Whether or not Urban Meyer left the Gators' program in shambles is a big issues trending among Gator fans, and often Muschamp's name comes up in this discussion. It goes one of two ways: Meyer crushed the Gators' program, not Muschamp's fault, or it wasn't Meyer's fault, 7-6 is inexcusable bottom line.

Meyer did leave Florida with some talent. There's no question about that. On offense, Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps terrorized defenses when healthy and Rainey was even in the Heisman race a third of the way into the season. Trey Burton, Andre Debose and Jordan Reed proved to be solid contributors, and Mike Gillislee has showed flashes of huge potential. Defensively, Meyer left Muschamp the pieces to the 8th best defense in the nation.

So I don't want to hear this "Meyer left the cupboard bare" garbage. Maybe the Circle of Trust report hurt, but he definitely left Muschamp some talent to work with.

On the flip side, Meyer did allow the Gators' offensive production to slip- a lot. This comes back to Steve Addazio. Here's why I still hate him- had he been a good or at least competent offensive coordinator, Meyer's respite wouldn't have hurt Florida at all. For all we know, he was half asleep during the Dan Mullen years- we just don't know. But had Mullen remained onboard for 2009 and 2010, I'm betting Florida's offense would have been at least time and a half better than it was.

But here's what I'm getting at- all the good and all the bad that's going on right now was due to Meyer and his staff. Sure, Muschamp's defense was 8 in the nation but that was with Meyer's players. And sure, Muschamp is fully capable of recruiting the players to do even better, but he hasn't yet at Florida. His track record at LSU, Auburn and Texas doesn't help Florida at all. Brian Orakpo and Sen'Derrick Marx don't play for the Gators. So sure, he very well might build his own dynamic defense in the future, so he hasn't yet.

So hold off on all thoughts of him, good and bad. You can't blame the 7-6 record on him because he didn't have guys on offense to fit his philosophy. You also can't praise him for getting through it and merely surviving it, because it was with all of Meyer's players.

The true test will be next year.

But if you want something positive to end on, check this out. Some second year coaches at schools have unbelievable success compared to their first, especially in the SEC. Can Muschamp be the latest?

Nick Saban, Alabama

1st year: 2007: 7-6 (Def. Colorado in Independence Bowl)

2nd year: 2008: 12-2 (Lost to Florida in SEC Championship, lost to Utah in BCS Sugar Bowl)

Chip Kelly, Oregon

1st year: 2009: 10-3 (Lost to Ohio State in BCS Rose Bowl)

2nd year: 2010: 12-1 (Lost to Auburn in BCS Championship Game)

Gene Chizik, Auburn

1st year: 2009: 8-5 (Def. Northwestern in Outback Bowl)

2nd year: 2010: 14-0 (Def. South Carolina in SEC Championship, def. Oregon in BCS Championship)

Urban Meyer, Florida

1st year: 2005: 9-3 (Def. Iowa in Outback Bowl)

2nd year: 2006: 13-1 (Def. Arkansas in SEC Championship, Def. Ohio State in BCS Championship)

Upon seeing this question, there are two main answers: Gators glory and Gator demise.

But what specifically was he responsible for? A lack of discipline? Recruits? Wins?

Here are the good things he was responsible for:

The 2008 BCS Championship

Using his own recruits, his own offense and his own coaching staff, Urban Meyer led the Gators to the national championship in 2008. Credit his assistants and his players too, but remember that Urban was responsible for bringing almost all of them to Florida. This goes to Urban, no doubt.

Tim Tebow

Without an offense so tailor made for Tebow, it's unlikely he would have had such tremendous success. He might have still won games, but not the way he did at Florida. Tim Tebow came so close to signing with Alabama, and if not for Meyer's great recruiting skills, he would have. Credit Urban Meyer 100% for making Tim Tebow a Gator.

NFL Pipeline

After the days of Steve Spurrier, many wondered who would be the next coach to lead Florida back to glory. It turned out to be Meyer after three years of Zook (who we as Gator fans owe a big sincere thank you, I'll get there later) and he did it by bringing in a truckload of future NFL players, such as Joe Haden, Percy Harvin, Brandon Spikes, Aaron Hernandez, Janoris Jenkins, Cam Newton (who, people forget, spent more time in Gainesville than in Auburn), Major Wright, Louis Murphy and many, many more.

Now, here are some negatives that Urban was responsible for:

2005 season

Many people forget it but the Gators were downright horrible in 2005 offensively and would have been under .500 if not for a dynamic defense led by Charlie Strong. If you don't remember, the 2005 season opener against Wyoming was actually worse than the 2010 opener against Miami Ohio. He tried to force a foreign offense on Chris Leak, who had enough trouble adjusting to a new staff, and the Gators really struggled. It raises questions about how good of a coach Meyer really was.

Steve Addazio Era

I made a few jokes in my Addazio to Gator Nation articles about Addazio recruiting 8th grade girls to run his offense. He might as well have- with all the talent he wasted with his awful "offense", he still couldn't run it for any success, so why not use the 8th grade girls? I also hinted at him being a Sandusky once. Well, I obviously hope he never molests a young girl, because that's disgusting and horrible- but if he had, Florida would have benefitted greatly. He would have been of more use sitting in jail on molesting charges- or any charges, for that matter- than he was calling plays. Quite frankly, he was the worst play-caller and coach I have ever seen, and his idiocy set the Gators back three years in prestige by killing recruiting.

