Can the Florida Gators Rewrite History?

The University of Florida is making history. That much we know.

What many people don't know is the amount of history they will be battling in 2009, the odds that aren't so black-and-white.

The most intimidating facts Tim Tebow and company must overcome, may be the ones that they don't even know about.

To begin this journey, we have to take a look at college football history itself, and see what the Gators have to live up to.

History

73 National Championships. 73 Preseason No. 1 Rankings. Two Teams.

Poor Florida.

"Poor Florida?" Yes. I said poor Florida. Read on.

In 73 years, there have been 73 pre-season favorites. In those 73 years, there have been two teams who have gone week-in and week-out as the No. 1 undisputed best team in the country, without sliding even one spot to No. 2.

In 73 years, no team has ever been ranked in the pre-season as unanimously as the 2009 FLORIDA GATORS.

In 74 years, history could remain unchanged...if the Gators falter.

In the Poll-Era of College Football, it has become quite the rarity for a pre-season top-ranked team to run the gauntlet and achieve the ultimate pinnacle of success:

Winning the FBS (formerly I-A) National Championship.

The last 15 years, the modern generation by many college pundits; has been filled with various talent-laden teams. The prodigal sons of the gridiron year-in and year-out have been labeled as "gritty, stocky, speedy," and "deep."

These preseason favorites were at the apex, and in many minds, already champions, before ever taking a single snap on the field.

The favorites, feared by Vegas as much as by other teams. They were expected to be the best, and compete for the ultimate prize.

Year in, and year out however, the same people who planted the pre-season flag in the proverbial soil, staking their claim as "this year's best" would sadly be the same people found uprooted...disappointed by the outcome of their team's eventual fate.

A closer look would tell a very interesting story about the trials and tribulations of being atop the mountain so early in the season.

To see what the Gators have to look forward to in 2009—let's take a brief look back at the last 15 years of preseason favorites.

1993 - Florida State. Many publications would bill the 1993 FSU squad as one of the best teams Bobby Bowden would ever coach. They were right. Even they however, were not good enough to run the table. Not if Lou Holtz had anything to say about it.

The "Catholics" defeated the "Criminals," as underdogs, in what would be billed "The Game of the Century." Charlie Ward and Company would eventually go on to play in (and win), the 1993 National Championship; but only after receiving help from a Boston College team who beat Notre Dame the following week to conclude the season.

1994 - Florida State. After winning a National Championship, losing the likes of Warrick Dunn and Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward, it seemed impossible the pollsters would want to place FSU at No. 1. Well they did.

After losing an early season contest to Miami in the Orange Bowl, FSU was a memory. 1993 Runner-up Nebraska would go on to claim the Bowl Coalition's National Championship.

1995 - Florida State. Again. Pollsters would not crown the prior year's undefeated Nebraska team the preseason No. 1. Much like before, FSU could not match their capabilities of 1993, and was upset  by Virginia—their first ACC loss since joining the conference.

The Cornhuskers, led by option-QB and Heisman Trophy finalist Tommy Frazier, would dominate the 12-1 Florida Gators to win the National Championship, going 13-0 (the 1994-'95 'Huskers would be last team to go back-to-back as National Champions).

1996 - Nebraska. At last! Nebraska gets the love they deserved! Too bad it was the year after Frazier graduated. UF, after losing to Nebraska in the Fiesta by an unheralded 38 points, they would pound Florida State by a similar score. FSU would manage to claim No. 1 in the regular season contest, after beating Florida in Tallahassee.

Florida would go on to beat Alabama the following week in the SEC Championship Game. Paired with a Nebraska upset at the hands of Texas in the Big 12 Championship, and a Bowl Alliance that would send No. 4 Ohio State to the Rose versus No. 2 Arizona State.

Ohio State would win, setting up a National Championship game between UF and FSU in the Sugar, with Florida emerging with a huge win. Again—the preseason favorite wasn't even in the fold.

1997 - Florida. For the first time in its 90+ year history, Florida would be the preseason favorite to win the National Title. They wouldn't even compete for the top three. The Michigan Wolverines—led by Heisman Winner CB Charles Woodson—would go undefeated, capturing the illustrious Rose Bowl Championship over the Washington State Cougars. Meanwhile, the Cornhuskers were back, yet again, to claim their third trophy in four years.

