I honestly don't understand why ESPNU is showing numerous replays of the 2012 BCS Championship Game. Unless you have a two year old child and you want him/her to learn how to count by threes, there's just no point in watching it.

Simply put, Alabama won the ugliest BCS Championship there has ever been. But it still counts as a BCS Championship, and coupled with their 37-21 victory over Texas, Alabama has now won two out of the last three BCS Championships.

Say, that sounds familiar. Wasn't there another team not too long ago that won two out the last three BCS Championships? Specifically a team that wore orange and blue and rode a suffocating defense and dominant special teams to the title?

Yeah, there was. And while Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin, Chris Leak, Andre Caldwell, DeShawn Wynn, Aaron Hernandez, Chris Rainey, Jeff Demps, David Nelson, Riley Cooper, Louis Murphy and a solid offensive line certainly played a big part, it was ultimately defense and special teams that pulled the Gators through in the end- especially against Oklahoma in the second title game. Having an explosive offense is a luxury, not a necessity- look at how Alabama pulled off their two out of three run.

I've always said that I want- and even expect- the Gators to build a dynasty through lights out defense and great special teams, and that the only thing the offense is responsible for is moving the chains, giving the great defense a good rest and then allowing the dominant special teams to boom a punt to pin the opponent inside their 20- the point where I unleash that rested defense on the opponent.

That's been the formula for winning for Alabama under Nick Saban and since Will Muschamp worked under Nick Saban for a while, I expect him to build the Gator program back up in the same fashion as his former boss. Of course, having an explosive offense is nice, but it's a want, not a need. That's the last thing that should be built in Gainesville.

The good news is, this utopian defense I speak of is almost here. An extremely young, talented group with only one senior finished 9th in the nation in total defense last year- and when you remember that Alabama and LSU were on a totally different level than anybody else, it makes that number appear even better.

The special teams is already here. If there's one thing Will Muschamp will keep from Urban Meyer, it's the importance of special teams. Putting your most productive receiver, Andre Debose, as your kick returner and not some scout team nickelback as your kick returner is proof of how much Muschamp cares. There's obviously an injury risk to returning kicks, but then there's the importance of it as well, and for Meyer and now Muschamp, the importance of a dominant kick return game outweighs the risk. Debose has returned 3 kicks for TD's and has 3 others of 50+ yards in basically one full year of returning kicks. Muschamp also had the same deal with Jeff Demps, a valuable offensive player who wound up doing the bulk of his damage on kick returns.

Same goes with using Chris Rainey as a punt blocker. Maybe it had something to with all the kicks he blocked under Meyer, but the more likely explanation is that Muschamp held tryouts for spots on the punt block team all over again since he was very clear that he wanted to tear the program down and build it back up his way".

Look at last night's game to see the importance of the special teams. LSU's weren't horrible, blocking a field goal, but Alabama's was much better. Jeremy Shelley was 5-7 on his field goals, though he did miss a PAT (side note- anybody remember the last time Alabama won a national championship... and didn't miss an extra point in the title game? I'd be interested to find out). Then there was the completely un-Saban like fake field goal executed to perfection, LSU could never return a kick or punt very far due to the Tide gunners staying in their lanes and getting to the ball with lightning quickness and the big punt return by Marquize Maze early to set up an easy field goal.

AJ McCarron exemplified my utopian Florida QB: athletic enough to buy time and escape sacks, plays smart football and doesn't make mistakes, and makes a big play every now and then when he has to. This is what I would like Jeff Driskel or Jacoby Brissett to do initially. If either one turns out to be better than Brett Favre? Great! Then we have the luxury of a great QB. But again, that's not a need. Putting that much pressure on a young QB is not good.

I admit, I am an offensive guy. But defense is what wins championships. Special teams also wins championships. And game controlling, chain moving offenses win championships as well.

See where I'm going?

The Gators are not far away from contending for a national championship. They were in every game they played until the end aside from LSU, and they could have easily beaten Georgia and South Carolina.

The defense returns 10 of 11 starters from a unit that finished in the top 10 in the nation playing against SEC opponents.

Andre Debose, who should be our primary kick returner again in 2012, is only a junior and most of the guys on the return team will be back as well. A lot of our speed returns, and we have new speed coming in to help out with the kick/punt blocks.

The lone question is our offense. Matt Jones should see considerable playing time next year and maybe we'll finally see some of Mack Brown, who has been buried on the bench the past two years. Mike Gillislee, the lone speed back left over from Meyer, should be used to throw teams off as a change of pace back- a change from bruiser to speed demon.

But it all comes down to our offensive line.

We have help coming in, with DJ Humphries, Omari Phillips and Jessamen Dunker, three of the top 15 linemen in the nation. But they'll still be young even if they play, and in most cases, it takes time for young guys to mature in the SEC.

We're really not that far off, though...

(Update- the rumor as of 1:10pm is that Florida is expected to announce Brent Pease as offensive coordinator. But it's just a rumor until proven true, remember. I think he would be a great hire. Expect to see lots of tricks if he comes to town. Again, though, it is a RUMOR).

This article is certainly a little late, but it's something I've been meaning to share, and with the impending Gator Bowl matchup on the way I'm sure this will once again be an ongoing news story as January 2nd approaches.

A lot of Gators feel betrayed by Urban, and feel that they were lied to.  This quote gets brought up often...

"But what I didn't want to have happen, and I made this clear to Jeremy [Foley], if I am able to go coach, I want to coach at one place, the University of Florida. It would be a travesty, it would be ridiculous to all of a sudden come back and get the feeling back, get the health back, feel good again and then all of a sudden go throw some other colors on my shirt and go coach. I don't want to do that. I have too much love for this University and these players and for what we've built."

-Urban Meyer, upon retiring from Florida.

How often?  In order to find the exact quote, I simply googled "Urban Meyer quote gators" and it was the first two results to come up.

It is a pretty damning quote, I will readily admit that.  From an outside perspective (which is all any of us have), we basically have a guy who says "uh, yeah I'm sick and want to spend some time with my family, but I'm a Gator and I always want to be a Gator and never want to wear any other colors" who then comes back a year later donning those ugly ass silver and red colors.

Both Urban and his wife Shelley claim that when he left he really had the intention to stay away for good, but the itch was just too much.  She recollects the walk they had together where he told her that he was thinking about coming back, and how much being away from the game was tearing him up.  Most Gator fans don't believe them.  I do, and here's why...

To explain this, I'm going to use an anecdotal experience from my own life.  Most of you are going to scoff at the idea of me comparing something so little to something as grand as the billion dollar college football industry, but I'm going to do it anyway so get your jokes in now.

Throughout my time at UF I was able to partake in eight glorious years of intramural football (4 years as an undergrad and 4 years as a spouse during my wife's grad-school run).  We had a pretty good run, with five final four appearances and two championships.  Yes, I'm about to compare something that happened in intramural football to something that happened in real football, but bare with me.  Besides, those of you that went to UF recently know how seriously and competitively that inner circle takes it.

After we won our first championship and continued doing well in the years that followed I began to feel that pressure to do well, both within that inner crowd that followed intramural football and with new teammates that I'd convinced to join the team.  I wanted to show them that we weren't a fluke, weren't lucky, and really knew what we were doing.  Like both Spurrier and Meyer alluded to in their roles, a win became nothing more than a relief and a loss was a disaster.  Again, keep in mind that this was intramural football.  There weren't millions of dollars on the line.  My livelihood and ability to provide for my family wasn't on the line.  There wasn't gobs of media attention watching everything we did (ok, so *shameless plug*, maybe there was some media attention).  If I felt that weight in a simple intramural game which had no consequences outside of pride, then I can't even imagine the amount of pressure that college coaches feel when all of that real stuff is on the line.

Nonetheless, I did feel a weight, and it led me to walk away with one semester of eligibility left.  After we won the championship in the fall of my last year, I was looking at an almost completely new group of guys in the spring.  I didn't want to go through the headaches of proving to everyone that I knew what I was doing.  I didn't want that weight of feeling like a loss would leave them of the opinion that "maybe this guy just lucked into it before".  So I passed up my last spring of eligibility and walked away with my last game being a championship blowout in the Swamp.

When next spring rolled around I could not possibly have regretted it more.  All I wanted to do was be back out there, "weight" and work be damned.  I thought watching some games would quench my thirst, but it only made it 10 times worse.  The corner is squatting on everything, a corner route out of the slot will each them up you idiots, just run that play!  I could do this so much better, just let me back out there!

When Urban left the Gators he did the worst thing he could possibly have done.  He joined ESPN.  I have no doubt that he got the thirst as soon as the 2011 season rolled around, but then to make matters worse the job he took had him analyzing those same games that he could no longer be a part of.  I can't imagine that Urban ever watched a game without thinking about how he would have done things differently, or what he could have done with those players.  Every time a coach punted on 4th and short from midfield it must have eaten him up.  Every time a coach kept his cool and didn't go on tilt and fake a punt from inside his own 20 when the offense was struggling he must have reminisced.  Every time a coach hoisted a trophy and hugged his players he must have teared up.

In Urban's final two seasons at UF he felt nothing but stress and the weight of expectations that he couldn't wait to get rid of.  Once he left, he realized how small of a price those things were to get back what he had.  Urban's ties to UF were always weak, but if the opportunity to come back a Gator were there, I think he'd take it, and I think he regrets leaving in the first place.  But right now, when the itch is too much to bear, the UF job isn't available.

This doesn't directly relate to the Gators, but it's an issue that has spiraled out of control and nobody seems to be doing anything to stop it.

College sports is great fun for fans, players and coaches. Football is the engine that drives the train that is college athletics, and is THE glamor sport. Only March Madness even comes close to generating the buzz that an average football game does, and that's because it's a huge tournament.

Basically, once somebody gets hooked on college football, they're diehard fans for life. It's some of the most fun kids will ever have in college. The combination of high stakes, big following and good competition is irresistable to anybody with the talent to play it.

So why do officials have to ruin it?

I'm not talking about referees, I'm talking about the so called people that are really nothing more than jackals who walk on two legs who have nothing better to do than ruin what people love the best by making up ridiculous rules. I won't say it's the Nazi Party coming out all over again, because it is just football, but doesn't it just seem all to familiar? Restrictions gradually build to turn what was once heaven on earth for fans, players and coaches into a dictatorship.

The whole conference realignment deal is just what Joey Vizzi said it was: a big, greedy mess. Schools competing for spots in better conferences, even if they make no geographical sense whatsoever (Boise State playing South Florida every year in the Big Least, for example) is such a colossal waste of time it's funny to watch. While this doesn't directly tie into the NCAA rulemakers, it may have inspired them.

Because these morons that make up the NCAA constitution are doing their very best to ruin the fun of college football. There are enough tools in a single NCAA office to build a new Rose Bowl Stadium (the old one really needs either major renovations or to be taken down for a new one, as I was there for the 2002 BCS Championship when Miami crushed Nebraska and it appeared really old even then. But that's not the point).

All these sick people do is create rules that take all the fun out of the game. Eliminating touchdown celebrations is absurd. I'm a year younger than the youngest college football player, and each time I score in a pickup football game I feel the urge to do a little dance, or Gator Chomp, or even spike the ball. The adrenaline I feel after a touchdown can't feel much different than it would feel for Tim Tebow if he scored in s random pickup game. That's in a pickup game, remember.

Now take that feeling and multiply it by a few times over, with the added excitement of scoring a crucial touchdown in a crucial moment of a crucial game. It's so hard for a kid between age 18 and 22 NOT to do even the most innocuous celebration in this situation. Why ruin it? As long as he's not running up to an opponent and jawing in his face, why take away his moment of glory?

The 15 yard penalty the NCAA enforced up until the 2011 season was bad enough. It forced the scoring team to kick off from its own 15 yard line which often granted the opponent a great chance to score. Even worse, now the 15 yard penalty is enforced from the spot of the taunt.

Do you really think that this should cause a team to lose a touchdown and 25 yards?

Do you really think that this should be a 15 yard penalty and directly cause the team to lose the game?

Come on, man. Let the kids play.

What's wrong with wearing eyeblack? It's the most innocent way of putting a message out to somebody watching the game. Unless it's obscene, why ban it? Silly me, I forgot, because players liked doing it and never abused the privilege. The NCAA banned it right after Tim Tebow left for the NFL. Good thing, because had they done it before, an angry mob of Gator fans would have righteously bombed the NCAA headquarters.

