Ponder vs. Tebow: CFB Rivalries Renewed in NFL Week 13

The Tim Tebow train is off and running, and the next stop is in Minneapolis at Mall of America Field.

The surging Denver Broncos, who are 5-1 under their new starting QB, will take on a 2-9 Vikings team that has been decimated by injuries and manhandled on a weekly basis.

The Ponder-led Vikings are 1-4, but confidence in the young signal-caller is growing with each passing week. The FSU product seems to possess the poise and maturity needed to lead this team—and the arm to back it up. Still, the continuous losses are starting to take a toll on Vikings fans, and the ever-growing number of players being placed on IR is becoming concerning.

The Broncos will roll into Minneapolis in search of an opportunity to squeeze themselves back into the playoff picture by running the football and playing with a punishing defense. Say what you want about Tebow as a QB, but the Florida product has been winning games—ugly games—but winning them nonetheless.

Despite the Vikings' record, Tebow will be in for a challenge against one of the most feared pass-rushers in the NFL. Jared Allen is only 3.5 sacks away from a huge milestones of 100 for his career. After being left silent in the Vikings' last two games, Allen will likely be firing on all cylinders this week against an inexperienced QB that struggles inside the pocket.

The Vikings aren't the only ones that can rush the passer, though. Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil lead a very impressive defense that have kept scores low enough to keep their growing offense in games, giving Tebow a chance to clean up these sloppy victories.

With the Vikings' Adrian Peterson likely sidelined for another week, the battle between Ponder and Tebow will take center stage.

Though this is the first year as starters for both QBs, this is certainly not the first time the two have faced off. Their history goes back three years to one of the best rivalries in college football: Seminoles vs. Gators.

The University of Florida vs. Florida State University

The rivalry between the Florida Gators and the Florida State Seminoles is the oldest among public universities in the state of Florida.

The two teams have met 56 times since their first meeting in 1958. Though Florida leads in the series, the last 38 meetings have resulted in a record of 19-18-1 in favor of FSU.

Because both programs are so highly regarded on a National level, the prestige of this rivalry has grown with each passing year.

After Florida topped the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2006 BCS National Championship, Tim Tebow took over as the full-time starting QB for Urban Meyer's Gators. Tebow wasn't able to lead the Gators to repeat as national champions, but his efforts were enough to make him the first true-sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy.

In 2008, Tebow, along with LB Brandon Spikes and now-Vikings WR Percy Harvin, was able to lead the Gators to another BCS National Championship victory. Since then, Tebow has been considered college football royalty and the hype from his accomplishments at Florida are the main reasons for the "Tebowmania" that is currently infecting the NFL.

Christian Ponder began his college career at FSU as a redshirt freshman in 2006. By 2007, he was the backup QB behind Drew Weatherford, and in 2008, he was named the starter ahead of senior Weatherford for his outstanding maturity and work ethic.

For the 2008 season, Ponder started in all 13 games and led the Seminoles to a 9-4 record in a season that ended in a Champs Sports Bowl victory over the Wisconsin Badgers. Ponder was named the team's most valuable offensive player and resumed in his role as the starter for the next two seasons.

Despite the fact that he was also injured multiple times in his career, Ponder's success at FSU was largely overshadowed by Tebow, who was starting for the in-state rival Gators. It was once Tebow left for the NFL that Ponder took off as a solid college QB.

In 2010, Ponder became the first FSU QB since Chris Weinke in 1999 to beat both of Florida State's main rivals—Miami and UF—in the same season. His efforts had him on Heisman watch (though he did not win) and earned him an invite to play in the Under Armor Senior Bowl, in which he was named the MVP for leading the South team to victory against a heavily favored North team.

Because Tebow's style of play didn't render him as a very good pro-prospect and Ponder's arm strength and durability were both questioned as the two entered their respective NFL Draft classes, the two were both considered reaches when being selected in the first round—Tebow with the 25th overall in 2010 and Ponder with the 12th overall in 2011.

The two QBs are certainly not the most sought-after or decorated young men in the NFL, but the re-emergence of this rivalry should be interesting nonetheless—especially with Percy Harvin catching balls from Ponder instead of Tebow.

That shouldn't be much of a problem, though, because Tebow has a pretty good receiver himself.

Where's he from, you ask? The Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Eric Decker's Return to Minnesota

Before being drafted in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft, Denver Broncos WR Eric Decker's roots were planted in the small town of Cold Springs, Minn.

There, he attended Rocori High School before earning a scholarship to the University of Minnesota to play both football and baseball.

Decker had a breakout season in 2008, recording 1,074 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. By his senior season in 2009, Decker was averaging 124.8 receiving yards per game, which had him ranked as the third-best receiver in the Nation behind Dez Bryant from Oklahoma State and A.J. Green from Georgia.

During Decker's tenure at Minnesota, he was consistently a crowd favorite and was a very dangerous target for Gophers QB Adam Weber, who also plays for the Broncos. The two were best friends on the team and roommates in school. Their careers have allowed them to not just remain friends in their professional careers, but to return to Minnesota as teammates.

Decker is having his breakout season in the NFL, already having recorded eight touchdowns and 527 receiving yards, even in the option system used in Denver to give Tebow every chance to succeed.

Summing It All Up

Between the re-emergence of a great College Football Rivalry on an NFL stage, and the homecoming of one of Minnesota's favorite sons, this Week 13 matchup has the potential to be one of the most exciting games of the week.

With the media frenzy surrounding "Tebowmania," this game will likely gain some national attention. However, with Percy Harvin being one of Ponder's favorite targets and Eric Decker returning to Minny as the enemy, all these different relationships and ties will completely overshadow the fact that the Broncos defense will probably smother the Vikings and give Tebow his sixth win as a starter.

Well, at least until the game starts—then it will be the Von Miller show.

But hey, what do I know?

Thanks for reading.

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