SEC Extra Points: Should Florida Fans Be Angry with Tim Tebow and Urban Meyer?

With one graphic, Florida fans went mad.

Tim Tebow—legendary Gator, 2007 Heisman Trophy winner and two-time national champion—was featured on a recruiting graphic spread for Ohio State and former Gator and current Buckeye head coach Urban Meyer.

This, predictably, has left Florida fans and those paid to give opinions a bit conflicted.

I get the frustration.

In an ideal world, Tebow would be associated with Florida and only Florida for the rest of his life. Plus, Ohio State and Florida occasionally swim in the same recruiting pool for 5- and 4-star players, which only would add to the tension.

But college football is a transient world where coaches jump to other jobs on a regular basis and players develop loyalty to a variety of different programs and people who helped them along the way.

It's OK for Tebow to help out Meyer and Florida at the same time.

It's not like he's just a former college football star. He's a megastar. He's a lightning rod. He's somebody who is widely known across the sporting and entertainment worlds, and the primary reason is his success from his college football days at Florida.

Show me a high school player who sees Tebow's face and doesn't initially think of the Florida program, and I'll show you a liar.

Tebow should be proud of his time at Florida—a place where a statue of the former superstar stands alongside fellow Heisman Trophy winners Steve Spurrier and Danny Wuerffel. He also should be proud of his time with Meyer—a man who made him a two-time national champion and one of the most decorated quarterbacks in SEC history and who revolutionized SEC offenses thanks to Tebow's ability.

He doesn't have to be one or the other.

Besides, if current head coach Jim McElwain isn't talking up Tebow when prospects are in Gainesville, he's doing it wrong.

Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images

It's That Time Of Year

The SEC Network tweeted some superlatives from ESPN The Magazine's college football preview, and its picks for Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year are rather chalky.

Kelly put up the third-best offensive season in SEC history last year at Ole Miss when he gained a total of 4,542 yards and scored 41 total touchdowns (31 passing, 10 rushing). Garrett led all SEC players with 12.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss last year for Texas A&M and is as close to a Jadeveon Clowney clone as there is in the SEC right now.

You could make an argument that some other players like LSU running back Leonard Fournette or Florida cornerback Jalen Tabor could take those titles, respectively, but it's tough to have an issue with the publication siding with Kelly and Garrett.

I do have a couple of issues with its predicted order of finish in each division, though.

What has become clear over the course of the offseason is that LSU is this year's version of Auburn circa 2015: That team that has a load of talent that people will assume will solve some roster holes without much actual indication that it actually has.

Did I miss the part of the offseason when head coach Les Miles became more creative offensively and chose to unleash an effective downfield passing attack that takes pressure off Fournette, and when quarterback Brandon Harris became more consistent in the passing game?

LSU can boast as much returning talent defensively as it wants. That's not the issue.

Alabama has earned the benefit of the doubt in the West, and Ole Miss has to a lesser extent. LSU has not, which makes its ceiling far from its floor (as described in Optimistic, Pessimistic and Realistic SEC predictions from earlier this week).

On the East side, Vanderbilt is getting criticized for simply being Vanderbilt, yet again.

The Commodores—who did finish fourth in the SEC East last year, which apparently went unnoticed—will not finish last in what is a transition year for several division foes.

When you have a guy like Ralph Webb—who broke the 1,000-yard mark on the ground in a painfully one-dimensional offense—a solid defense led by linebacker Zach Cunningham and defensive backs Oren Burks and Torren McGaster, you're going to be in every game. 

A full offseason should benefit likely quarterback Kyle Shurmur, who just has to find a way to be a threat downfield in order for the Commodores to make a bowl game.

Fraternizing With The Media

Michael Chang/Getty Images

Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn hosted a dinner at his house for the members of the Auburn beat Tuesday night, which led some—including Chadd Scott of GridironNow.com—to criticize the fourth-year coach of the Tigers and suggest that it's a sign that he's feeling the pressure of being on the hot seat.