Fining a school because their students run onto the field or court following a huge win? The SEC fined the University of Kentucky $50,000 for allowing their students to revel in the gigantic win over Tennessee last weekend. It was the seventh time UK has been fined for that, the last time being after Kentucky upset South Carolina last year. Last I checked, the football stadium is part of campus property, and students have every right to be on it while a game is not in progress.

I really want to know: what is wrong with these people? Did you not have happy childhoods? Are you envious of kids having joy after a big moment? Do you have nothing better to do with your lives than ruin other peoples'?

I'm going to give you sick people honest advice: if you're not too old, get an education and a job. Do something with your lives. Destroying college kids' pleasure is one of the worst crimes you could commit aside from murder. You're stealing their happiness. I'm going to be a college student next year, and I intend to have a great time. I don't intend to let the pseudointellectuals that sit in NCAA offices all day and dream up new idiocy and then put it on paper ruin my college life.

College kids are still kids. They need to enjoy their lives when they can. College classes require lots of work, and when the kids aren't killing themselves studying for exams, they need to enjoy themselves. Sure, college parties are awesome, but that's not enough. The kids need to have their moment in the sun after doing something huge for their school's football (or any) team.

I understand that you guys don't know what it's like, since you guys shied away from all social activity possible in life. You don't know what unity is, and how great it feels to celebrate your school's big win. I get that. But just because your parents didn't love you when you were children doesn't give you the excuse to directly alter a football game with insane penalty rules for celebrations, or ban players from wearing eyeblack, or fine a school a hefty sum of money for daring to allow their students to swarm the field in one happy party.

You say it's unprofessional. Guess what? They're not professionals and never claimed to be. They're college kids, and please let them enjoy their fun while they still can. Soon, they'll be out in the real world and won't be able to experience this kind of thing.

Go ahead and throw the flag on me or anybody else who has called you out for your disgraceful whittling away of the fun of college football. I couldn't care less what you brainless baboons dream up in response to criticism of your blatant lunacy.

I do care, however, that you are ruining college football.

Stop it!!!

Oh and while I'm at it, put a playoff system in!!!

Happy Thanksgiving Gator fans!

I'm thankful to live in a country with a President, as opposed to, say, the Taliban.

I'm thankful to have a great family, even though a high percentage is pure FSU Seminole.

I'm thankful to be part of one of the proudest fan bases in the nation. Look at how much we're moaning about being 6-5, and then think how much worse Ole Miss fans feel.

I'm also thankful that this season, I'm 73-13 with my picks, though now it gets a bit harder.

(3)Arkansas (10-1, 6-1 SEC) @ (1)Louisiana State (11-0, 7-0 SEC), 2:30pm Friday, CBS

The best game is saved for first, I guess. The air battle challenge is on in Baton Rouge, and it should be the toughest test for LSU. I don't think LSU has seen an offense like the one Arkansas has, with Tyler Wilson at the controls and Joe Adams, Cobi Hamilton, Greg Childs and Jarius Wright on the receiving ends. Then again, I'm not sure Arkansas has seen a defense quite like LSU's. Alabama's D is great. LSU's is a solid metal wall, and their offense seems to be better with Jordan Jefferson as the starter. Arkansas has gotten the better of the Golden Boot rivalry lately, but LSU is too focused and too good to fall this close to glory.

Louisiana State 27, Arkansas 13

(13)Georgia (9-2, 7-1 SEC) @ (23)Georgia Tech (8-3, 5-3 ACC), 12:00n, ESPN

Georgia Tech's wacky triple option offense is nothing new for Georgia. They watched Tim Tebow run them over with a similar offense for years and now their defense is ready for Georgia Tech's slightly less pass oriented option attack. Pressure is also nothing new for them, as they've ripped off 9 straight wins. Remember this: if, and it's a huge if, UGA wins this game and the SEC Championship Game with big numbers, it will be hard to turn them away. Mark Richt has his boys focused enough to win the Battle Of Clean, Ole Fashioned Hate with his second string. They won't lose to anybody who isn't clearly better than them, not the way Aaron Murray is playing.

Georgia 35, Georgia Tech 14

Tennessee (5-6, 1-6 SEC) @Kentucky (4-7, 1-6 SEC), 12:20pm, SEC Network

Both teams have a win in conference, so that's out the door in terms of motivation. But both teams do have a ton to play for. Kentucky is trying to desperately end the 26 game losing streak to the Vols have going, while Tennessee is scrambling desperately to snatch a bowl berth, and of course to keep that nasty stranglehold on the Cats. It's in Kentucky, so advantage Wildcats. But Tennessee is simply better at everything, from Tyler Bray and the passing game to the defense to coaching. The Vols get it done in the Beer Barrel Bowl and go bowling in the holidays.

Tennessee 41, Kentucky 16

(2)Alabama (10-1, 6-1 SEC) @(24)Auburn (7-4, 4-3 SEC), 3:30pm, CBS

The Iron Bowl is just one of those rivalry games where you throw all the records, stats, and hot streaks out the window. It's impossible to predict, kind of like Jurgensen the Troll when he forgets his medications. Alabama appears to be worlds better, but remember the last time they traveled to the Plains- they had to fight for their lives to simply escape with a win. The talent gap is about the same now as it was then. If Auburn doesn't beat themselves like they did against LSU and Georgia, this could be fun. I'm going out on a limb and say they won't. Ultimately, Trent Richardson will be the difference- but not before Alabama gets a taste of what's coming in the approaching years under Gene Chizik.

Alabama 31, Auburn 20

Vanderbilt (5-6, 2-6 SEC) @Wake Forest (6-5, 5-3 ACC), 3:30pm, ESPNU

This is the We-Are-Not-A-Joke Bowl. Both teams traditionally are terrible, yet this year neither team has lived up to that dubious stigma. And good for them, getting themselves to the level of mediocrity. The winner of this game takes a huge step in the right direction- Vandy would be bowl eligible and Wake would beat an SEC team. But James Franklin's boys are due for a big one. They have come so close so many times and have nothing to show for it. Expect that to change against the Demon Deacons. Jordan Rodgers throws the Commies into a bowl game.

Vanderbilt 23, Wake Forest 13

Mississippi (2-9, 0-7 SEC) @Mississippi State (5-6, 1-6 SEC), 7:00pm, ESPNU

If you have no soul, you will root for MSU to mercilessly pound the helpless Rebels, like me. Well, actually, I'm pulling for the Bulldogs because how can you root against Dan Mullen? He's also the coach that likes to get the blood of the opponents boiling. But this would be a bad time to do that, if only Ole Miss had any sort of pulse, which they don't. MSU has also underachieved, but their expectations were so much higher than Mississippi's, due to vastly superior talent, namely Vick Ballard and Chad Bumphis. Expect that vastly superior talent, namely Vick Ballard and Chad Bumphis, to be the difference in Houston Nutt's sad little finale in Egg Bowl 2011.

Mississippi State 45, Mississippi 17

Florida State (7-4, 5-3 ACC) @Florida (6-5, 3-5 SEC), 7:00pm, ESPN2

How is this game not on CBS when it's been on CBS every time it's been in Gainesville since 1995? Here's why: both teams suck. It's not the Battle For Sunshine State Supremacy, it's the Battle For We Suck Slightly Less. The Gators' defense has been quietly solid, and the offense has been quiet, period. FSU's offense is much better, and should prove a good test for Florida, for, um, I guess the Liberty Bowl? FSU's defense is good, too, though they do occasionally give up the huge play. If Demps and Rainey can get freed up, watch out Noles. But they won't, because our offensive line is offensively inept. And while Florida has much more raw talent, they also excel in the art of teasing the fans, and then screwing themselves in crunch time. This team hasn't improved at all since week 1; in fact, they've gotten worse. The slide continues against an unranked FSU team in the Swamp.

Florida State 31, Florida 14

(17)Clemson (9-2, 6-2 ACC) @(12)South Carolina (9-2, 6-2 ACC), 7:45pm, ESPN

North Carolina State's romp over Clemson took a little of the buzz off this matchup, but it's still a fascinating game for Gator fans who are too disgusted with their team's horrific play to watch another snap. Clemson is an exciting team to watch, between dual threat QB Taj Boyd and freshman receiver/running back sensation Sammy Watkins. They will go up against a great Steve Spurrier defense (oh, how the world has changed) that has been lights out for the most part this season. Well, actually, credit Ellis Johnson for the great defense, but Spurrier is the head ball coach of SC and his team has done a great job fighting off distractions, between the Stephen Garcia mess and Marcus Lattimore's injury. They'll get it done at home, though barely.

South Carolina 34, Clemson 28

What a weekend it was for offensive players that used to play for the Florida Gators.

Riley Cooper burst onto the scene in Philadelphia, catching what turned out to be the game winning touchdown pass against my beloved Giants (so mixed emotions there).

Percy Harvin had a few big runs for the Vikings, but a couple of them were called back. Nonetheless, he still scored a TD (although Minnesota still lost to Oakland).

Andre Caldwell somehow got behind the Ravens' defense and hauled in a huge touchdown from Andy Dalton to pull Cincinnati back in the game. The Bengals wound up falling anyway, but without Bubba they would have been sunk much earlier.

Mike Pouncey didn't get much credit, because offensive linemen are rarely called on unless it's because they messed up. But he anchored the offensive line as Miami QB Matt Moore picked the slumping Bills apart like a surgeon for a blowout win.

And then, we come to Tim Tebow.

Tebow.

Tebow.

Tebow.

4-1 as a starter, has the Broncos right in the thick of the playoff hunt and has a frightening knack for pulling out comebacks. All people hear about these days is Tebow and how he won't make it, he can't run in the pros, he can't survive with his motion....

Guess what? He's not going to the Pro Bowl, but he is winning games and that's much more than you can say Kyle Orton did. If you want to find the worst starting QB in the NFL, quit looking in Denver. Try the Meadowlands (and not Eli Manning). The Jets, and their comically annoying fan base have done nothing but criticize Tebow for being a fake, and the Jets would shut him down all day.

Well, for the most part, they did. But then Tebow led a 96 yard drive for the game winning TD, highlighted by dropping a bomb on Revis Island and rumbling through Gang Garbage for a 20 yard game winning TD.

So what is it, Jets fans? Is Tebow good or is your team bad?

It's a combination of both- sort of.

There's no doubt Tebow needs work- lots of it. But there's also no doubt that he is a franchise QB, and a long term answer. Tebow's problem lies in the mechanics. His strength is something you cannot teach- knowing how to win. You either have that or you don't. Tebow has it, and has proved it 4 straight times.

Elway, you can draft another QB with better mechanics out of college) but don't look at me when Landry Jones or Kellen Moore throws a late game interception. Instead, spend the time you wasted last offseason trying to make Kyle Orton a franchise QB or defending your ridiculous move by putting Tebow 4th on the depth chart teaching Tebow the proper footwork and motion you want to see. He's already equipped with the Eli Manning/Tom Brady/Aaron Rodgers 4th quarter fearlessness and capability of heroics you can't teach- now it's up to you to teach him how to be the drop back NFL QB you were.

The truth is, there are plenty of better passers than Tebow. There are plenty of better defense readers than Tebow. There are plenty of more accurate QB's than Tebow. There are plenty of better QB's than Tebow, period. But nobody- and I mean nobody- is more clutch with the game on the line. There is QB I would take over Tebow in crunch time.

It's just up to John Elway and the coaching staff to install the mechanics to bring him up to par with the rest of the QB's.

And with a guy with a work ethic like Tebow, it's hard to imagine him failing.

It's been a sad season for Florida, but the games do go on.

Onto the picks:

Citadel (4-6) @(12) South Carolina (8-2, 6-2 SEC), 12:00n, ESPN3

A 10 win season is still in reach for South Carolina, which is an achievement not even the powerhouse schools can be mad about. For a historically bare Gamecocks team, it would be huge. Forget the SEC East, this team is soldiering on without Marcus Lattimore. Brandon Wilds has picked it up, though he and the rest of the Gamecocks could run blindfolded and still win this game.