1998 - Ohio State. No-hio State. They would however, play for runner-up. In a heavily debated argument of "who's the second best team in the country?" the Seminoles and the Tennessee Volunteers would match up for the National Championship. Florida State would be without their star QB, Chris Weinke, and Tee Martin would capture the flag over heavily favored FSU in the desert, 23-16.

1999 - Florida State.* The pollsters finally got one right. FSU became the first program to win the National Title wire-to-wire. It wouldn't be without it's close calls though, especially when the first father-son matchup of Tommy and Bobby nearly cost FSU it's shot at even PLAYING for the BCS Championship. FSU would win 17-14, escaping the curse, and cruise over talented phenom Michael Vick and the upstart Virginia Tech Hokies.

2000 - Nebraska. Wrong again. Fellow Big 12 Oklahoma would claim a perfect season, on the highly contested matchup with BCS No. 2 Florida State (Miami would get their redemption a season later in the Rose Bowl).

2001 - Florida. Again, the pollsters weren't even close. With probably one of its most dominant seasons since the early 1990s, Miami captured the NC over 11-1 (and Big 12 Championship game losers) Nebraska.

2002 - Oklahoma. They'd finish fifth by season's end. Instead, defending National Champ Miami would play Ohio State in what will go down in history as one of the most exciting and controversial games of all time. If you don't recall the pass interference call of 2002, you probably don't follow college football.

2003 - Oklahoma again? NOT OK! Well they pulled a Nebraska, lost the Big-12 CG, and still managed to make the National Championship. Sort of. The AP—getting tired of politics deciding who they would crown champs—went their own way and gave the kudos to Pete Carrol's USC Trojans (who would begin a dynasty of top five finishes leading up to current day).

The BCS crowned LSU champions after dispatching Oklahoma, and everyone was happy, but still quite wrong about their predictions.

2004 - USC.* Yep. They got it right. In just shy of 70 years, the pollsters managed to pick the team who really was the best.

2005 - USC. Well they were close. In the end, Vince Young was Chuck Norris-like. Single handedly beating one of the best teams in the history of college football.

2006 - Notre Dame. REALLY? NOTRE DAME?!?!? WOW! In a total shock,Notre Dame wasn't nearly as good as billed, and finished 17th in the AP. Florida would defeat Ohio State, beginning the Era of the Gator.

2007 - USC. Again with USC...Really. This time there seemed to be some belief that this was a solid pick. It was unfounded. LSU and Ohio State had other plans. In just his third season with the Tigers, Les Miles took care of business against Ohio State, just a few miles down the road in the Sugar Bowl, finishing with two losses, along with a handful of other teams.

2008 - O-H...no. Ohio State... Hoping to avenge back-to-back losses in the big game, managed to take care of the losing business all on their own...in the regular season, to Penn State and USC. Florida would again sneak into the National Championship game, beating the high octane offense of the Oklahoma Sooners. Some would cry for a Texas UF championship that would never come.

So to recap...

Since 1993, only three times has the preseason No. 1 managed to win it all. Only 2 times has a team managed to go wire-to-wire. Ironically, neither of these scenarios happened prior to 1993 in the poll-era...dating back to 1936.

What does this mean for Florida fans out there? Nothing.

But it wouldn't hurt make backup plans for Miami, New Orleans, or Glendale, because Pasadena could be occupied by someone else—someone who isn't a pre-season favorite to win it all.

The only consolation I can offer UF fans at this point is this—it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish. But sometimes starting at the top is important too.

On an interesting sidenote: In the history of the UF vs. FSU series, the host of the game has never won a National Championship that year.

1993 - @UF (FSU National Champs)

1995 - @UF (UF loses National Championship)

1996 - @FSU (UF National Champs AND FSU loses National Championship)

1998 - @FSU (FSU loses National Championship)

1999 - @UF (FSU National Champs)

2000 - @FSU (FSU loses National Championship)

2006 - @FSU (UF National Champs)

2008 - @FSU (UF National Champs)

2009 - @UF...?

Good luck Florida...

...History is waiting.