Five Reasons Florida Won’t Win the National Championship—or the SEC

Last week I explained how the Georgia Bulldogs would not be able to live up to the lofty expectations set by experts across the country.  This week, it’s the Florida Gators’ turn.     

The 2008-2009 Gators have a loaded offense, the returning Heisman winner, a manageable schedule, and one of the country’s best coaches—a sure-fire recipe for a national championship contender.   

But here are five reasons the Florida Gators will not only miss out on the national championship game, but also on winning the SEC.   

1.) The Defense

The Gator defense was flat-out awful last year, and while all those players are now a year older, we just don’t know if they’ll be any better. 

In the SEC, it all starts in the trenches, so if Florida can’t get a pass rush or stop the run, it will be déjà vu in 2008.  While I think Florida’s defense will be improved, it will still be a very young squad, and eventually that youth will catch up with them in a close game.   

2.) Two-Minute Offense

Gator fans don’t want to hear this—and some will argue otherwise—but the fact is, Tim Tebow never led the Gators to a come-from-behind win last season, despite three chances to do so: against Auburn, LSU, and Michigan.     

This is obviously not all on Tebow, as play calling and other players factor into the two-minute drill.  But clearly the Gators did not have the late game execution they wanted in their three closest losses of last season—and it all starts with Tebow.   

That said, I wouldn’t bet against the kid working on his two-minute drill right this second, and for every waking minute until the Gators kick off against Hawaii.  If anybody can correct a part of his game, it’s Tebow.         

3.) Tebow Backlash

Face it, Tim Tebow has embarrassed a lot of teams in his brief career.  In addition, the kid has garnered national attention for seemingly everything he has done—and for all the right reasons.  Tebow is a class act, a role model for youngsters, an unquestioned leader, and an excellent teammate.   

Unfortunately, that doesn’t sit well with opponents.  While I highly doubt too many defenders will actually get the last word on Number 15, some determined team will find a chink in the Gator armor 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.     

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.     

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