South Carolina 49, Citadel 3

Kentucky (4-6, 1-5 SEC) @(14)Georgia (8-2, 6-1 SEC), 12:20pm, SEC Network

Both teams have the world to play for. Kentucky needs a win to stay alive for bowl contention. Unfortunately for them, Georgia's world is much bigger- namely an SEC East Championship and a spot in Atlanta. Talent will carry Georgia, whose defense is finally beginning to resemble what Todd Grantham wanted it to. And of course, Aaron Murray will pick the Cats' D apart like a surgeon.

Georgia 38, Kentucky 14

Samford (6-4) @(24)Auburn (6-4, 4-3 SEC), 1:00pm, ESPN3

Finally, a sure win for Auburn. Then again, we thought Utah State was a sure win. The Tigers usually play to the level of their opponent, and though that will not continue here, the Tigers still have tons to work on, beginning with finding a solid QB for the future. Oh and the defense is inept, and could use a big performance against a helpless Samford squad that is best known for getting blown out every year by a BCS team. They'll get one, but they're still pathetic.

Auburn 34, Citadel 14

Furman (6-4) @Florida (5-5, 3-5 SEC), 1:00pm, ESPN3

I really believe the Gators are a better team than 5-5. But they excel in the art of screwing themselves with authority in big moments. Lucky for the Gators, Furman won't provide any big moments since they're far below the level of the Gators at every position. Look for John Brantley to go deep a lot, and for the Gators as a whole to unleash a world of frustration on poor Furman. Woe be to the Gator squad that loses to an FCS team.

Florida 52, Furman 10

Georgia Southern (9-1) @(3)Alabama (9-1, 6-1 SEC), 2:00pm, ESPN3

Really? Another one of these? Yep, and Alabama shouldn't have much trouble with their cupcake either. Nick Saban led teams never look ahead to the next game, so even though they've got the Iron Bowl in two weeks, that won't get them unfocused the least bit. This is a stifling defense, a Heisman trophy contender and a strong program going up against another Little Sisters Of The Poor. Bama rolls and bids farewell to their seniors with style.

Alabama 59, Georgia Southern 3

Mississippi State (5-5, 1-5 SEC) @(6)Arkansas (9-1, 5-1 SEC), 3:30pm, CBS

Fun fact #1: MSU hasn't been on CBS since the Ron Zook days. Fun fact #2: they're going to wish that streak lasted a little longer since they're in over their heads. While MSU's secondary is overrated, it's good, not great. I'm not even sure great would do the job against Tyler Wilson's machine gun arm, meaning that Johnthan Banks and co. will have a tough day defending the flood Bobby Petrino dials up- Cobi Hamilton, Greg Childs, Joe Adams and Jarius Wright. Vick Ballard is still around but he can't match the Arkansas offense on his own. I feel bad for Dan Mullen, as his team, like Florida, appears better than 5-5. Or should I just say 5-6 right now?

Arkansas 41, Mississippi State 24

(1)Louisiana State (10-0, 6-0 SEC) @Mississippi (2-8, 0-6 SEC), 7:00pm, ESPN

Poor Ole Miss. It just never gets better. In fact, it keeps getting worse at an increasing rate. Not only is their coach gone after next week's Egg Bowl, but so is QB Randall Mackey and star (or what passes for one on Ole Miss) running back Jeff Scott. If Louisiana Tech manhandled the Rebels, what are the Tigers going to do? Nuke them, of course. Ole Miss goes 0-2 against the state of Louisiana this year- maybe by a combined 80 points?

Louisiana State 65, Mississippi 3

Vanderbilt (5-5, 2-5 SEC) @ Tennessee (4-6, 0-6 SEC), 7:00pm, ESPNU

There may be a huge disparity between the SEC East and the SEC West, but they do have one thing in common: a doormat with such a residue of shame that even the garbageman won't touch it. At least Tennessee beats their cupcake teams. A year ago, Vandy would be included in that category. But with James Franklin and Jordan Rodgers injecting some life into the Dores, the Vols could find themselves without a bowl invite. And that's what appears will happen, regardless if Tyler Bray plays QB or not.

Vanderbilt 34, Tennessee 13

I posted this as a poll in the facebook group, and so far the results lean against it.

I personally have mixed feelings on this topic. Of course, I can't change history, but I do wonder what would have happened had Jeremy Foley backed down to Spurrier's demand of simply giving him the job.

But that leads to another question. Say we could change history. Do we as Gator fans really want to go back and undo the Urban Meyer era in exchange for more Spurrier days, presumably with similar results as his first run?

Of course, the hiring of Urban Meyer did lead us to 2 BCS Championships in 3 years, but it also led to back to back 5 (maybe more) loss seasons in which the offense was bad enough to counteract the juggernauts the Orange and Blue fielded in 2007 and 2008.

One thing that is for certain is that this team would never suffer a dip like this. Urban Meyer's offense, when run with the right players and play-caller, was literally unstoppable. But Dan Mullen was the co-generator of the offense, or at least watched Urban raise it from its infant stages to a multi-headed monster that even Nick Saban couldn't stop. Then there was Tim Tebow, who was born to lead the offense. A pinpoint accurate QB who was nearly as explosive a runner as Percy Harvin (in different ways, of course) was the cherry on the cake for Meyer, while his lethal collection of receivers (Louis Murphy, Harvin, Aaron Hernandez, Riley Cooper, David Nelson, etc) and running backs (Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey, Emmanuel Moody, Kestahn Moore etc.) would simply hide behind Tebow in the media and play the role of silent assassin to defenses.

Alone, one of those players would be useless. But blended together with a legitimate QB who was also a threat to run, these guys routinely hit 30 points and often eclipsed 50.

The problem with this offense is that it needs somebody who knows it inside and out aside from its creator to call the plays AND a QB who can both run and pass at an All American level, AND tons of speed around the QB.

The third part is relatively easy, but sadly, there's only one Tim Tebow. Meyer could teach the offense to somebody with intelligence (NOT YOU ADDAZIO, CALM DOWN) to run it, but it's still not the same without Tebow. Jeff Driskel might have been the second coming of Tebow but be honest, how likely is that?

Plug in Spurrier (and a young, hot offensive coordinator of his choice) for Meyer. Assume Spurrier retains Charlie Strong from Zook's staff and Strong works the same magic on the defense that he did with Meyer.

In 2005, Chris Leak would have had more chance to throw than he did with Meyer. He would not have been saddled with the heavy burden of being Meyer's guinea pig, meaning run as often as you throw. He had plenty of talent left over from Ron Zook (so I honestly say, thank you Zook) to work with. Maybe this offense wouldn't have been unstoppable, but it would have been better than it was in 2005. Many people forget that the offense never got their stuff together until the Western Carolina game (and they suck... in the FCS). It worked relatively well against FSU and Iowa. It never should have taken that long to bring success. If Spurrier, not Meyer, worked to retool Leak to HIS liking, the process would have been much quicker because Spurrier's use for Leak would have been closer to what he did under Zook than Meyer's use for him.

2006 would have certainly been better. That was Harvin's (and Tebow's) freshman year. Spurrier would have had a field day utilizing Harvin as his murder weapon of opponents. Not even like a knife to slice through opponents; more like a bludgeoning tool, like a huge piece of pipe. Or would that be Tebow, the freshman sensation? I do think Tebow would have thrown more passes than attempt rushes but it's hard to believe he wouldn't get the important short yardage touches. Nevertheless, it was the defense that won that championship. The offense was still a work in process in the overhaul from Zook retardation to Meyer success, and again, the transition to Spurrier's Fun N' Gun would have been easier than to Meyer's equally effective, but harder to build triple option spread.

Let's say they recruited the same exact players. Tim Tebow loved Florida partly because of Urban Meyer, partly because of the offense and partly because he loved the place. He probably would not have won the Heisman in 2007 without all those rushing TD's, but his passing numbers would have been unbelievable. He wouldn't have been used as the goal line bull all the time; he would have shared that role with Kestahn Moore, Emmanuel Moody and the fullbacks that never got their names called due to a profound lack of carries (NOT to say this was Meyer's negligence, it certainly was not, they were helpful in blocking, but that was all).

We all know that when told something to do or to change, Tebow listens and the piece of coaching is instantly incorporated into his game. His long delivery would have likely been corrected by his sophomore year.

Then look at the speed guys around him. Spurrier would have salivated over the thought of working with guys like Bubba Caldwell, Percy Harvin, Louis Murphy, Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey. Instead of running options and relatively short routes with receivers, Spurrier would have had them go deep much more often. We've seen Demps and Rainey catch the ball. They are capable of going long. With five wide and other crazy formations Spurrier could devise, tell me now, who could cover these guys in single coverage? If somebody actually could, that's great, NOW Tebow takes off and picks up yards on his own.

The production level might have been slightly lower in 2007 and 2008, and might have been better... but now we look at the last 3 seasons.

In his senior season, if Tebow decides he does need one more year of seasoning at UF, he would have been the best QB of all time without argument. We probably would have lost Harvin after his junior season anyway, so we simply plug in Rainey for 2-3 seasons. Watching film of both of them, Rainey's every bit as explosive. He simply hasn't gotten the space or opportunities to make the video game type plays Harvin made since 2008, when he ran wild behind Harvin and Tebow. Cooper, Hernandez, Nelson, Deonte Thompson and Demps are all back in 2009 so Tebow continues firing bullets all over the SEC to these guys en route to another successful season- maybe a BCS Championship.

2010 is where it gets interesting. I'll assume $cam Newton still was his own selfish and foolish self and threw a laptop out of a window. John Brantley is ready to take on all the responsibility of replacing Tebow, who still made a huge name for himself, just more with his arm and less with his feet. He'll have been trained by Spurrier and his pass-friendly OC for three years. It's much easier to replace Tebow now because he only has to match his passing production to be considered a Gator hero. He was doomed with Meyer, since he had to run like Tebow and throw like Tebow to fully be considered as a worthy replacement and live up to fans' ridiculous expectations. Take the running away and it's less to do to live up to the hype.

Let's just say he was the next Rex Grossman- great, but not Hall of Fame phenomenal. He would have flourished with Rainey resuming his role of slot/wide receiver, Andre Debose helping Rainey out, Demps driving DC's crazy with his Olympic speed, Deonte Thompson as the deep threat, Omarious Hines and Frankie Hammond as the wild card receivers (meaning, use them how you please, which I trust Spurrier to do well) and using Trey Burton and Jordan Reed as dependable tight ends.

Assuming Brantley was half his reputation as a pro style (or even a pass happy) QB, and assuming the line blocked fairly well, this offense would have been similarly unstoppable.

Then bring this exact same team back for 2011, and figure the results are the same. Brantley's self esteem has not been nuked like Hiroshima in 2010 with Spurrier, so there's no radiation with the everlasting effect that Addazio's spread-atomic bomb had. With Rainey and Demps as seniors, this is Florida's year to compete for championships. The blocking would need to be better, but Spurrier would never tolerate such foolishness as bad protection- he knows that in order to score points at will, blocking is key.

Now, let's take a look at projected results.

2005 would not have been a successful season anyway. There was still the Zook touch to overcome, and that would take at least a year even for a simpler offense than Meyer's triple option spread.

Florida went 9-3 under Meyer, and that's about what it would have been under Spurrier. The scores would have looked better, especially the 31-3 beatdown to Alabama, but the record would have been roughly the same. Figure an Outback Bowl appearance and win, just like it happened in reality.

2006 would have also been about the same- same record, better scores. Beating South Carolina, Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee and FSU by a combined 35 points never would have happened. Kentucky in particular would have been blown out in big fashion. South Carolina and Georgia wouldn't have fared much better.

FSU in Tallahassee is always tricky but UF would have won by more than a touchdown. Georgia would have lost the game somehow regardless because of the curse we had on them at the time (and hopefully we still have). But a BCS Championship seemed a likelihood. Maybe Ohio State would have stopped our Fun N' Gun slightly better, but given the way they talk so much, probably not.

2007 is where it starts to get tricky. The defense was bad, granted, but where was the offense in the Auburn, Ole Miss, and LSU games? With a reliable offense, the Gators probably pound Auburn and Ole Miss with ease instead of struggling to work out the final kinks of Meyer's offense.

LSU probably still would have been a loss- in Death Valley, the #1 team in the nation- but the Meyer offense was silenced the entire 4th quarter. That's when Spurrier offenses are usually at their best, when the game isn't completely out of hand.