Players' Character

Will Muschamp is rebuilding the UF program with character, not characters. Specifically, the kind of characters Meyer brought in. I'm not blaming him for a lack of discipline, but the players he brought in were just not the best people. His players' arrest record says that clearly. A few of them were silly mistakes, such as Chris Rainey sending a threatening text message, but a lot of them reflected the kind of kids Meyer wanted.

Here are some positives that Urban is not responsible for:

2006 BCS Championship

While nobody would argue that Florida could have pulled this off without three superb freshmen- Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin and Brandon James- this was a Ron Zook generated result. So Gator fans do truly owe Ron Zook in two ways. The first is the way he recruited. He brought in enough pure talent to field a national championship team- beating eventual champion LSU on their home field proved that. The other thing Florida fans must thank him for is employing Chrlie Strong, the brilliant defensive architect. Of course, Meyer did keep him on in 2006, but that's like crediting the people who built the Enola Gay for ending World War II. Thanks, Zook.

The 2009 season

No, this was simply a preview of Tebow's NFL career- great defense (Strong again), an OK offense around him and he just finds ways to win. If Florida had won it all, then you could credit Meyer for bringing Tebow in, creating the offense, etc. But Florida could have played Alabama 999 more times and they wouldn't have ever beaten them unless the defense pitched a shutout. The success that Florida did have was due to the defense for keeping Florida in it and Tebow for pulling it out.

Now, here are the bad things Meyer was not responsible for:

Discipline

You cannot blame Meyer for having such an arrest issue when he brings in so many thugs. You blame Meyer for bringing in the thugs, not for them misbehaving. It's really that simple.

The Broken Program Label

All good things must come to an end. Florida's NCAA dominance ended eventually, like all things do. While you can blame Meyer for letting Addazio ruin our program, you cannot blame him for not bringing in more Tim Tebows. Jeff Driskel was supposed to be the next one, and even if he does turn out to be a star, it won't help for 2010 and 2011. That's over. Tebow was made to run Meyer's system, and while that doesn't mean he can't succeed with other offenses, the focus on Meyer is that he can't simply reload. If you want to blame somebody, blame God for not littering the state of Florida with diehard Gator fan replicas of Tim Tebow. Without him, Florida really struggled, both before and after he got to Florida. The "broken program" is simply a synonym for "lack of Tebow". The defense is still great, the offense still has playmakers... but the Gators do not have Tebow.

Every Gator fan wants to know who will be the starting QB next season. It's by far the biggest question mark on the Florida football team.

The coaches are silent, neither QB really distinguished himself as a legitimate starter last year, so it appears to be dead even.

One thing that's for sure: whoever does get the starting job has full support from Will Muschamp, who has praised both throughout the spring. Muschamp says the Gators can win with either one.

My thoughts? If that's the case, pick one and move on. If you really feel you can win with either one, then just make up your mind. The two split reps with the first team offense, but it would benefit the starter to have 90% of the reps so he can really get accustomed to his fellow starters, rather than sort of have the hang of it. A starter must be picked by mid summer.

The other option is rotating QB's, which is really not an option but an absolute last resort. We've seen that before, and even with a much better offense than we had in 2010, it still is not a good sign. Only somebody who's lucky enough to have a football bounce like a tennis ball can pull that off, specifically Les Miles.

Both have their strengths; Driskel is really fast and a good runner, more like a Tebow type (but certainly not Tebow's level) and has a good arm while Brissett has good mobility and a great arm. Both can make smart decisions, and both can read defenses. There are slight differences, but no major ones.

Unless one goes a long way to separate himself in the summer, if they're really dead even, then do whatever you want to pick one. Use any of Steve Addazio's play-calling methods; have them play rock paper scissors, pick one of their two names out of a hat, use a magic 8 ball, ask jeeves or do eenie-meenie-minie-mo. I don't care. Muschamp, you really need to just pick one by mid-summer and ride him all the way. The extra practice with the first team will pay off.

See what happens.

It's very hard to recap a spring game with any excitement for one main reason. There's never really anything so great about a spring game, because what's good for the offense is bad for the defense, and vice versa. That said, I was very happy with the way both units performed. The defense swarmed to the ball quite often, and there were more big plays by the offense then there were in the last two seasons combined.

But there was nothing better to see than the emergence of two freshmen who played a huge role in the new (exciting, but I'll credit Pease later) offense- redshirt frosh tailback Chris Johnson and true freshman wideout LaTroy Pittman.

Simply put, the two dominated the spring game.

Pittman had several receptions, none bigger than a beautiful bomb thrown by Jacoby Brissett that set up the first score of the day.

And Johnson had several big runs, including a touchdown from 3 yards out.

Other new faces that had big impacts were linebacker David Campbell, recording the only turnover of the game (an interception of Tyler Murphy that he returned 16 yards), Mack Brown Jr., who scored a TD and had a couple other nice runs, and Jabari Gorman, who had a hand in almost every tackle, no exaggeration.

Then there were the familiar names on the offensive side of the ball that we're going to need big time come September- Andre Debose, Quinton Dunbar, Trey Burton and Jordan Reed, who each had huge impacts in the passing game... and the offensive line.

