2009 Florida Gators Preview

The start of the college football season is here and the 2009 Florida Gators are the favorite choice of the various media outlets. What else would you expect from a team that has the best player in the game and a head coach who is in a class by himself?

But do the Florida Gators have enough to win their third BCS title in four years?

For starters, the Gators will be led by one of the top quarterbacks ever to play in the college football ranks. Tim Tebow, the 2007 Heisman winner, has returned for his final season and is ready to bring home another championship.

Though he was not able to secure a second Heisman in 2008, it was not for his lack of trying. By the end of the season he had compiled a 64.4% completion rate for 2,747 yards with 30 touchdowns and 4 interceptions to go with 673 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.

While the Gators saw Percy Harvin leave for the NFL, their skilled positions are still filled with talent who will need to step up in 2009. Riley Cooper and Deonte Thompson will need to pick up the slack in the passing game to give Tebow a threat down field.

A potential area of concern could be the offensive line that lost two starters after the 2008 season. The Florida Gators will need the front line to gel if they are going to give Tebow the time he needs to make plays happen.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Florida Gators are returning all 11 starters. The team was ranked fourth in the nation, allowing only 12.9 points per game and ninth in the nation, allowing opponents to average 285.4 yards per game. If this unit continues their dominance from the 2008 season, things will be a lot easier for Tebow this year.

When you look at the 2009 schedule for the Gators, there are only a handful of games that stick out as being potentially problematic. On September 19^th, the Gators will welcome the Tennessee Volunteers to the Swamp who will be under a new head coach who is eager to make his mark in the college ranks.

A potential trap game for the Gators could be the trip to Kentucky on September 26^th because they may be looking ahead to the October 10^th meeting with LSU. The November 28^th meeting with Florida State is intriguing because of the intense rivalry between the two schools.

In the end, if the Gators are able to overcome any key injuries and mistakes, they should find themselves in line for the SEC Championship game. When and if they can secure a win over the winner of the West, the Gators will find themselves vying for a chance to go to the BCS title game.

If the stars are aligned for the Florida Gators, they can find themselves in a unique position in 2010, with the chance to win a third national title in only four years.

Resources

http://www.gatorzone.com/football/

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football