Our defense couldn't stop UGA, so that's a loss as well, but those are our two losses, so that wins us the SEC East in all likelihood in a three way tie with Georgia and Tennessee. Each of these three teams beat each other with identical records, and we win the three way tiebreaker. We would probably lose to LSU again in the SEC Championship, and wind up in the Sugar Bowl where we would pummel Hawaii for the first time in back to back games.

2008 might be the one season we have a drop off. Or it might be even more dominating. This was Florida's most talented team ever, and with Tebow now fully comfortable as a drop back first QB, defenses get overwhelmed. The only reason this season would be slightly less successful is because defenses have finally caught on to Spurrier's Fun N' Gun Round 2. Then again, our defense was lights out so it might not even matter.

There's no way Ole Miss wins in the Swamp because Spurrier treated Florida Field like Meyer treated rivalry games- we'll win the game, every time. That is all.

Alabama might have gotten us in Atlanta, but not likely. Tebow didn't run a whole lot compared to other games, only when he needed to. Bama couldn't stop the flood of receivers Meyer sent- they wouldn't have stopped Spurrier's crew, either. And Spurrier's offenses were (aside from the Fiasco Bowl) at their best in bowl games, so the Sooners would have gone down as well.

2009 saw our whole team coming back minus Harvin and Louis Murphy. There were still three NFL receivers for Tebow to choose from. Addazio took over the offense- and took it down. We saw Tebow dive, Demps dive, Rainey dive, and on third and long it would be Tebow-please-do-something-to-bail-me-out. And because Tebow is the monster he is, it worked sometimes. But not always.

Tebow's senior season would have been a reprise of his junior season- blowouts raining down on the SEC, no close calls, no exceptions. Then, for the second straight year, we have an epic showdown with Alabama for the SEC Championship. I still think Alabama wins due to the revenge factor but it's much closer than the 32-13 Addazio egg-laying. Our defense had a bad day and our offense never got on track once Alabama had adjusted to our 5-wide formations. I have to assume our defense wouldn't have stopped the Mark Ingram-Trent Richardson combo, but our offense would have made it much closer.

Then we blow out Cincy in the Sugar Bowl. They couldn't stop Addazio's offense; how would they stop a Spurrier offense with the talent on the team? And I repeat, Tim Tebow, Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey, Riley Cooper, Aaron Hernandez, David Nelson, etc. The only difference is that, well, with the right play-caller to utilize this talent, it would have been even worse than 51-24.

2010 is the hardest to call because I cannot say for sure how many players stay if they believe the team would be great again. After the 2009 season, Florida lost juniors Joe Haden, Carlos Dunlap, Major Wright and Aaron Hernandez. Had they believed the Gators would remain a national contender, they might have all stayed. Who knows?

But let's say they all leave just to make it interesting. There's still a gold mine of talent to be used between Deonte Thompson, Frankie Hammond, Robert Clark, Omarious Hines, Jordan Reed, Trey Burton and the returning tailbacks, Mike Gillislee, Rainey and Demps. And then there's Mack Brown, who was buried on the bench. With John Brantley never facing the problem of Steve Addazio burning his confidence, he would have come out slinging it right away in an offense that suits him best.

Where to begin with the score differences? I guess I'll start from Day 1 when Miami Ohio stunned the Swamp by containing our comical Addazio-led playbook. For starters, UMOH would have been blown out. As in, 62-3, 63-5, 70-19 or some of the other ridiculous scores Florida hung on opponents with Mullen.

Basically, the Gators win their first four games by a combined 200 points (no big deal, it's Miami Ohio, South Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky) and then travel to Tuscaloosa, where we lose- but with honor. We'd be respected for giving Alabama a fight on their home turf.

We would return to blowout mode against LSU in the Swamp because their offense wasn't a whole lot better than ours was with Addazio. Mississippi State is impossible to call, since there's no way of knowing where Dan Mullen would wind up without coming to Gainesville with Meyer. But we'll say he's their coach. They'd give us a fight, but our offense would be way too much. The rest of our opponents go down in similar fashion, with FSU playing a little tougher than the rest.

Then, lookie here! We're back in the SEC Title Game, where Cam Newton tears up our rebuilding defense and outguns our offense and send us plummeting to the Capital One Bowl- where we wouldn't have much trouble with Michigan State.

2011, and we have that same team back again. We're now 100% confident in our abilities, we've taken our lumps and we're a year older, stronger, better. We blow out our first four opponents again, and Alabama will go down in a much less humiliating fashion, ie a tough game that's a replay of the 2010 game in Tuscaloosa with Spurrier. Then we'll travel to LSU and get humbled, we'll go to Auburn and absolutely smother them, assuming we catch the punts.

Georgia is where the season gets tricky. I'd love to say Florida wins big, but that's hard to say when they're playing as possessed as they are. It would be a similar game, with each team scoring a little more and neither team making as many mistakes. When Brantley would hit a big one (remember now, a pass heavy offense with a comfortable Brantley) Aaron Murray would simply respond with a bigger one. Both teams would trade scores until somebody makes a mistake- and that would be Georgia, who always makes mistakes against Florida, leading to a close Florida victory.

Then we'd win the rest of our games, until we'd get tripped up against LSU again in Atlanta. That places Florida in the Sugar Bowl as the #2 team from the SEC, where we would play (insert team here).

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Sure, this all looks a little unrealistic since I always have Florida in the top 3 of the SEC, but that's precisely what happened when Spurrier ruled the Gators from 1990-2001. They were always in the national championship picture, and always considered an SEC favorite. His teams went to 8 SEC Championship Games in the 10 years it was held during his tenure. That looks about the same as these predictions, don't they?

Now there may still be some of you saying that I'm ungrateful for all that Meyer did. That is completely FALSE. I love Urban Meyer and will never be able to thank him enough for all he did for Florida.

But the truth is, Ron Zook left whoever took the job after him at a great starting point. He had a very talented team. It just took a great coach to get the wins expected from such talent. Both Spurrier and Meyer were qualified to do just that.

The difference is, Meyer's offense takes much longer to master and must have the perfect set of players. Spurrier's offense was easier to learn and did not require player types x, y and z. Tebow was compatible for both offenses, or at least would be with Spurrier teaching him how to become a drop back QB. Brantley and Leak were only compatible for a drop back QB pro style offense. The skill position players- Harvin, Rainey, Demps, Caldwell, Hernandez, etc. were also compatible for both offenses.

But the QB is the position that matters. Your QB must be able to do something for your offense to function. Even LSU has a decent QB, Jarrett Lee. He can do plenty of things to help the offense- and does quite often.

So basically, Tebow wouldn't have been the Tebow that we have come to know and love. He would have been a better passer, but would not be the dual threat he was under Meyer. It's a minor setback. Tebow is still a QB, and an adequate passer at worst and a great one at best. It's because of the misuse of John Brantley and, to a lesser extent Chris Leak that makes me think we'd have been better of with Spurrier. With Meyer, there were great years, just like under Spurrier, but then there were completely un-Spurrier-like years as well. Swap the Zook-esque records in 2007, 2010 and 2011 for the worst Spurrier records- 2 losses- and it's easy to see why I at least considered this.

People do forget how dynamite the defense was when Leak was our QB. He's definitely more mobile than Brantley, and Brantley's definitely a better passer. We won 9 games and then a BCS Championship with Leak and Meyer due to our smothering defense and truly special special teams, not because of Leak. He was never thought of as a potential NFL QB. Brantley was- until Addazio stepped in and ruined him. I'm thrilled for Leak because it wasn't really his fault, and feel horrible for Brantley because he had even more hope than Leak in the future and he didn't have the great defense nor the somewhat adequate coaching behind him.

Do I think our bad seasons were Meyer's fault? Not really, he was hired as UF's head coach and his thing was an eccentric offense. It won us lots of games, and was at least partly responsible for 2 BCS Championships. He just needed the perfect QB to run it and there's only one: Tim Tebow. Tebow was born to run this wacky yet effective offense, and he did. My theory is that Meyer couldn't find another QB like him, and in his desperate efforts to either find one or make one out of Brantley, suffered severe stress and eventually heart problems because it was simply too difficult.

So I say with all my heart: thank you, Urban Meyer. You did things for our program that has never even been dreamed of. My only problem with you is that everything had to be perfect in order to work, and when it wasn't perfect, it was disgraceful. I understand fully that the spread offense is your specialty, and it's what you used to win. But Spurrier's offense doesn't cause heart issues, and when it isn't perfect, the result is usually an SEC Championship Game loss to a top 5 Alabama team. The potential results were the same, but Spurrier's offense had less margin for error and less severe consequences when not perfect.

But I will let you guys, my readers make the call.

After reading this and thinking about it, would you rather Jeremy Foley have swallowed his pride, given in to Spurrier's selfishness by declaring that he didn't need to interview for the job again and simply re-hired him?

You guys can take whatever side you want. I'm not even saying which side I'm on; it's just that it appears a stupid question at the surface since Meyer won more championships in fewer years. I'm just making the Spurrier side clearer; the Meyer side is easy to argue without thinking about this.

So I'm not voicing my opinion, at least not yet, until you guys take whichever side you choose and argue (hopefully respectfully, but why wouldn't we, we're all one big happy family).

Florida (5-4, 3-4 SEC) @ (13)South Carolina (7-2, 5-2 SEC), 12:00n, CBS

The Gators travel to Columbia with redemption and revenge on their minds for what happened a year ago in the Swamp. John Brantley and Chris Rainey should be ready to go, which will help since South Carolina's defense has been a silent assassin at times during the year. Jadeveon Clowney and Devin Taylor will get enough pressure on Brantley to force a key turnover, or the Gators will beat themselves again, and South Carolina escapes late at home.

South Carolina 34, Florida 20

Kentucky (4-5, 1-4 SEC) @Vanderbilt (4-5, 1-5 SEC), 12:20pm, SEC Network

It's a good thing Kentucky got a win against Ole Miss because had they lost that game they very well might have gone winless in the SEC. The next step is a steaming Vandy team that has lost to Florida, Georgia and Arkansas by a total of 13 points. The Commodores have played so well yet have not been able to get that signature win (UConn doesn't count, they're a Big Least school). Jordan Rodgers guides the Commies to victory.

Vanderbilt 38, Kentucky 14

(20)Auburn (6-3, 4-2 SEC) @ (15)Georgia (7-2, 6-1 SEC), 3:30pm, CBS

Auburn's been a team that just finds ways to win. The problem is that they often stoop to the level of their opponent to keep the game as close as it is, and it's very easy to overlook Georgia despite their record. They've played all patsies so far, and the two semi-decent teams they played beat them. But there's something about Georgia that I dislike, but will carry them to the SEC East title. Aaron Murray is playing very well, as is Isaiah Crowell. Make it 8 in a row for UGA, and the SEC East crown.

Georgia 27, Auburn 16

Tennessee (4-5, 0-5 SEC) @(8)Arkansas (8-1, 4-1 SEC), 6:00pm, ESPN2

Poor Vols. First they lose star receiver Justin Hunter, then they lose Tyler Bray, then they face a gauntlet. Next up is Arkansas, the 8th ranked team in the nation, and a team that can force a three way tie in the SEC West if they win out- and cause complete hell, a la the Big 12 South in 2008 with Texas Tech, Texas and Oklahoma. The Razorbacks have had one too many close wins against inferior opponents and after handling South Carolina it's about time Tyler Wilson and his frightening array of weapons hit the cruise control by halftime.

Arkansas 59, Tennessee 24

Western Kentucky (5-4) @(1)Louisiana State (9-0, 6-0 SEC), 7:00pm, ESPNU

Please. Is this even a game? I guess it's better than Furman or the Citadel or Charleston Southern, but not much. In any case, LSU will unleash its mighty defense against the hapless Hilltoppers from WKU. Jarrett Lee will get to rebuild his confidence after a shaky game against the other best team in the nation... and it won't be hard. Tigers roar, then purr with content while reclining in the halftime locker room chairs.

