Florida-Vanderbilt Preview: Commodores Will Be Commandeered by Tim Tebow and Co.

There are several reasons to think that Saturday night's SEC battle between Florida and Vanderbilt will not even be close.

The main reason is that Florida can clinch the SEC East division with a victory. Urban Meyer knows what's at stake, and he has certainly already conveyed the importance of clinching the division this week to his players. Besides, we know Meyer doesn't want the division on the line when Steve Spurrier makes his latest return to the Swamp.

Also important is that the Gators have this guy called Tim Tebow. The same Tebow who promised after the Ole Miss defeat to try harder than any other player in college football the rest of the season. Recent history shows that Tebow will do anything. The guy performed circumcisions during the offseason for Christ's sake (no pun intended).

So we aren't expecting much when we assume Tebow will give his full effort and focus in an attempt to win this game.

The next key sign that the Gators will win lies in a weakness of their opponent. Vanderbilt averages 110.4 passing yards a game.

One common theme in the last two Gator defeats (Michigan way back in the Capital One Bowl in January, Ole Miss in September of this season) was Florida's inability to defend the pass. The secondary got burned or fell for a fake, and big passing plays for the opposition ensued.

But there is no threat of that here. UF's secondary is becoming a strength of the team. The defense has intercepted 11 passes and returned four of them for touchdowns so far this season. More than likely, the big play when Vandy's offense is on the field will be a Gator interception.

In defense of Vandy's offense, it does run the ball well. Averaging 144.2 yards a game is very respectable. The Commodores just happen to be going against the same team that shut down Charles Scott of LSU and Knowshon Moreno of Georgia in the past month (those two combined only came up with 90 yards rushing).

The Commodores have excelled this year in forcing turnovers, but they will face a Gators team that avoids mistakes at all costs (except for that Ole Miss game, of course).

Also considering that Vanderbilt's defense is its strength, and that UF averages 405.6 yards of total offense a game, it is clear that Vandy will be pitting strength against strength and weakness against weakness.

There is no area of the game for Vanderbilt to exploit, so there is little reason to believe  this game will be close. Florida's strengths can overcome Vandy's, and the Gators' weaknesses are less problematic.

After all, it is a stretch to call the Gators defense a liability when it gives up 11.6 points a game.

And I haven't even mentioned special teams yet. Florida has arguably the best special teams in the nation. With Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey on the field to block punts, Chas Henry punting the ball inside the 20, and Brandon James racking up return yards and return touchdowns, the Gators are guaranteed to find some advantage in special teams.

The only noticeable flaw in that unit is that it kicks the ball out of bounds on kickoffs far too often. The penalty for such a mistake is equivalent to a Brandon James kickoff return (ball goes to the 40-yard line).

All signs point to a Gator blowout, so enjoy the competitive nature of the first half.

It won't be duplicated.

My prediction: Gators 42, Commodores 10