I'd like to take a second to compliment the o-line, last year's main offensive problem. Chaz Green, Xavier Nixon, Jessamen Dunker and DJ Humphries were excellent yesterday, giving their QB (whoever it was) plenty of time to throw and really getting some push at the line of scrimmage on running plays.

But forget all that. Let's keep this in perspective- this WAS just a spring game, us against us, so again, when there's a good play by one unit, it's negative for the other unit.

Instead, let's think about this- finally, FINALLY, we may just have the offense we've all been waiting for since Dan Mullen left in 2009. Brent Pease put together an offensive game plan that was truly masterful- mainly by getting speedy receivers the ball in space, whether that be by a reverse, end around, or a simple deep throw. The end result? Almost twice the point total from last year's spring game (41 to 23), many more big plays and much more excitement for fans.

I don't expect Pease to come in and immediately raise Florida's offense to tops in the nation. No, I learned that lesson with the whole Charlie Weis era. I do, however, expect Pease to eventually lead this team upward to that level, mainly because they looked so good against a defense that we know is nasty- 8th in the nation last year with 10 out of 11 starters returning. The offense started slow, but once the guys got into a rhythm, the points started piling up late in the game.

So there's a lot to be excited about Gator fans, but don't get your hopes up. This could easily be another 7-6 year. Honestly, though, the Gators' schedule sets up very nicely, meaning it could easily be a 10 win season. The toughest game of the year? That would be LSU, and it's right in the friendly (from Florida's point of view, obviously) confines of the Swamp, so there's a chance. We also get South Carolina at home, Georgia in Jax as always, we go to FSU- these three games will make or break our season. Do we win all three? If yes, then the Gators are off to Atlanta with a shot at the BCS Championship. 2-1 in these games and Florida still probably wins the SEC East, even if the loss is in conference, but BCS Title hopes are gone. 1-2, and you're looking at a 9-3 season- which is the most realistic. I don't believe the Gators will lose all three games, because you have to have faith in Will Muschamp at least once here.

The SEC road games are relatively easy- at Texas A&M, at Tennessee, and at Vanderbilt. The remaining home games are Bowling Green, Kentucky, Missouri, Jacksonville State and The University of Louisiana. Come on now. A loss in any of these games would be nothing less than a disgrace.

So it does look very good for the Gators, with a new offense, the same nasty defense, Caleb Sturgis and the special teams returning, and a fiery coach that is full of battle scars from year 1, looking for redemption.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks and months for two major posts- a completely new, radical college football playoff proposal and chronicling the lifelong journey of Percy Harvin.

Oh, and if anybody wants to watch the replay of the spring game, you can do so here.

On another note, the Gator baseball team is choking. They were once 20-1; now they're 25-7. Cheer them on whenever you can.

Happy holidays!

One of Reggie Nelson's lasting images as a Gator was picking off John Parker Wilson and taking it 70 yards to the house to seal the 28-13 win over Alabama in 2006- and had dozens of other big time pass breakups in his final year at Florida.

Of course, Percy Harvin was a human highlight reel during his time at Florida, but especially in his last two years when he got more touches.

For two years, Janoris Jenkins locked down on some of the best young receivers (or future receivers) in the NFL, such as Julio Jones, Alshon Jeffrey, Brandon LaFell, and AJ Green.

Last year, Chris Rainey was unquestionably the Gators most explosive player, consistently breaking tackles and turning nothing into something.

What do all these guys have in common?

They all wore the number 1 on their jerseys once they really matured into excellent players.

Or, in some cases, when the coaches thought they needed to provide some spark in a player to make them really break out the way they envisioned when they recruited them.

Since I really started following Gator football at the rate I do now in 2006, it's worked every time.

Wideout Quinton Dunbar and linebacker Jonathan Bostic have been issued number 1 for offense and defense, respectively. Issuing number 1 for somebody on the Gators (and I'm sure for a bunch of other teams too) is similar to naming the player captain. It means the coach has high expectations or high trust in the player, and usually both. The difference between an actual captain and somebody that wears 1 is the physical ability of the player wearing 1 (obviously, exceptions are made for guys like Tim Tebow or Joe Haden).

Captains usually are appointed for leadership reasons- going the extra set of reps in the weight room, on the practice field, or encouraging the teammate that just missed a tackle or fumbled the ball away. Sure, Tebow was a beast, but if he had a poor attitude he might not have been named captain. The number 1 is given out to players that have tremendous physical ability AND is willing to go that extra mile to get the absolute most he can out of his talent.

But numbers are issued in spring practice (at least with Will Muschamp they are), and he has basically sent a message to his team that Dunbar and Bostic are going to lead by example and that he expects greatness out of both of them.

Credit Urban Meyer for this. This was his idea. Muschamp merely retained it as part of his winning formula- give number 1 to guys who you really have faith in.

Just like the guys before Dunbar and Bostic, these two have shown flashes of immense talent, but (especially for Dunbar) these moments have been few and far between.