Louisiana State 51, Western Kentucky 6

Louisiana Tech (5-4) @Mississippi (2-7, 0-6 SEC), 7:30pm, ESPN3

I feel terrible. But Ole Miss has nothing. Donte Moncrief and Jeff Scott can't help them. They showed some promise against Kentucky, but then the Wildcats made the Gators look like an NFL all star team, and that takes effort. And Ole Miss LOST to UK- ultimately leading to the firing of Houston Nutt. He's a lame duck and that doesn't help your players any. In fact, it will so negatively affect them that they will lose to a LT team that still hasn't recovered from the departure of Derek Dooley. Jacksonville State, Round 2.

Louisiana Tech 34, Mississippi 30

(3)Alabama (8-1, 5-1 SEC) @Mississippi State (5-4, 1-4 SEC), 7:45pm, ESPN

The Bulldogs have never really played to their potential all year long. They're ready for a big win. Unfortunately for them, they'll have to wait. Nick Saban certainly will not allow his players to perform below their potential after a heartbreaking defeat to LSU last week. They'll be ready for war. It's in Starkville, though, and please remember how much home field means in college football. It just won't mean enough to beat one of the best teams in the nation. It wasn't in 2009 against Florida and it won't against Alabama.

Alabama 31, Mississippi State 13

Josh McDaniels knew he needed a playmaking QB, and he got one in Tim Tebow.

Then he got fired the ensuing season after his team failed to even meet the "mediocre" bar.

Enter Eric Studville for the remainder of the season, which saw Tebow in his first meaningful action, including a 40 yard TD run and a miracle comeback win over the Houston Texans.

Then along came John Fox, who promptly announced that Tebow was benched- in February. This was after he resurrected a dead franchise and its fan base and gave the fans hope that their team might be able to compete in the future.

As Ryan, I, and other fans with a grain of intelligence expected, Kyle Orton was horrible- so bad that he actually got yanked right in the middle of a game.

The Broncos were 1-4 heading into the San Diego game, when Tebow was shoved into the fire and ordered to clean up the mess that Orton started. He nearly did, bringing the Broncos back from 26-10 down before eventually falling 29-24.

All he's done since then is go 2-1 as a starter, including two more comebacks with his team down at some point in the second half.

He threw for 124 yards and ran for 118 more (including a 32 yard run) in the Oakland win this weekend, and threw for two TD's.

What it all comes down to is this: the Denver Broncos are winning with him at QB.

Sure, it would be nice if Tebow improves. He's got a lot of work to do mechanically, and I don't think even the biggest Tebow fan will deny that.

What nobody can deny is that Denver is right back in the hunt for the AFC West, thanks in large part to Tebow. He's done more than ressurect the team, however; he's ignited a fire behind the Bronco fan base.

The fans are believing in him, and in their team as a whole. It's not just Tebow who's improving- it's the rest of the Broncos, too. Tebow just has this strange and remarkable gift for making his teammates around him play better.

Willis McGahee in particular had done nothing spectacular prior to the Oakland game. He averaged 88 yards per game- certainly nothing to be ashamed of, but nothing unbelievable, either. Since Tebow took the reins in the San Diego game, he's averaged 122 yards per game. Call it a coincidence, but he was 34 yards per game better with Tebow than with Orton as the starter.

But even beyond McGahee, this Broncos team is far improved with Tebow over Orton. Perfect proof of this is the comparison of the two games the Broncos played against Oakland. These teams are bitter rivals (not quite like Florida-Georgia, though) and in the first game in Denver, the Broncos lost three turnovers, the running game never got on track, the defense allowed Darren McFadden to run for 150 yards, and lost 23-20- in Denver, with Orton at the helm.

Fox put Tebow at the controls in a hostile environment at Oakland, but despite throwing an early TD the Broncos trailed 17-7. Tebow threw another TD, but Oakland scored again to make it 24-14.

Then Tebow had enough.

He pulled his team together, yelled at them, and the Broncos suddenyl began playing like a playoff team. Darren McFadden, who had burned the Broncos, was suddenly shut down. Eddie Royal returned to Denver with a bang in a punt return TD. Willis McGahee ran wild for TD runs of 24 and 61. Oakland, led by Carson Palmer, never scored again and Denver won 38-24.

I'm willing to bet that Tebow had an impact on the rest of the team's performance.

So John Fox, you owe Josh McDaniels a thank you and Tim Tebow an apology. How you could honestly believe that your team is better with a human energizer bunny built like a Mack truck on the bench is beyond me, but make another mistake of that level of insolence and it could cost you your job. I haven't forgotten that you announced that he was benched 7 months before the season started. You're just lucky that McDaniels drafted this warrior. Seriously, you're taking over a franchise that needs even the smallest spark- just a hint of life, and- oh, lookie here!- you've got this guy.

But you're too old to have emotion. You like your team to play with the vigors of tired old grandmas on a hot summer day. You, much like Steve Addazio, love to take the fun, the spark and the energy out of your team. Maybe you don't run dive plays, but your teams all played like they didn't want to be there. That's the level of intensity the Broncos had... until you inserted Tebow.

Now, boom! Your team is playing with a purpose, like they want to win. Once again, they've won two out of the three games that Tebow started, and they're back in the AFC West hunt. I keep repeating this for fear that you won't understand.

Say it Fox: Thank you Josh McDaniels.

Vanderbilt (4-4, 1-4 SEC) @ Florida (4-4, 2-4 SEC), 12:20pm, SEC Network

There's just something in James Franklin's demeanor that says his team is no joke. His boys have gone out and played like it. They keep coming up just short, however, and in each game, the same element lacked that would have won the game for the Dores- a crucial late mistake. Florida's the worst in the nation in penalties and have a knack for turning the ball over. Call it an act of disgust, or maybe reverse psychology, but I'm going with Vandy. Because the Gators will make that crucial mistake. Yes, I am picking Vandy to beat Florida in the Swamp Until the Gators play two solid complete games in a row I'm not picking them against another BCS opponent. I'd love to be wrong, but I have this horrible feeling...

Vanderbilt 27, Florida 23

New Mexico State (3-5) @(18)Georgia (6-2, 5-1 SEC), 12:30pm, ESPN3

The Dawgs are rolling along, albeit through many close wins, but New Mexico State should be a breeze. Aaron Murray doesn't need his running backs, he'll just have a field day with Orson Charles and Tavarres King. Richard Samuel has established himself as Georgia's main running back for now and he'll be used plenty. New Mexico doesn't have a chance. Matt Christian will be sacked left and right all day as Georgia cruises.

Georgia 52, New Mexico State 7

Mississippi (2-6, 0-5 SEC) @Kentucky (3-5, 0-4 SEC), 3:30pm, ESPNU

Kentucky has shown nothing good yet. Not in making the Gators and Gamecocks look like the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, not in losing to Louisville and not in starting out 0-4 in conference play. The Rebels have shown sparks of life here and there and with Randall Mackey taking the helm again, they should be in good hands. They're very underrated, with playmakers like Donte Moncrief hauling in deep passes and Jeff Scott and Brandon Bolden anchoring the run game. They'll break the win barrier here.

Mississippi 45, Kentucky 13

Middle Tennessee State (2-5) @ Tennessee (3-5, 0-5 SEC), 7:00pm, ESPNU

The Vols aren't happy, and it's because they're 0-5 in the SEC. Or maybe they are, since their murderous stretch is over. They're still alive for a bowl game, however, and here's saying they'll get one step closer with a win over a team that still dreams of Dwight Dasher. The Vols may be a bad football team, but they aren't this bad, even without Justin Hunter and Tyler Bray.

Tennessee 37, Middle Tennessee State 10

(9)South Carolina (7-1, 5-1 SEC) @ (7)Arkansas (7-1, 3-1 SEC), 7:15pm, ESPN

This should be a great one on paper, when you see #7 vs #9, but then take another look. Arkansas should blow out the Gamecocks, when you see how talented they are and how angry they should play after two close calls in two weeks. The Gamecocks do control their own destiny, at least until Saturday night. Tyler Wilson has a field day against what is admittedly a strong defense for Ellis Johnson.

Arkansas 41, South Carolina 21

Tennessee Martin (5-3) @ Mississippi State (4-4, 1-4 SEC)

The Bulldogs finally got a conference win last week, and could gain huge momentum with a second straight. It comes against a putrid Martin team that lost 50-0 to Tennessee in their last SEC game. The Bulldogs are simply too talented to lose this one. Vick Ballard should have a monster day and make his fans feel good... for a little while, anyway.

Mississippi State 38, Tennessee Martin 3

The LSU-Alabama pick will come a little later...

Here are my projections for week 9:

(10)Arkansas (6-1, 2-1 SEC) @Vanderbilt (4-3, 1-3 SEC), 12:20pm, SEC Network

The Hogs can't be happy with the way they played last week. They basically took a nap and naptime doesn't make Bobby Petrino too happy. QB Tyler Wilson has quietly had a stellar season to this point, and his running game has been a pleasant surprise even to Razorback fans without Knile Davis. The Dores, on the other hand, have been coming so close so often, but have never gotten a signature win yet under James Franklin. They'll score some with new QB Jordan Rodgers leading the way, but they can't match the nasty street speed of the Hogs.

Arkansas 41, Vanderbilt 21

Florida (4-3, 2-3 SEC) vs. (22)Georgia (5-2, 4-1 SEC), 3:30pm, CBS

The return of John Brantley, Jeff Demps and Andre Debose should restore the firepower to this offense that the Gators so sorely missed recently, especially against Auburn. Ronald Powell also returns, as does Caleb Sturgis. That's too bad for Georgia, especially since they will be without Shawn Williams and Kwame Geathers for the first half. The game could be over by then, as Florida's defense has been the silent assassin recently (if only they could force a turnover every once in while). I've got a sick feeling Georgia wins this game, but I made a promise after picking Georgia last year and missing, I'm going to pick the Gators here no matter what until Georgia wins three straight. And I'll keep it.

Florida 24, Georgia 10

Mississippi (2-5, 0-4 SEC) @ (23)Auburn (5-3, 3-2 SEC), 7:00pm, ESPNU

The Rebels would do anything for a win after last week's collapse. Sadly, they won't get it against an Auburn team that's steaming mad after being humiliated by LSU. Unlike Ole Miss, Auburn's good enough to convert anger into a victory over their next opponent. They made have QB problems, but Mike Dyer and Onterio McCalebb have proven to be trustworthy playmakers. The Rebels do have some firepower of their own, however, in Donte Moncrief, Jeff Scott and Brandon Bolden, but health is a big issue for them. Auburn gets it done at home.

Auburn 34, Mississippi 12

Mississippi State (3-4, 0-4 SEC) @Kentucky (3-4, 0-3 SEC), 7:00pm, ESPN3

I'm shocked that an MSU team that reeled off 9 wins last year can find themselves looking at a potential winless conference season. Here's their best chance for a victory, at a toothless Wildcats team that has had more than its share of problems. UK has made other teams feel welcome on their home turf, losing to Louisville and making the Gators look like the New Orleans Saints. That takes talent. The wrong kind of talent- and MSU will happily use their own talent (namely Chad Bumphis), that's been hidden all year to finally get a win in the SEC.

Mississippi State 26, Kentucky 14

(13)South Carolina (6-1, 4-1 SEC) @Tennessee (3-4, 0-4 SEC), 7:15pm, ESPN2

I'm convinced that someday, the Gamecocks will get smashed by somebody. That day is not this weekend, not against a Vols team that has to use its third string quarterback. Carolina's defense, not offense, is its best chance the rest of the season with everybody keying on Alshon Jeffrey and Tori Gurley and daring the rest of the offense to beat them. But this is a game for some running back on SC to break out and get 15 minutes of fame. Root for Tennessee but it's not likely (though remember, anything can happen in the wild SEC).

South Carolina 31, Tennessee 13

Tim Tebow was on his knees on the Denver sideline, part of a chain of Bronco players that were holding hands and looking at the ground on the sideline at Sun Life Stadium in Miami. He couldn't watch, not after so much else go wrong during the course of the game.

Maybe he should have peeked.

After all, he missed the kick that turned his 2011 debut into a success- and possibly officially resurrected his career.

Matt Prater made that kick after missing a pair of field goals in regulation and Denver won 18-15 in OT, capping off a furious comeback by the former Gators star QB on a day the Gators 2008 National Championship team was honored at halftime.

But it wasn't all pretty.

In fact, it was uglier than a Georgia Bulldogs football game for 3 and a half quarters.

