2010 USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll: Florida Ranked No. 3

Like Col. Nathan Jessup said in A Few Good Men, "All this heat is making me freaking crazy."  Well, the heat in Florida IS crazy hot about this time in August, and that's a good thing. 

Why?

It means College football season is about to start, and I'm getting freaking crazy too.

Here come the Gators...

The Gators should remain unscathed and relatively untested until that afternoon in Tuscaloosa.  The likes of Miami of Ohio, South Florida, Tennessee, and Kentucky just won't prepare this team for what they will face at Alabama on October 2nd.

The Tebow era is now over, and it's time for the Gators to assume a new identity.  Apparently the coaches that voted on USA Today's poll think the Gators will do just fine, thank you.

With the orange and blue checking in at No. 3 on the list, it's apparent that many feel the Gators should contend once again for the BCS National Championship.  Florida was one spot behind Ohio State for the second spot, and Alabama was a No. 1 pick on the poll.

Florida landed ahead of powerhouses such as Texas, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, and Boise state. 

Of course, it's way too early to fixate on just what this poll really means.  The Gators have young players in key positions that will have to step up to make a return trip to the BCS possible. 

Florida QB John Brantley will have to be the leader on an offense that will need its big play studs to step up and carry the load.  The likes of Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey, and Deonte Thompson will all need to have big shoulders.

Thompson will need to step up big and provide a solid, consistent target for Brantley.  If this does materialize, and Brantley can continue to show he can throw quality passes downfield, then the Gators could be a big play offense. 

What we do know is that Jeff Demps could turn his skill set into some national recognition this year as a big time game changer with awesome speed.  Florida should have one of the best offensive lines in the country to give Brantley time to throw.

Florida's defense is going to lean heavily on the likes of Justin Trattaou on the D-line, and linebackers AJ Jones and Brandon Hicks.  Safeties Ahmad Black and Will Hill will be tough to handle, and corners Janoris Jenkins and Moses Brown should be able to patrol the secondary well.

The X factor in my opinion is Urban Meyer.  Has the coach succeeded in his life changing skills?  Will his health remain good now that his issues have been diagnosed and hopefully for him, effectively treated?  How much will stress factor into the mix?

As I have said previously, the Gators are here to stay.  Top five recruiting classes should be the norm as long as Florida has success on the field.  Of course, Urban Meyer will have a lot to do with that as well.  I predicted Florida would finish 12-1 and meet Alabama again in the SEC Championship game.

I'm sticking with that.  The winner of the Alabama/Florida SEC Championship game goes to the BCS National Championship.