To the Gator Nation: I Apologize

and take down Gary Danielson’s man crush.   

And with the way the BCS system works, that one loss could very well be the Gators’ undoing.  

Now I actually did foretell this to a certain extent.  The Ole Miss defense caused two things that were nearly unheard of:  a Tebow fumble and a stuffed 4th and one run. 

But instead of that one loss ruining the season for Florida, it actually propelled them (and Tebow specifically) to an incredible display of dominance for the rest of the season, which leads me to…


4.) Urban Meyer’s Stubbornness

For the record, I think Urban Meyer is a great coach.  But the guy’s idol is Woody Hayes—and like Hayes, he carries that old school stubbornness (which some would call arrogance) to the field.    

Whether it’s running Tebow off tackle 10 times in a quarter or calling the same bubble screen to Percy Harvin multiple times in a row, Meyer—at times—seems to get a little Tecmo Bowl on us.    

It’s no news that Meyer has been down on the Gators’ running backs in his time at Florida, and you have to wonder if Meyer’s “You fumble, you die” attitude affects the way his kids run.  At some point, you simply have to trust your tailback to take the ball and follow his instincts all the way to the house.

You simply have to give credit to Meyer for finally trusting his running backs.   

Even though it took four and a half games to do so, the Ole Miss/Arkansas games finally opened Meyer’s eyes to the talented backs he has on his team—and allowed him to trust players not numbered 1 or 15.  As a result, Tebow and Harvin were fresher and accounted for more big plays. 


5.) Auburn

Well, in short, Auburn has been Florida’s daddy recently.  And it’s not so much that Auburn has beaten Florida, it’s the way they’ve beaten the Gators—in the most heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, punch-yourself-in-the-face type of games.   

In the end, though, I see a raggedy but stubborn Auburn team—with more conference losses than both Florida and Georgia—sneaking away with this year's SEC Championship.

Now before you judge me on this one, let it be known that I was not alone in this pick.  Not only did the SEC media pick Auburn to win the West, no one saw Alabama performing like they did. 

To address the SEC Championship game, though: Again, you have to be impressed with this win, especially since the Gators were missing their most dynamic player—and looked to have zero momentum heading into the fourth quarter.  But they gutted it out and pulled off the win. 


For the record, the Gators have won me over, and I see them claiming their second national championship in three years come January 8. 

My National Championship score prediction:  Gators, 48-31 


As for you Georgia Bulldog fans:  I told you so.

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