With Urban Meyer and a bunch of former teammates in attendance, Tebow got off to a Georgia type start, going 4-14 for 40 yards. He did have a youtube worthy 21 yard scramble, but it was his lone highlight. He continued to play like he was wearing a UGA uniform, throwing wounded ducks that landed no better than four feet away from his receiver, holding the ball too long and getting sacked, and even fumbling once, something that happened once in a blue moon at UF.

So with under 6 minutes to play, and the Broncos trailing 15-0, Jim Rome had his anti-Tebow script all written out, and was simply looking for which tie he wanted to wear when he bashed Tebow the next time his B-rated show aired.

Merril Hoge had already turned the game off, and was already thinking of which fancy restaurant to give some of his well earned money from ESPN (for being the network buffoon) in exchange for a nice dinner. Even he gets bored sometimes.

Mel Kiper was actually busy breaking down last night's Michigan State-Wisconsin and Texas Tech-Oklahoma games (amazing finishes in both games, might I add) with the same scholarly approach that he tore Tebow down with, but then he saw the score and smirked.

Joke's on you, clowns.

Tebow then engineered one of the most incredible comebacks in recent memory, driving the Broncos all the way for a touchdown on a beautiful throw to a receiver, that, as Nick Saban would say, wasn't friggin open. DeMaryius Thomas made a great move to find some separation, but fell. Tebow then tossed it right on the money and Thomas caught it as he fell.

So with the score 15-7 Broncos with 2 and a half minutes to play, John Fox elected to go for the onside kick- and got it. Tebow then directed a second touchdown drive, that ended when he took a step to the left, then lobbed it back to Dan Fells on the right side. Fells caught it and went in for the touchdown as Miami players just shook their heads, victims of a perfectly executed screen play that would have suckered the Baltimore Ravens.

But it was still 15-13. Denver still needed the two point conversion. So Tebow then did what he did best as a Gator- he plowed into the end zone to tie the game at 15.

So the game went into overtime.

Each team punted, and then the Broncos defense forced a fumble. Matt Prater came on and booted the clutch field goal through the uprights to even Tebow's record to 2-2 as a starter.

The haters and morons (really, that's the same group of people) see the game as "Tebow got lucky", "Why were they struggling against a winless team in the first place", and finally, "Tebow's still horrible".

Those people can go (insert your profane and offensive phrase of choice HERE).

Honestly? I see the game as an instant replay of Florida-Arkansas 2009, minus the bad calls against the Razorbacks (let's be honest, Ramon Broadway did NOT interfere with Deonte Thompson... and the unnecessary roughness was BS... but of course as a Gator fan I will take it).

Tebow did not play well. Nor did his teammates. Everybody was talking about Tebow's issues, since he was a senior and the talk had already begun about whether he could make it as an NFL QB. Gary Danielson made one specific comment when Arkansas defensive lineman Jake Bequette stripped Tebow that made me nod in sad agreement: "That's going to be a problem." It was. It gave Arkansas a free field goal- one of the many freebies the Gators handed the Hogs that day.

But late in the game, the Gators offense came alive. Tebow directed the tying drive (with the aforementioned referee assistance) and later the winning drive (with no ref assistance). He shook off what was an otherwise horrible day and got the win.

And so my hat goes off to you, Tim. You haven't played perfect football, but you've done everything in your power to get the win.

There's been so much talk about Tebow, as you know, about his issues and his potential problems he would have in the pros because of them. One thing that's been kind of quiet- no, sorry, more like SILENT or COMPLETELY UNMENTIONED- is the fact that he's a winner.

He wins games.

Sure, it was only an 0-6 Miami team, but Tebow found a way to win the game.

He's a winner, always was, and always will be, and no amount of trash spewed by haters can change that.

Broncos 18, Dolphins 15.

And Tebow scored both touchdowns.

Chomp on that, haters.

Onto the picks for Week 8:

Jacksonville State (5-1) @Kentucky (2-4, 0-3 SEC), 12:00n, ESPNU

Surprise! Washaun Ealey makes his return to the SEC stage. He'll get to face one of the worst teams, too, minus star linebacker Danny Trevathan. The former Georgia Bulldog running back is the centerpiece of this offense and could inflict lots of damage. Kentucky hasn't just lost games this year, they've lost big to pretty much everybody they've played. I'm sure the Cats have heard plenty about how JSU has pulled off some big upsets. It doesn't matter. They're simply not good enough to do anything about it. It's been an ugly year in the Bluegrass State and it's about to get even uglier. In my boldest pick of the year, Jacksonville State pulls the upset, a sequel to last year's game against Mississippi.

Jacksonville State 23, Kentucky 13

(9)Arkansas (5-1, 1-1 SEC) @Mississippi (2-4, 0-3 SEC), 12:20pm, SEC Network

Tyler Wilson has had no problems stepping into the role of Ryan Mallett's replacement (except, well, Alabama). He should have a field day with a porous and injury weakened Rebel defense. The Rebels are playing musical chairs with their QB's and as we Gator fans know well, that doesn't solve the problem. It merely prolongs it. The Rebels will get blown out again by another powerful SEC team.

Arkansas 59, Mississippi 10

(20)Auburn (5-2, 3-1 SEC) @(1)Louisiana State (7-0, 4-0 SEC), 3:30pm, CBS

The Tiger Bowl, as it's sometimes called, has a history of last second victories by both teams. Recently, LSU has been on the better side of this rivalry, until last year. LSU has so many distractions going on now it makes Jordan Jefferson's bar fight seem like a harmless joke in a film session. With the Honey Badger (Tyrann Mathieu)and Spencer Ware potentially not playing, Auburn's chances increase. But never, EVER bet against Les Miles' luck in Tiger Stadium (not that it's a good idea anywhere else, though).

Louisiana State 27, Auburn 21

Army (2-4) @Vanderbilt (3-3, 1-3 SEC), 7:00pm, ESPNU

Both the Commodores and Black Knights are extremely dangerous teams with mediocre records. This is going to be an ugly war in the trenches, where these teams have won the games that they did. Vanderbilt will start Jordan Rodgers and let him play (and sling it) the whole game, and Army will run the Trent Steelman option game all day. In the end, though, Vanderbilt wants revenge for what happened the last time these teams played- a last second field goal to win it for Army. And they'll get it with the best coach they've ever had.

Vanderbilt 34, Army 17

Tennessee (3-3, 0-3 SEC) @(2)Alabama (7-0, 4-0 SEC), 7:00pm, ESPN2

As bad as it seems for Gator fans right now, remember this: it could always be worse. We could be Tennessee fans. They've lost their starting QB, their top wide receiver, are 0-3 in conference play and now have to go to Tuscaloosa to face (tied for until November 5th) the best team in the nation. Yikes. Even I feel bad for them. They're going to get pummeled into the dust. Nick Saban sure hasn't forgotten what this team did the last time they came down to Bryant Denny and he'll use that as motivation. Which means his team will play lights out football. Trent Richardson has a field day and the Tide roll.

Alabama 62, Tennessee 10

(15)South Carolina (5-1, 3-1 SEC) @ Mississippi State (3-3, 0-3 SEC), 12:20pm, SEC Network

Aside from maybe FSU, Mississippi State is the biggest disappointment in the Southeast and maybe the country. Speaking of, it's a pretty disappointed Steve Spurrier who now how has no choice but to line up Connor Shaw as the full time QB. Stephen Gar-C-Ya violated his probation and was kicked out of school. But that may actually work to the Gamecocks' advantage. Connor, meet your new best friends, Marcus and Alshon. They'll make plenty of big plays against an anemic Mississippi State team that needs a big win but does not have the weapons to get it. Carolina wins convincingly.

South Carolina 38, Mississippi State 20

(1)Louisiana State (6-0, 3-0 SEC) @ Tennessee (3-2, 0-2 SEC), 3:30pm, CBS

LSU keeps getting closer and closer to its big date with Alabama. But they better not forget what happened a year ago, when Tennessee beat them on their home field and then handed them the victory on a pretty silver platter. That major gaffe aside, Tennessee completely outplayed the Tigers. But that was last year, and this year, both teams have improved- especially LSU, who has blasted Oregon, West Virginia and Florida. I'm tired of some of the Gator players talking trash about LSU, they ripped Florida up. They'll rip Tennessee up as well, in the same manner they ripped Florida up- pressuring the backup QB, and running right through their defense.

Louisiana State 45, Tennessee 10

(2)Alabama (6-0, 3-0 SEC) @ Mississippi (2-3, 0-2 SEC), 6:00pm, ESPN2

The Rebels have always looked at this game as the game they had to win to boost their team's reputation. They've come close a few times, too. Not this time. Alabama is rolling with Trent Richardson and a smothering defense and AJ McCarron is doing a fantastic job playing the game manager role. Jeff Scott may be electric, but won't have anywhere to go. Nobody is stopping Alabama until they get to LSU. The Tide roll once again.

Alabama 38, Mississippi 3

Georgia (4-2, 3-1 SEC) @ Vanderbilt (3-2, 1-2 SEC), 7:00pm, ESPN3

Georgia is hot, but Vanderbilt doesn't appear to be a joke. That's a fun matchup to watch... sadly I don't think Vanderbilt is equipped to make it as fun as it seems. Jordan Rodgers will get the start for Vandy, but I'm not sure if his big brother Aaron could have much of an impact. The Dawgs' D has been silently lethal after their first two games. Of course, the level of competition dropped but it's not exactly raised this week. Aaron Murray and Orson Charles will be too much for Vandy to handle.

Georgia 34, Vanderbilt 17

Florida (4-2, 2-2 SEC) @ (24)Auburn (4-2, 2-1 SEC), 7:00pm, ESPN

This makes me sick to say. Florida doesn't appear to have a chance in this one. Here's why: they give up so many yards with the dumbest penalties imaginable at the worst times. It didn't make a difference the last two weeks because they got mauled, but committed a laundry list of them against Tennessee and again vs. Kentucky. Sure, Weis can tweak the offense, sure, Auburn's defense is horrendous and sure, Florida will score some points, but not enough. Florida is a bunch of little boys in the trenches against grown men, and though Auburn's lines are no LSU or Alabama, they're better than Florida and should provide a highway for Mike Dyer and an eternity for Barrett Trotter to throw. Sorry, but until Florida comes out and plays a clean, smart game, I'm not picking them again. They're simply not where they need to be yet, they're just too young. Oh and by the way Auburn has a curse working on Florida.

Auburn 28, Florida 13

Kyle Orton is horrible.

Yes, horrible. Not bad, not inadequate, not so-so, not less than average, no, no, no. The guy is horrible.

The first four games of the season confirmed it. He threw 6 interceptions, and 6 touchdowns. Only once did he eclipse 300 yards passing- for 304 against Oakland. Compare that to Drew Brees, who has thrown for over 300 yards all but one time. If you're saying it's unfair to compare Orton to Brees, then wake up, because Brees is the Saints' franchise quarterback, and according to the Broncos and John Fox, Orton is their franchise quarterback. So, they're both franchise QB's, and it's a fair comparison.

But he was just getting going through four games.

In his fifth game, he was simply blunderful, throwing for a fantastic 34 yards on 6 completions in 13 attempts. Yeah, that comes out to be (roughly) an extraordinary 2.5 yards per attempt. His 5 and 2/3 yards per completion was lower than a few other QB's numbers on yards per attempt today. That's how awful he was.

Then Fox throws in the towel, and called on Superman.

And what happened?

He didn't start out to well, but he eventually did get going.

And what happened once he got revved up?

He nearly rescued the lifeless Broncos, bringing them all the way back from a 26-10 4th quarter deficit. Only when the tying two point conversion fell incomplete did the Chargers realize they actually had to start trying.

And even then, victory was no sure thing. Not after a completely idiotic unsportsmanlike conduct penalty allowed the dying San Diego drive to continue. Not after a field goal made it 29-24- with 18 seconds left.

Because Tebow still wasn't done- leading them all the way down to the San Diego 29 before his last second desperation pass fell incomplete- a pass that never would have been thrown had Tebow not broken a trio of tackles, and a pass that sure wouldn't have been attempted by Franchise Quarterback For The Future Kyle Orton. The Chargers would have made an Orton sacklunch on that play, provided he drives them that far, which of course he never would. Not just because he can't, but, well, because he never would have led the Broncos roaring back from such a deficit.