Something that might help Dunbar get more action is the agreement of former Gator wide receiver Omarious Hines to play running back (and wear number 20) in his senior season. This is part of Brent Pease's new offense- crazy packages that confuse defenses to the point of busted assignments- but I'll get into that tomorrow. Hines switching positions clears the way for Dunbar to shine alongside Andre Debose, who has already proven to be not only a great receiver, but a legitimate threat to score from anywhere on the field if you mess around. And even if you don't mess around, he might still score.

As for Bostic, he has actually proven himself already. He co-anchored a defense that finished in the top 10 in the nation. Unfortunately for Florida, the offense sucked so much that holding Auburn, Georgia, FSU and South Carolina to 79 combined points ultimately meant nothing. With an offense, and wins in those four games, Florida is 10-2, in Atlanta, and Bostic gets some recognition.

But that's why these guys were given #1 anyway- to prove their worth.

And hopefully their worth will guide the Gators back to glory.

Muschamp seems to think that's exactly what will happen.

So let's join him.

I am thoroughly convinced they think us idiots.

I am thoroughly convinced that "Thud" is an idiot.

I am going to dissect some recent statements that are disturbing. Nobody expects Wm to have the deftness of a Belichick at this point. However, he's been around enough great minds to know how to keep his mouth shut.

I also will dissect the statement of a guy who has to pretend to be a sycophant, but first, WM >

There are a lot of reports circulating out there about who is going to be Florida's new strength and conditioning coordinator and who might be the Gators' new offensive coordinator.

But the reality is Will Muschamp isn't ready to fill either of the two vacancies on his coaching staff. That was the news from the UF head coach after the Gators' first Gator Bowl practice Tuesday.

“I haven't hired anybody,” he said. “I've talked to a lot of people at the strength position and the offensive coordinator's position. When I make the hire everybody will know. But no one has been hired, no one has been offered a job yet. So, that's it.”

Yeah, take your time Will. Leave the current roster (which has already been decimated by transfers) hanging. Also, leave recruits hanging.

There have been Internet and Twitter reports that Jeff Dillman, who works at IMG Performance Institute in Bradenton, is going to be the new strength coach. He previously worked at LSU and Appalachian State.

But Muschamp said Tuesday he's still going through the process of identifying and interviewing prospects for both the strength coach and offensive coordinator positions.

“I still have people I want to talk to,” Muschamp said. “I've talked to probably six, seven, eight people so far. Again some people over Christmas. Some people this week I plan on talking to. Then after the bowl game.

So, you don't know how many people you've talked to ? It's not like you said "we." You said you are the one who has talked to people. Why don't you know how many you've talked to ? Will, you might not think it's a big deal, but as the man who is supposedly running the ship, you should know how many people you've talked to. And, if you don't, say several. This just keeps getting worse every day.

“I've never put a timetable on it because it's the right fit for Florida, it's going to be the best decision for Florida. It's an important hire, both of them are. I've talked to multiple people on both situations.”

Yeah, we heard you say that last year. Right when you also admitted to not being strong on offense and wanting to hire someone strong. Then you meddled and drove him away. Here we are a year later and you're spouting the same thing. Maybe Foley should revisit this and take his time making the right hire for the head job.

Muschamp declined to mention names of potential candidates for both openings.

“No. We're not going to have a public search,” he said. “I've talked to people and their privacy is important to me, too.”

Yeah, is it ever. Like declaring the interim is auditioning for the job ? Everyone knows that's the case but to actually say it in print....

One of the most obvious, and visible, candidates for the offensive coordinator's job is running backs coach Brian White, whom Muschamp named the interim offensive coordinator for the bowl game.

Muschamp praised the work White has done with the offense preparing for the Gator Bowl game against Ohio State.

“I don't know that I've learned anything. I know he's a good football coach,” Muschamp said. “It's reassured my confidence in him as a football coach. He's done a nice job preparing our football team. It's all about situational football and being prepared for those situations when they occur in the game.

Yeah, we know you haven't learned anything Will. As for being prepared, yeah, the hallmark of your tenure thus far is adaptation.

“As a play caller, you've got a knack for that. He did a great job for Barry Alvarez for, I believe, nine years and won a lot of football games. When you've sat in that role it's different than being in a role where you've never been in that situation at a big program, in the light, in the Rose Bowl. And Brian has done that. That's exciting to me.”

You BELIEVE ? Will, would it kill you to do some research before you open your cobbler gobbler please ? Also, he did a great job for Alvarez ? You mean he was a yes man who believed in three yards and a cloud of dust ? So excited for the direction the Mighty Gators are headed in !!!

Muschamp reiterated that the offense has not changed under White — and it will not change whoever he names as the offensive coordinator after the bowl game.

“We're going to remain what we do,” he said. “I like what we're doing offensively. We've just got to be more productive. That's simple. I like what we're doing.”
“There's not going to be a whole lot of change of what we do. Brian's and Charlie (Weis') philosophies are both the same. More than anything, it's my philosophy. It's what I want to be on offense, and that's where we're headed.”

That says it all, doesn't it ? So basically, the next OC has to run an offense not how he believes it should be run, but it must meet the criteria of a DEFENSIVE coordinator. This just keep getting better and better I tell you.

Muschamp said White's experience as a play caller weighed heavily in his decision to turn the offense over to White for the bowl game.

“No question,” Muschamp said. “Everyone has great ideas until they've sat in that chair.

