start. SN's Tom Dienhart says the best opening-week games include Tennessee-Cal, Notre Dame-Georgia Tech and Florida State-Clemson. His list makes any college football fan want to fast-forward through the month of August.

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