Is Tebow Tom Brady? Is he a top 5 QB in the NFL? Of course not. But nobody starts out as one. They have to work their way up and get there. But frankly, Kyle Orton is not the guy to lead the sick franchise. Tebow is their long-term tonic, but what good is a remedy if you just keep it in your pocket and not swallow it? They have to keep injecting themselves with more Tebow, and in turn, Tebow has to work as hard as he can to improve his mechanics. The experience and NFL football intelligence will come with snaps in meaningful situations. So he must improve his mechanics in order to be better.

But what exactly are his problems?

Before I get to that, though, let's first remember what he was at the University of Florida.

He was our quarterback, our fullback, our short yardage specialist, our head cheerleader, and, honestly, our fairy. He ran around the SEC like Cosmo and Wanda from Fairly OddParents, making big plays magically appear when he seemed to be running out of real estate. Whether that was by unloading a 25 yard strike off balance to a receiver that, to quote Nick Saban, "just wasn't freakin OPEN" or by demonstrating his atomic stiff-arm bomb that would impress Bruce Lee, big plays would happen out of absolutely nowhere.

Of course, the SEC is by far the best conference in college football (that's a debate for another day, but I am willing to take on all challengers in that argument), but the NFL is a whole different level. Tebow has to tone down his aggressiveness. Not cut it out, because changing who you are is a bad idea in the NFL, but do it in moderation. Attempting to run over Ray Lewis on a head to head collision would likely not end well for Tebow.

So what does he have to do?

Sorry to keep quoting TV shows, but it's like that episode in Family Guy where Peter gets hammered out of his mind and crashes his car into a tree. Death (the character) appears and shows him two scenarios of his potential future: continuing to drink at the alarming rate that he does, (where he burns his wife and children with his cigar) and cutting out his drinking altogether (where he lines up his family and offers them a choice of high fives, handshakes, and hugs... in a very creepy manner). In both cases, Peter is appalled at the character he sees, and Death then solves his dilemma for him: moderation, Peter.

Moderation, Tim.

You see clear skies ahead of you on third and four? Take off. You're running down the sidelines and the weakside linebacker readies himself to bodyslam you? Step out of bounds. You have a full head of steam and nearing the goal line and somebody's trying to bring you down at the 2 yard line? Knock him unconscious with one of your bodyshots straight out of Street Fighter. You're scrambling in the backfield with blocking breaking down and nobody open? Get as many positive yards going forward as you can, and take the sack instead of throwing the injured duck that gets converted into the pick 6.

He hasn't really gone overboard yet, but I'm thinking that as his role, stats and national attention as an NFL QB increase, so will his confidence in himself, and he'll start to think that he can do anything. Which can lead to a bad decision. That's happened to plenty of QB's before.

For example, on his hail mary prayer at the end of tonight's game? He danced around in the backfield for how long? That's fine. What if he kept dancing around? What if, instead of letting the ball go, he tried to get away from the guy bearing down on him from behind as well? He might have gotten a better throw. He also might have gotten smashed, picked off, or worse. He has to limit the open field hits he exposes himself to.

And then there are the mechanical issues.

On his second two point conversion attempt, he kind of awkwardly turned and threw an off balance pass in the corner of the end zone. That worked for him at Florida. It backfired here. He had enough time to set his feet, square his shoulders and throw a harder, crisper ball a little more accurately. And even if he didn't, he should use that mobility to either buy some time or take off on a line plunge.

He doesn't have a lot of issues running the ball, but then that comes behind throwing the ball. The issues need to be worked on.

But a little news flash? Kyle Orton is almost 29 years old, and has many of the same problems.

Tebow is 6 years younger with the same issues, plus uncoachable intensity, plus above average mobility (let's hold off on the superlatives here for now), plus the ability to find ways to win... plus the ability to work at something until it's fixed.

Maybe John Fox has indeed wised up. Let's hope so, because making this switch permanently will have fans flooding the gates for games and the stadium sold out, except for haters, Jerry Jones and bimbos, and there are a few.

Haters, tell me this... what positive attribute have your possibly seen that Kyle Orton can bring to this team that Tebow does not?

Last week was loaded with tough games and I picked a few upsets and none of them happened. That leaves me at 38-7 heading into week 6.

Onto the picks:

Mississippi State (2-3, 0-3 SEC) @ UAB (0-4), 12:00n

If MSU loses this game, Dan Mullen is on the hot seat. And they almost did lose this game a year ago. It speaks volumes of the prestige of the Bulldogs' program to agree to go on the road to two conference USA teams. Why visit a 25 seat stadium? You're THAT desperate for capital? Dig this: you're desperate for a win, and if Vick Ballard and Chad Bumphis don't break out in this game, they never will. I'll give them one more chance.

Mississippi State 27, UAB 10

Kentucky (2-3, 0-2 SEC) @(18)South Carolina (4-1, 2-1 SEC), 12:20pm, SEC Network

This is a game you need to keep your eye on. South Carolina was upset a year ago by a much better Cats team and you can bet they'll be ready for revenge. Even with a new QB taking the reins of the offense, the Gamecocks should be fine. Connor Shaw, meet your best buddy, Marcus Lattimore. He's coming off a subpar performance against a porous Auburn defense and will be looking for a bounceback game. This is a very, very weak UK team- especially on defense- but hey, upsets do happen.

South Carolina 41, Kentucky 17

(17)Florida (4-1, 2-1 SEC) @(1)Louisiana State (5-0, 2-0 SEC), 3:30pm, CBS

There's always hope, but realistically, this isn't going to happen. LSU's defense is even nastier than Alabama's, especially in the secondary. Tyrann Mathieu and company will not tolerate such foolishness as Jeff Driskel hitting wide open receivers, nor will Sam Montgomery and his friends on the defensive line allow any breathing room for Demps and Rainey. There's no question in my mind that Driskel will be one of the greatest Florida QB's in history when Charlie Weis is finished with him, but he and the offensive line won't improve in time to get this win. Nor will Florida's defensive line improve enough to stop Michael Ford, Spencer Ware and Jarrett Lee from slinging it deep. Not this year, Gator fans.

LSU 29, Florida 19

(15)Auburn (4-1, 2-0 SEC) @(10)Arkansas (4-1, 0-1 SEC), 7:00pm, ESPN

Fresh off a big win at Texas A&M, the Hogs don't get any chance to breathe, because Auburn invades the Ozarks a week after. And this isn't just any Auburn team- this is an Auburn team has an extremely annoying habit of winning every game it plays by 3 or 4 points. Not this time, though. Maybe we won't see 100 points in this game, but Arkansas will put up plenty. Auburn will score a bit, mainly with Mike Dyer on the ground, but not enough to stop Arkansas's fearsome air attack, led by Tyler Wilson.

Arkansas 38, Auburn 28

Georgia (3-2, 2-1 SEC) @Tennessee (3-1, 0-1 SEC), 7:00pm, ESPN2

This is one of the biggest games not involving Florida going on this season. We need Tennessee to win... and their chances are very good in Knoxville, historically speaking. Here and now, both teams are sort of on fire... against Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Buffalo.  Here's a chance for Tyler Bray to get his first signature win as a Tennessee QB. Can he put up the same big numbers he's used to against a quality team? Can Cornelius Washington-less Georgia stop it? Have fun watching Bacarri Rambo vs. Da'Rick Rogers, too (remember their twitter war? UT gets it done in a shootout.

Tennessee 35, Georgia 31

Vanderbilt (3-1, 0-1 SEC) @(2)Alabama (5-0, 2-0 SEC), 7:00pm, ESPNU

Really? Here's a joke game for Alabama to sit back and relax. Or, that would have been the case the last couple of years... but something is different this year about Vandy. They're just not rolling over and playing dead, which is really shocking after watching them do that up until now. But come on, this is Alabama. They have Trent Richardson and a nasty defense. If you can stop Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps, you can stop Zac Stacy and Warren Norman.

Alabama 34, Vanderbilt 7

So far, I'm 34-4, but this is by far the toughest week yet. I can afford to and will pick some upsets.

Here we go:

(14)Texas A&M (2-1) vs. (18)Arkansas (3-1), 12:00n, ESPN (Game played in Dallas, Texas)

We saw how much Arkansas really misses Knile Davis when their running game was smothered by Alabama. Of course, that also might have had something to do with blocking, or lack thereof. But they still have firepower, namely Joe Adams, Greg Childs and Jarius Wright. Texas A&M, on the other hand, is coming off a devastating choke job against Oklahoma State and an official acceptance into the SEC. Ryan Tannehill is simply not equipped with the weapons to match Arkansas.

Arkansas 41, Texas A&M 27

Mississippi State (2-2) @Georgia (2-2), 12:00n, ESPN3

There's nobody that is befuddled by Dan Mullen more than Mark Richt, who really needs this win and a few more to cool off his seat. His team has been blasted by Mullen (49-10... remember Gator fans? Yeah of course you do), and has lost in the most aggravating fashions possible to Mullen as well. Mostly it's been the latter, especially last year, an inexplicable 24-12 disgrace in Starkville. Here's Georgia's shot at redemption. Will Aaron Murray and co. get it? Nope. MSU hasn't exactly had a stellar season yet either and while Georgia has more desperation and maybe even more talent, Vick Ballard guides MSU to the upset.

Mississippi State 37, Georgia 24

Kentucky (2-2) @(1)Louisiana State (4-0), 12:20pm, SEC Network

This should be an easy call. It was a really easy call in 2007, too. Please recall the results of that game, and remember that anything can happen. Now remember what LSU has done to its first four opponents. They bludgeoned 'em. This Tigers team is rolling and absolutely deserves the #1 ranking until they lose. Much criticized QB Jarrett Lee is having a stellar season so far, and he'll continue it against a Wildcat defense that surrendered a bunch of big plays to the Gators last week. Tigers cruise.

Louisiana State 45, Kentucky 14

Buffalo (1-3) @Tennessee (2-1), 12:30pm, ESPN3

Justin Hunter-less Tennessee isn't happy right now, and they'll get to unload their anger on a hapless Buffalo squad, a Buffalo squad that has a single claim to fame: they beat unbeaten Ball State in the MAC championship. Three years ago. Nobody down south really cares about the MAC and care even less about what Buffalo's seniors did as freshman. But Tyler Bray does care about scoring points on a porous UB defense, which shouldn't be too difficult with Da'Rick Rogers as his top target. Together, they can do anything! (Except beat the Gators).

Tennessee 44, Ball State 6

Auburn (3-1) @(10)South Carolina (4-0), 3:30pm, CBS

Two of the SEC's best running backs go head to head: Michael Dyer of Auburn vs. Marcus Lattimore of South Carolina. Each have carried their team so far and each are drooling over facing each other's defenses this Saturday. The difference is that Barrett Trotter has done a satisfactory job, while Stephen Garcia has not. The only problem for Auburn is that as bad as South Carolina's defense is, theirs is far worse- quite an accomplishment when you realize the Gamecocks gave up 100 points in their first three games. One game didn't fix their woes; just like Kentucky, Vanderbilt merely hid them. But both teams will rip open each other's deepest, darkest, most humiliating issues- and Auburn has more than South Carolina.

South Carolina 49, Auburn 31

(3)Alabama (4-0) @ (12)Florida (4-0), 8:00pm, CBS

Alabama, get ready for the kitchen sink. I said all along this would happen and all you Bammers just talked garbage back. This is a rematch of the 2008 game in a lot of ways- speed of Florida vs. strength of Alabama. The last two years, it was just idiocy (read: Addazio) vs. strength. Maybe Alabama can rattle Rainey and Demps with big hits, but if they can't catch them, they can't tackle them. The real power in this game lies in the right arm of John Brantley. How much he can do will decide the outcome of the game, and I know thebone is groaning as he reads this but it's true. I say he'll do just enough to pull the upset for Florida. Oh and welcome to the Swamp, Bama!

Florida 20, Alabama 13

Mississippi (1-3) @Fresno State (2-2), 9:15pm, ESPN2

If Ole Miss loses this game, I believe Houston Nutt will not be the Rebels' coach by the time the plane lands back in Oxford. I always thought the SEC team could do anything, but now I'm not sure after watching the Rebels get manhandled by Vanderbilt. VANDERBILT. I'm giving the Rebels one final chance here. The defense saves them in an ugly battle in Fresno- one that keeps Nutt's job safe... for another week, anyway.