Kinda like hiring an "up and coming" coaching prospect because he managed to miraculously coerce the best athletes in the country to play like.....the best athletes in the country ?

Then they understand the difference. They see the big picture, they understand all the things that go with running an offense or running a defense. No question his experience was very critical in our growth as an offense as we move forward.”

Yeah, sure Will. You mean like last year how you said you were deferring to an expert on O, now you believe you are one ?

Now, we have Pat Dooley. It's pretty obvious what his REAL thoughts are, but he has to placate the loyalists. I will argue against the "myself" entries.>

It shouldn’t be a debate.

But it is.

It wasn’t even being discussed in the Florida coaching offices during the holidays or on the bus ride over to Jacksonville.

“I’m just trying to win this game,” Will Muschamp said. “I don’t want to be 6-7.”
But in the Gator Nation, it was being discussed. And I can see both sides of the argument.

So … discuss.

Me: There is no way I let John Brantley play this game. What’s the point? We’ve seen what he can do. This was a lost season. 7-6 or 6-7, it will go down as the worst season of Gator football since 0-10-1. I’d let the two freshmen play quarterback. Maybe give them each a half.

Myself: Really? What a great message to send to your seniors. You ask for total commitment and then kick a guy to the curb before his last game of his career? Who are you, Todd Graham? Show a little loyalty to a guy who has been a Gator for life. Let him go out with some dignity.

You mean the seniors who are going through the motions, displaying full blown complacency and a sense of entitlement ? Who cares if you alienate them. Perhaps if the benching had come earlier, it would have lit a fire under them that seniors are subject to benching if they don't shape up.

Oh, and let him go out with dignity ?  He was given this whole season under Weis, having been given the benefit of the doubt that last year was a scheme issue. When it was apparent that the problem was between the center and the rb, he still remained the QB when healthy. He got his job back and in his last meaningful game as a Gator against their arch rivals, he unleashed his greatest bed shitting to date. The dignity ship has already sailed. Now you're simply advocating allowing him a chance to use a bit of Pepto in the hopes of removing the aftertaste of the vomit he choked on.

Me: Dignity? Behind that offensive line? He’s going to be chucking and ducking all game just like he did all season. I appreciate what Brantley did but he was 14-9 as a starter and six of those wins came against teams that were paid to be practice fodder. He’s under-.500 against real teams. He’s had his chance.

Myself: Look, he still gives Florida the best chance to win this game. He knows the offense and he’s a senior. He’s been through the battles and you know he’ll be fired up to finish with a flurry. He’s as healthy as he’s been since before the severe ankle sprain. I think he has one more big game in him. Don’t forget, this is a team that gave up 40 points to Michigan in its last outing.

Actually, he does not. He has nerves of egg white. He's playing against Meyer's new team. We've seen what happens to him when the pressure is on. The roster is stacked with read option guys. The best chance to win is Driskel running a read option as a one game stopgap.

As for being fired up to finish with a flurry, yeah we saw what happened against FSU in his last meaningful game against his arch rival. Supposing your theory is true, we want to see the ball handed to someone who can only get motivated after they outright shit the bed ?

Me: Yeah, against a mobile quarterback. If you base it on that one game, Florida should let Jeff Driskel have this game. Besides, this game isn’t about the 2011 season. It’s about 2012. It’s time for this program to move forward and out of the stench that was last season. This isn’t the last game of 2011. It’s the first game of 2012.

Myself: I might buy that if we knew who Florida’s offensive coordinator was going to be for next season.

I might peruse the catalog  if I thought the HC had a damn clue about what to do.

Me: Well, you’ve heard Muschamp. He wants to have some consistency. He doesn’t want to get away from what they’ve been running this year. So whoever it is will be running a lot of what they will be running in this game.

Myself: So what about the other seniors? You want to bench them as well? That will send a great message to recruits. Come to Florida where we use you up and toss you aside. I mean, have you ever heard of the concept of winning the last game for the seniors?

You know what else sends a great message to recruits ? No matter how unproductive and ineffective upperclassmen are, you aren't playing. Who cares if they practice well and play shitty, you sit. And if  there's a legacy player in front of you? Well, you might as well not even bother committing. Save yourself the transfer. Because if you do transfer and go elsewhere and succeed  at a high level, they'll call you stupid and accuse you of academic wrong doings while sheltering those who remain. They'll give you hell about owning a stolen laptop while covering for other real law breakers. They'll send you to the salt mines because your father told an outpost they'd have to cough up some cash for his church to get you to consider playing for a hole in the world instead of a national power. They'll do this, as their former QB and All Apple Pie Guy's family did the same thing, having managed to circumvent NCAA rules and obtain funding for their missions.

Yes, come to Florida, where the lazy and spoiled will play no matter what. Where DNA is the only true merit.

Me: Great, go win it for them. But if you want to bench them all it’s fine with me. Except Jaye Howard. Florida is too thin at defensive tackle.

Myself: Nice. So the one body you need will be allowed to play.

Wait, I thought the idea was to win ? What are those banners for ? Hey, let's commission a banner for JB. You are indecisive, and completely lacking awareness. You can't get out of the way of a helium balloon.  You are responsible for most of the things that went wrong with your tenure. Have a banner for enduring your own problems.