That's a bit of a reach.

While it is a bit unusual for a head coach to invite members of the media over to his house, and certainly can be perceived as an attempt to curry favor heading into a critical year, it isn't that big of a deal.

Not one of the 15 people who were there with the Malzahns will or should be swayed by a night out with somebody who they see and talk to on a professional basis every week. If they are, then they should be fired.

Media members are loyal to themselves and their own livelihood. If a beat writer gets a tip about a player's injury that he or she can confirm, that's going to get out whether the school wants it to or not. That's the job of said member of the media.

The thought, "Hey, maybe I shouldn't publish this because of that dinner that I had one time at the Malzahn's house" would never under any circumstances enter his or her mind.

Now if certain members of the media don't feel comfortable going to the house of somebody they cover because they feel it's unethical, that's fine. I disagree but certainly understand that side of the argument. There's also a very simple solution to that problem—just don't go.

It's just dinner. 

Besides, there are way more than 15 people who will have opinions and insights into his status as Auburn's head coach this fall, none of whom enjoyed a night out with the Malzahns.

Foley's Replacement

Stephen B. Morton/Associated Press

Florida threw a curveball this week when it announced that longtime athletics director Jeremy Foley will retire effective October 1, ending 25 years at the helm of the program.

During that time, Florida has established itself as a monster. Gator athletic programs won 27 national titles during Foley's time in Gainesville, including football national titles in 1996, 2006 and 2008. 

"So many memories," Foley said in an emailed statement. "Of championships won. Of teams setting goals and then achieving them. The passion shown by Florida fans across the state, nation and world. Those letters or emails from student-athletes after they receive their degrees, so appreciative of their Gator experience."

So where will Florida go from here? 

There have been plenty of names tossed out there, including, as Robert Judin of CampusInsiders.com pointed out, Georgia athletics director Greg McGarity and former Florida and South Carolina head football coach Steve Spurrier.

Both of those names are way too high-profile for what Florida needs.

Foley was a rarity in college athletics. He owned every decision—good (like hiring Meyer in 2005) and bad (like hiring Will Muschamp to replace him and hiring Ron Zook to replace Spurrier). He rarely used search firms, kept things in-house and treated all sports as equal, which helped the entire athletic department thrive.

The people who can best replicate that are the people who learned from him. 

Yes, McGarity is one of those people. But would he really make a lateral move? A good gig is a good gig, and he has found a home in Athens.

Adam Silverstein of OnlyGators.com put together a comprehensive list of candidates, and many of them are people you've probably never heard of. That's because three of the top six worked under Foley and should be able to step in without missing a beat.

It certainly won't be Spurrier, though. Do you really think he wants to run an athletic department? That would take way too much time away from the golf course for the Head Ball Coach.

Quick Outs

• After banning the bands of opposing teams from playing at halftime of football games last year due to safety issues with getting them on the field, LSU has pulled a 180 and will continue to allow them to perform, according to Ross Dellenger of the Advocate. It's a good move. If the opposing team brings its band, let those students have their moment on the field of one of the great stadiums in college football. After all, who are they really hurting by playing?
• Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin isn't holding back, defending his program from what he feels is a blatant misconception about the state of everything Aggie. "A lot of people don’t think we’re very good," he said late last week, according to Olin Buchanan of TexAgs.com. "A lot of people think this organization is in disarray. It’s far from it." The coaching staff might be the best Sumlin has had during his time in College Station, but with games against UCLA, Auburn, Arkansas and Tennessee before the mid-October bye week, perception could become reality if Sumlin's crew doesn't get off to a hot start.
• Former Georgia wide receiver/quarterback/athlete and Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward weighed in on Georgia's quarterback battle and wants head coach Kirby Smart to start true freshman Jacob Eason, according to WXIA 11 Alive in Atlanta. I'm with him. The upside for Brice Ramsey and Greyson Lambert isn't that high, and letting Eason learn on the fly will set Georgia up well for the future.

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.