Mississippi 31, Fresno State 14

Conference realignment. Also known as The Great War of the B.S. Conferences.

Yes, B.S. Conferences. Not BCS.

The playground battle between greedy school children continues to bother college football fans from Miami, Florida to Seattle, Washington.

Enough is enough.

It is time for Father NCAA to step in with a belt in hand and whip some sense back into the circus-loving conference commissioners who seem to have eyes bigger than their stomachs.

Nobody wants the madness to settle until 64 teams have lobbied, bullied and bribed their way into power so a "national champion" can be crowned in a 4-team conference champions' playoff.

The desperation is laughable.

Oklahoma regents meet on Monday to take their school into a conference that references the Pacific Ocean in its name.

TCU will be playing in a league that houses its closest neighbor nearly 900 miles away.

Texas is forgetting that Austin does not touch an ocean. Even if it did, the Gulf of Mexico is not a stone's throw away from the Atlantic Ocean or the Pacific for that matter.

Give me a break.

Every realignment prediction out there projects that Boise State is left outside in the cold come New Years bowl game season. How then can we be sure that the winner of a 4-team playoff would truly be our nation's champion when an undefeated Boise team would not even be invited to the party?

Does anybody care about that slight oversight?

If Boise, Idaho were located four or five states further east, the injustice of the mere suggestion would have already gone before a Supreme Court judge—not a far-out prediction considering Baylor's recent litigation threats.

Apparently, the senseless NCAA is going to sit back with a bag of popcorn while Mike Slive and Larry Scott lie their way to the high throne of college football where ESPN will crown them with an inscribed 14-carrot golden hat, "Bow Down to the Worldwide Leader."

But in the words of the great coach, Lee Corso...

"Not so fast my friend!"

Here's my solution......

Bye Bye BCS.

Order is restored in my just and fair daydreams.

Ever logical, I have replaced the hapless NCAA president and the first thing I have done is destroy the BCS and reconstruct every FBS conference.

Mike Slive and Larry Scott are welcome to reapply for positions as conference commissioners, but based on their track records of "doing what's best for the student athletes" their chances for rehire are slim.

BUT WAIT!!! YOU WANT FOUR SUPER-CONFERENCES?

Ok...Wish Granted!

All 96 Teams are eligible for the Championship.

While I may not agree, I listen to the cries from the majority and grant you your wish.

Each conference consists of 24 teams split up into Tier A and Tier B divisions. Anyone familiar with European soccer leagues?

The 12 teams in Tier A of each conference will compete to send their champion to the beloved 4-team playoff to determine the national champion.

The 12 teams in Tier B of each conference will compete to send their champion into Tier A, replacing the school in the higher division with the most losses on the season.

Any school placed in a Tier B division of its conference, therefore, has the right to compete for a national championship within only one year. Win your conference and you move up with the Tier A boys. Lose your conference and you move down to Tier B.

48 teams will compete for the national championship in a given year. 96 teams are considered Division I, FBS, or whatever you want to call it.

The 48 teams playing in Tier B divisions play with the hope of a promotion into Tier A.

Take Colorado for example. After considering your past few seasons, I have placed you in the Tier B division of the Pacific Conference.

Are you going to cry about it?

Simply win your Tier B division and you earn the right to play with USC, Oregon and Arizona State again.

Be careful what you wish for, though. Losing eight conference games in a Tier A division will place you right back where you started, unable to compete for a national championship the following year while playing in the Tier B division.

Now, a message to the schools not included in my 96-team league. Utah State, New Mexico State and Toledo, that means you.

Any team performing consistently at the bottom of its Tier B division can be challenged by a Division II (FCS) program. In the challenge, the performance of both programs over a five-year period of time will be reviewed and considered.

Louisiana Tech, I have included you as one of my last selections in the 96-team league. If you consistently lose games and play at the bottom of the Tier B South Conference, someone will challenge you and you'll be booted from the league.

You will have your 4 Conferences.

Do not be shocked when you see the Big 12, ACC, SEC and Big East all broken up between conferences in the following slides. After all, I did say I used logic in creating the league. Rivalries, geography and tradition were the major factors considered in creating each conference.

Pacific Conference, Midwest Conference, South Conference, and East Conference.

Consider this hypothetical league a foundation of reason amid the mayhem and chaos of the disgusting politicking swarming around college football this season.

What would this season play out like with a strong structure holding it all together?

Which four teams would we see playing for the championship? Which four teams would earn a spot into a Tier A division by winning a Tier B league?

Sigh.

A structure this reasonable is not going to happen for college football. We can expect to see Bobo The Clown take over as the official college football mascot.

Bobo will also wear a BCS t-shirt.

Thank you, BCS, for placing college football in a ridiculously unjust state that has both AQ and non-AQ schools scrambling for a better solution. All signs indicate the problems will get much worse before they get better. (Florida State is proposing it is a fit for the Big Ten?!?)

NCAA, I have no words to describe your incompetence while college football destroys itself. Please prove me wrong by doing something proactive and take control.

I had to rush to be able to put up my week 3 picks before the start of the Mississippi State-Louisiana State kickoff. But I did it.

I was literally half an inch short of an overtime deciding the one pick I missed, MSU-Auburn, and am kicking myself for doubting the luck of Gene Chizik. Not only do his Tigers get lucky with Cam Newton, they get lucky without him, too. But I'm still 20-2 on the year. Not bad.

Onto the picks:

(3)Louisiana State @(25)Mississippi State, 8:00PM Thursday, ESPN

It's in Starkville, which is never good for opponents, and it's the maroon dogs' home opener which is even less good. And they have a nasty streak to break against LSU, whom they are not especially fond of, especially after a loss, especially especially after an agonizing loss in a game they were favored in against a team they hate. No matter; this is LSU, a team that dismantled BCS Championship contender Oregon two weeks ago. They don't need an offense, just the smothering D they already have. The Tigers shut down Chris Relf and Michael Ford and Spencer Ware each do enough to carry the offense to an ugly win.

LSU 17, MSU 7

(21)Auburn @Clemson, 12:00N, ABC

The Tiger Bowl, as it's called, has had a few notable meetings recently, none more so than last year. These teams and their fans know each other from a bowl game and a classic Auburn comeback a year ago... with Cam Newton leading the way. Barrett Trotter is no Newton, but he is a decent enough starter to get wins. Mike Dyer and Onterio McCalebb should provide enough offense to get the win... but not before Auburn fans get scared... again.

Auburn 38, Clemson 34

Ole Miss @ Vanderbilt, 12:20PM, SEC Network

The game that has seen the underdog win the last few years comes at us again. Just call it the confusing bowl. Or the worst of each division bowl. Call it whatever, but these are the two worst teams in the SEC right here so far. Ole Miss has shown nothing outside of Jeff Scott, and Vanderbit has shown... slightly more than nothing. Larry Smith gets it done at home to go 3-0.

Vanderbilt 37, Ole Miss 14

Coastal Carolina @Georgia, 1:00PM ESPN3

The Bulldogs are better than 0-2, and they'll show it against helpless little Coastal Carolina. This is an angry, talented, and desperate team and you know that's a bad combination for such a weak team to face. It'll be the Aaron Murray to Orson Charles show, combined with a little Isaiah Crowell, and a Georgia blowout.

Georgia 52, Coastal Carolina 13

Tennessee @ (16)Florida, 3:30PM, CBS

The big game. The one you've all been waiting for. It's here, very soon. The Gators get Sharrif Floyd back, which is a monster help for a front 7 that's been very good so far and is only going to get better. Tyler Bray and the Tennessee offense have been great so far... but will it be enough against a ferocious Florida D in the Swamp? Will Janzen Jackson-less Tennessee be able to stop the likes of Chris Rainey, Jeff Demps, Andre Debose, Quinton Dunbar... and so on? Probably not.

Florida 34, Tennessee 13

Navy @(10)South Carolina, 6:00PM, ESPN2

There's no way SC should lose this game. Stephen Garcia, Marcus Lattimore and Alshon Jeffrey are rolling along. But nobody, I repeat, NOBODY, has more heart and guts than the Midshipmen. It's just too bad for them that they no longer have Ricky Dobbs, who ran their offense so well, or Wyatt Middleton, the havoc-wreaking linebacker. And it's too bad they have to play an SEC team.

South Carolina 44, Navy 12

Louisville @Kentucky, 7:00PM, ESPNU

Kentucky has shown very little to be impressed about so far. The lone bright spot on offense has been Josh Clemons, and the defense, led by Danny Trevathan and Winston Guy, has done enough to go 2-0. The Cardinals, on the other hand, are coming off an embarrassing loss to Florida International. That's enough for me. Kentucky wins.

Kentucky 34, Louisville 17

Troy @(14)Arkansas, 7:30PM, ESPN3

Troy is not only a legitimate FBS team with bowl appearances and wins, but also a legitimate threat to pull off an upset if you mess around. I don't think Tyler Wilson and his high powered attack will, though. Barring a series a free footballs, Arkansas shouldn't have any trouble, not when you look at the dizzying array of weapons Wilson has to choose from.

Arkansas 59, Troy 34

North Texas @(2)Alabama, 7:30PM, ESPN3

Why does Alabama keep scheduling this type of game? It's the second time in three years the Crimson Tide play the mean green. Notice the lowercase letters. I like UNT because Dan McCarney coached the Gators' d-line, but they can't move the ball against a nasty Alabama defense. Nor can they stop my favorite non-Gator player to watch, Trent Richardson.

Alabama 38, North Texas 16

Sharrif Floyd had to sit out this most recent game due to questions about money. Ah money ... what some refer to as the root of all evil. Yet, Kiss' Gene Simmons always says that it's the lack of money that is the root of all evil. It's time to STOP ignoring this "lack of money" issue and make some changes to the NCAA rules and scholarships.

Y'know, it sounds like an easy gig if you've gotten a "full ride" athletic scholarship. But, there is another side to attending college when you're from a low-income environment. There are many kids across this country who get, what I'd call, an incomplete ride to the university of their choosing.

There's an old adage by which I live: What I can buy and what I can afford may be two very different things. In other words, I could go out tomorrow and buy a Porsche – brand new. But, once it's mine, so are the expenses related to that car; insurance & maintenance are the two expenses I probably cannot afford in the long run.

So, imagine this awesome opportunity to attend a great university on a full-ride scholarship and "all you have to do" is perform well academically & physically to keep that free ride.

But wait! What about if/when you become a star player – a celebrity – for your school's team? The accolades you receive from the press, the extraordinary cheers from the crowd when your name is called as compared to other teammates, and the simple recognition as you walk around campus are all awesome.

Now jump to the odd situation where your friends want to go out for a bite to eat at Applebee's or Outback ... and you cannot afford it. It's not covered in your free ride package. Regular living is not covered. How much more humiliating can it get than that? And, these are kids – not adults. Still very impressionable, managing humiliation is not any kid's strong suit.

To add insult to injury, I've been told that these kids are also not permitted to get part-time jobs while classes are in session. Well sh!t howdy ... did money start growing on trees outside these scholarship athletes' windows?!

It's time to give all scholarship athletes a stipend in the form of a managed debit card. They'd get $100/week while classes are in session. There would be someone/some group in the Administration Office who would audit the withdrawals constantly. The debit card could not be used for alcohol or tobacco (or firearms ;-). And, it cannot be used more than once in a 1-hour period for a purchase and not for anything more than what is a normal purchase (e.g.: to keep the card holder from buying lunch for everyone, a $50 charge at Mickey D's would throw up a red flag).

It's only fair – and barely fair, at that. I mean, look around at the kids who enter the ticket lottery for games solely to sell their tickets for the really big games. Funny (funny ironic, not funny ha ha) how the kids who have nothing to do with the success of the football team are free to make beaucoup bucks on the sale of tickets and team paraphernalia. But, the kids who have to juggle classes, intense practices and study time to make those game tickets so valuable & in-demand ... they get nailed if they make a penny while on that scholarship? That is so "messed up, dude!"

It's high time to realize that there is money and there is know-how to incorporate a well-managed stipend to all scholarship athletes. We should not be talking about this any longer; we should be incorporating this as of yesterday!