Me: OK, that came out wrong. Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey were a big part of two teams that went 26-2 and won a national title. They’ve earned the right to go out on their terms. This debate was supposed to be about the quarterback.

Myself: Yes and what did you see out of either of the freshmen when they got their chances during the regular season that would make you think they can handle this assignment? Don’t forget, their offensive coordinator is in Kansas.

Actually, as it turns out, the offensive coordinator is still in Gainesville. He's looking for a lapdog to assign the title to so when the heat comes, there'll be someone to take the blame. What did I see from the freshmen ? Nothing, really. But I did see the same thing people talked about last year with JB being in the read option. What we do know is you have a read option qb on a roster still stacked with read option players. Oh, I don't know, maybe try to win the game with what you have ?

Me: I’m not saying that Brantley isn’t the best option to try to win the game. I’m just wondering if it’s the best way to get started on next season.

Myself: This isn’t about next season. Next season starts Jan. 3. Do you really want to see this team go out with a losing record?

Actually, yes, if it serves a greater purpose. A win with JB further deludes the masses because it will just bring forth a bunch of "what if" nonsense. Or, are you under the impression that winning an exhibition game against an out of conference team somehow overshadows losses to FSU, SC and UGA, nevermind LSU Bama and Auburn ? This is Florida. 6-6 overall, 3-5 conference record  finishing 7th overall and 3rd in the weaker of two divisions, ONE game better than Vandy IS a losing season.

Me: I’m just not so sure it can win with its senior quarterback. And because I’m not sure, I’d just as soon watch the other guys play and give them experience.

Myself: We’ll just have to agree to disagree. By the way, you have chicken wing sauce on your shirt.

Give him a chance. That's what we hear. Give him a chance.

From him we hear "it's Florida, we'll be fine"

Some benefit of the doubt was given first to Brantley, then to WM. Why ? Personnel. You know, a roster full of read option guys trying to play "pro style."

We heard about Weis' so called stubbornness with regards to play calling.

I call bullsh*t. It's all on WM. We heard about tension with him and Weis. We heard about him meddling. We've seen, since Weis left, him reiterate his "preference" which is loosely translated to an unwavering desire to be a boring Saban clone.

Here's the kicker - while the Wet Tissue, Daddy's Boy Brantley, was injured, what happened ? Nothing. Nothing at all. Driskel was injured at one point but then was demoted.

Brisset showed more poise, but here's my issue and it's the crux of the matter with Muschamp - he had a roster full of read option personnel and he had a read option QB sitting on the bench. Why the F*CK didn't he use him ? Are you f'ing kidding me ? Maybe Driskel sh*ts the bed even running the read option. However, what we know is he showed a lack of poise running a "pro style" offense just like JB did running a read option.

What ever happened to going to battle with what you have ? He had an OC with multiple SB rings, one of the most decorated minds in the history of the sport, who made a name for himself by using a philosophy of planning game to game, rather than using one system and sticking to it. Yet, the wonderful mind of Florida's head coach, instead of tweaking the style to accommodate what he had on hand, insisted on forging ahead.

Adazzio took a lot of heat for doing the same thing but there's one key difference - Adazzio didn't actually didn't have the proper personnel to really fall back on, hence the Reed/Burton makeshift plan. Muschamp DID have the players in reserve. Yeah, JD was a true freshman, but the beauty of the read option is the running component simplifies it enough so that a true can come in and not be subject to as much of the usual "nerves" symptoms that a tosser is subject to.

So, yeah, it's all on WM. I want him gone yesterday. I don't care about being patient - Florida is not the place for OJT; get the OJT at FIU or FAU or some other kiss your sister program.Remember when VP Biden said about Obama that the Presidency isn't something that lends itself to on the job training ? People kind of forgot about that since BO named him his running mate. Same idea applies here.

The powerhouses are for powerhouse coaches, not some first time head coach whose only real accomplishments have been crafting top flight defenses with the best defensive players in the country. So basically, because he didn't shit the bed we're supposed to believe he's a brilliant mind ? Gary Patterson is a brilliant mind. Sorry, I just can't help but think of Chris Rock's "low expectation" skit.

Praising Will Muschamp for creating productive defenses with 4 and 5 star athletes is like hailing Greg Knapp as a good OC  because he scored points with Andre Johnson, Matt Schaub, Ben Tate and Arian Foster. You're not a good mind at all; you simply have to NOT f*ck it all up and you'll be good simply by happenstance.

When you stop and think about it, there's really only one way to see it - WM is more interested in doing it "his way" than winning games and/or developing players.  He had the means to adjust, but didn't. So in other words, he'd rather do it his way and lose, than adjust and deviate and possibly win.

John Elway and John Fox caught major shit from people on here  for SAYING Tebow needs to change, while actually using a playbook tailored to his skills and yet, I still see a lot of silence in calling for WM's head for doing the very thing people feared Fox and Elway TALKED about doing, all because it's his first year.

It's been difficult to root for the Gators the past couple of years, a team that went 0-6 against the SEC West plus FSU and South Carolina, teams that we always beat up on and owned in the last few decades.

And although most people point to the humongous drop from 2009 to 2010, it's really been a multi year process.

