Urban Meyer Resigns: Will Florida Gators' Winning Ways End With His Departure?

For the second time in as many seasons, Urban Meyer has stepped down as head coach for the University of Florida. Meyer cited a time for focus on family as his reasons for leaving the top spot at one of the most successful college football programs.

Meyer will coach his last game when the Gators face off against Penn State in the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Meyer announced he was stepping down a year ago due to stress related health problems but rejoined the team for spring practices and stayed on for the 2010 season. Meyer was an astonishing 64-15 in his six seasons at Florida, bringing home two SEC titles and two National Championships as well as becoming a three-time National Coach of the Year recipient.

Now that he is stepping down, the Gators may be in for some tough times in the Gainesville. The Gators failed to meet the lofty expectations this year as they posted five losses for the first in since 1988.

The Gators were not as dominant as they have been in years past and the John Brantley experiment at quarterback seemed to be a failure. The usually prolific and high-scoring Gators offense was grounded for much of 2010 and ranked 85th nationally in passing. The Gators lost three in a row, including back-to-back losses in the swamp against LSU and Mississippi State.

Florida just finished 4-4 in the SEC and finished second in the SEC East.

The Gators were hammered by in-state rival Florida State, 31-7, and the signs were pointing to a rebuilding season that is now official with the departure of Meyer.

Off-the-field things were not easy for Meyer. The team was under scrutiny for off-the-field indiscretions with the law that seemed to be at an all-time high for the program. Boosters had to have a tough time watching Cam Newton escort Auburn to a National Championship game after Florida allowed him to leave the school.

This could arguably be one of Meyer’s worst years as a head coach in college football.

Coaching at Florida is a dream job, and in the upcoming weeks several names will be tossed about as the Gators begin the search for a new head man. In the meantime, the Gators will be in a state of flux while current players determine their future and recruiting becomes more difficult without a head coach.

The Florida Gators are too good of a program to be down for too long, but this could be the beginning of a rebuilding period, and that is something that Florida fans and the college football world is not accustomed to.

Matt Regaw is a B/R Featured Columnist and the founder of BookieBlitz.com, your one-stop shop for sports articles, previews and predictions. Feel free to contact Matt at [e-mail].