Projected Postseason Top 25: #6 Florida

Nobody outside of Gainesville can say they saw Florida’s thrashing of Ohio State in last year’s BCS National Championship Game coming. So is this the beginning of a new dynastic cycle in Gainesville? With all the hyper surrounding Tim Tebow and the love affair between him and Gator Nation, it is a little lofty to expect him, in his first year as the primary quarterback to take the Gators through the SEC and back to the National Championship. Its also a little lofty to expect LSU to turn the ball over five times again. There are other first time starters besides Teabow so while talent isn’t a question, experience is.

Projected Record and Bowl Result: 12-2 Beat Georgia Tech in Orange Bowl

Who they’ll beat: Western Kentucky (Home), Troy (Home), Tennessee (Home), Mississippi (Road), Auburn (Home), Kentucky (Road), Georgia (Jacksonville, FL), Vanderbilt (Home), South Carolina (Road), Florida Atlantic (Home), Florida State (Home), Georgia Tech (Miami, FL)

Who’ll beat them: LSU (Road), LSU (Atlanta, GA)

When they Pass: Tim Tebow goes from “go in there take the snap and run left” to “lead Coach Meyer’s offense to another SEC championship”. It’s a task which will seem menial in Tebow’s second or third year leading the offense, herculean in the first.

When they Run: In Meyer’s spread option offense, true tailbacks like Ketsahn Moore or utilized less in favor of athletes like Percy Harvin and freshman Cameron Newton who will take over Tebow’s short yardage “run left” duties.

When their Opponents Run: Brandon Spikes replaces Brandon Siler as the teams middle linebacker and rah rah leader. The rest of the front seven is very green.

When their Opponents Pass: The defenses lone returning starter is strong safety Tony Joiner.

When they Kick: Joey Ijjas kicked a 60 yard field goal in Florida’s spring game.

When they call Timeout: Meyer is a visionary and seems to be winning the recruiting war in the state of Florida. For this reason a lot of teams will be “gator bait” for years to come. This is however a rebuilding year, but even in a rebuilding year, Meyer can outcoach anyone and make up for a lack of experience on the field itself.