The Florida Gators annihilated pretty much everybody in their way under Urban Meyer for the first four years of his tenure. They were always not far from or on the top of the mountain. There was a dropoff from the BCS CHampionship team in 2006 to 2007, but there was also a load of youngsters who needed experience. They got it and in 2008 the Gators won it all again.

They still beat everybody in year 5, until they got to the SEC Championship- where Alabama exposed Steve Addazio's offense for the train wreck it was and knocked the Gators off the mountaintop. This time, however, the Gators didn't grab on to the mountain until they had fallen all the way out of the top third in the nation.

2010 (8-5) was not a horrible season for the average team's standard. Think about it. Ron Zook's years actually weren't that bad. We made bowl games in each of his three seasons. 64 teams made bowl games those years. We were always in the top half of the country. But then we fell from the middle of the top half to the bottom in 2011.

There's a long offseason ahead, so I'll get into what exactly caused this fall from grace, and no, it wasn't all Urban Meyer's fault. Nor was it all Steve Addazio's fault. But the point is, this is as far as the Gator can fall. I refuse to believe the University of Florida can do any worse than they've done this year. Even if we had Ron Zook again, he couldn't do any worse. He would at least recruit the right players to win 7 games.

Shout out to Atlanta Gator. He was right when he said the Gators' fall from grace has been sharp. But it's also complete. There is nowhere to go but up. Our head coach is a great recruiter and has a great track record of developing nasty defensive players- Sergio Kindle, Brian Orakpo and Sen'Derrick Marx are the most recent. And our offensive coordinator has a great track record of his own, spending time with guys like Tom Brady and at least helping to develop them into great QB's.

Our defense is already there at championship level. Would anybody be shocked if I told you that our defense is top 10 in the country?

It's our offense that needs improvement now, and once Charlie Weis is done weeding out the Addazio players and replenishing our roster with pro style offense players (although losing running back Mike Davis was a big blow) we should be much better than we are now- and it will show in our record.

If there's a guy who can pull us out of this hole, it's Muschamp. Because he's a disciple of Nick Saban- and Nick Saban doesn't let guys just hang on his coattails. While Saban does call his defenses, his defensive coordinators have always been very involved.

So it may take some time, but Florida has the pieces in place- or will- to get back to the top. And soon.

First, I would like to begin this post by congratulating Billy Donovan on win number 400. That is a huge accomplishment that was due in large part to his back to back national championship teams.

2011 was supposed to be a new era for Gator football, and it was. But not exactly the way we thought it would be. We saw our offense struggle once again, in particular our offensive line, our defense couldn't come up with turnovers, and we drew enough penalty flags to form a new continent.

Some things improved from last year, while others got worse. One thing that declined was our record, which was due to our stunning inability to win tight games. Will Muschamp was right: it's unacceptable. So he has taken some of the blame.

Which is good, since he is the head coach and his Gators repeatedly got flagged for the most uncalled for penalties imaginable, often directly leading to a score for the opponent and occasionally even changing the momentum of the entire game. This is definitely his fault, to have his team be so undisciplined that they lead the nation in penalties. That's on the coach, no doubt. Obviously, it's the players' fault for committing them, and occasionally the referee will make a mistake, but Muschamp's job is to install discipline into his players so that they don't do stupid things.

The hustle penalties- late hits, pass interference, roughing the passer- are tolerable, because it shows fire in a player, and as hard as it is to cool a player down sometimes, it's much harder to do the reverse- plant the fire in them. But the Gators' penalties were mostly unacceptable ones, either pre-snap or post-whistle. Opponent has a third and four at midfield? Encroachment Gators. First down, frive continues. Opponent has a third and goal at the 3? Unnecessary roughness, Florida. First and goal at the one. We have a third and 2 at midfield? False start, Florida, now it's third and seven and our offensive line breaks down for a sack.

That segues nicely into the next big problem we had. Our offensive line couldn't protect Brantley to save their lives, leading to sacks, bad decisions which turned into picks or at least an incompletion and fumbles. This falls partly on them, but mostly on Weis for not toughening them up, injuries for decimating them and youth. Steve Addazio can also be blamed, since he recruited the offensive line and attempted, unsuccessfully, to coach them. Help is on the way, however, with a trio of top 15 linemen in the nation- Jessamen Dunker, Omari Phillips and DJ Humphires. But youth will likely cause some of the same results and blocking failures next year. Hopefully, they will learn and improve as the season goes on.

Speaking of improvement and learning, that's something the Gators did the opposite of on the offensive side of the ball. The problems started against FAU, though they were not nearly as prominent as they became as the season progressed. Nor did they happen as frequently. Through the first four games, they didn't matter, since Florida dispatched four bowl-less teams by a combined 125 points.

But after that, starting in Game 5 against Alabama, the problems all got worse. They continued the downward slide against LSU. Neither of those games bothered me, since those teams will likely play for the BCS Championship. What bothered me was that Auburn, who surrendered 38 points and 449 yards to Chuckie Keeton and Utah State, completely shut down our offense. We couldn't even get in the end zone once. It just got worse from there- Georgia busted coverages a few times but overcame them to win, Vanderbilt let Demps get loose, SC completely shut us down, Furman nearly pulled off an upset and FSU shut us down as well.

Each and every game got worse. Against Alabama, we gained 222 total yards of offense, and 65 of them came on the opening play of the game. Of course, we cannot discount it, but still. LSU allowed us 213 yards of total offense. Then, Auburn allowed just 168 yards of offense. Georgia allowed 226 yards- but once they got their starters back in the second half, Florida's offense completely stopped. The Gators lost 19 yards on the ground the whole game. Credit the offensive line for this, as we know what Demps and Rainey could do with good blocking and even a small hole.

The blame for that can be placed on Muschamp. A head coach must do three things in his first year: make sure his team improves from week 1, hold on and at least partially save the departing coach's last recruiting class and make sure his team plays with discipline. Muschamp saved Meyer's final class, but failed to do the other two. Not that it's really all his fault, though.

So now let's add one more piece of this blame puzzle: Urban Meyer.

Over time, my feelings toward him have gradually changed. I am becoming more and more appreciative of the good he did for us. However, there were so many better ways he could have orchestrated this. Raiding our current coaching staff, including fantastic strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marrotti, is not something that sits well with me. Yes, it is a business, but it's wrong to steal assistants unless the assistant calls Meyer and asks for a job. It's the same with recruits- if they call Meyer asking to play for OSU, it's different than if Meyer snags them on his own. There's still a lot to be determined regarding Urban Meyer's legacy at UF, and how he puts together his staff at OSU will pretty much determine it, at least for me.

Coach Meyer, I'm sorry, and I really respect what you did in Gainesville, but I would like to say that the mess we are in now is all your fault. All of it. You simply handed off what you even admitted to Muschamp was "a broken program" and left. Whatever the reason, that does not look good on your part. You must understand that.

You also could have been a little more honest about the whole thing: for instance, you said in your introductory press conference that you were first offered the job on "last Sunday", which was November 20th. You were quoted on November 23rd saying that you had not received an offer, and just wanted to spend Thanksgiving with your family. Then there was your quote about being totally committed to fixing the program after the 2010 FSU game. Not even two weeks later, you retire. Come on, man.

And I have no idea how to prove it, but somehow, someway, former Gator running back coach Stan Drayton was involved in this. If he wasn't, it's the single freakiest coincidence I have ever seen. As soon as Drayton left Florida for Ohio State- sorry Buckeyes fans, but that's a lateral move at best and a major downgrade at worst- the red (or more accurately, scarlet) flag went up. I cannot explain how the NCAA's sanctions or Jim Tressel or even Luke Fickell were involved in this- but SOMETHING IS WRONG HERE.

It's all just too shady to believe everything fed to us by the media. It just doesn't jive. Something is missing, or wrong.

Whatever it is, though, it doesn't matter. The fact is that Urban Meyer handed over a broken program to Will Muschamp- and then got away before he could take the blame. Sorry, coach. You still have to accept it. These are your players, or at least Addazio's players and please do not make me go through all of Addazio's deficiencies AGAIN. We all know why he was the opposite of a fan favorite. Anyway, his problems were your problems, since you directly employed him and refused to terminate said employment.

Basically, whatever was Addazio's fault was Meyer's fault for the simple reason that Meyer refused to fire him. And everything was Meyer's fault to a major degree, since these were all his players and it was clear as day that John Brantley was just as comfortable in the spread as a Mormon is getting a lap dance. The transition from a spread to a pro offense is a difficult one, and I'm not blaming Meyer or Muschamp or Weis for that. That's part of the game- new coaches often implement their own schemes of preference, and you can't blame them- that's just the way they coach.

What can be pinned on Meyer was that he left behind players that got into trouble (see Janoris Jenkins, Dee Finley, etc.), didn't want to be part of the program (see Robert Clark, Mike Blakely, Javares McRay, Chris Dunkley, etc.), or just simply never broke out the way they were expected to (see John Brantley and Deonte Thompson). There is an alarming number of players that I did not mention that fit in any of those three categories, because thinking about it makes me want to commit assault on inanimate objects foolish enough to get in our way.

Let's get this straight: this is not uncommon. Meyer began weeding out players after the LSU loss in 2005 that just didn't seem to belong on his team for whatever reason. Some transferred. Others quit. Still others just got buried on the bench.

It's Muschamp's turn to do that, and he is still in the process of it. His players, in turn, are still in the process of deciding whether or not to stick with Will Muschamp as the man that they want to guide them to the NFL. At least, some are. Others have made up their mind one way or another in the past couple of days. Jelani Jenkins and James Wilson have taken to twitter to announce that Muschamp is their guy. Josh Shaw and Lynden Trail, on the other hand, have decided to part ways with the Gator football program.

It's all a necessary process that takes place, so don't freak out. That's for opposing offenses to do next year when they face our defense.

Where's the love for our defense been all year? It's been silently phenomenal, allowing 20.6 points per game. Throw out Alabama and LSU and it's 16.8 points per game. Then remember all the times the Gators' offense either kept going three and out or directly handed the opposition free touchdowns on turnovers. The only knock against it has been the lack of turnovers forced. It is a big problem, but luckily, it's the only problem. Muschamp can hammer away at it in bowl practices, spring practices and summer practices. The idea is to get the defensive players so sick of doing strip/pick/tip drills that they'll force them. Hopefully, it works.

Our recruiting class appears to be an entire new offense in its own, minus the QB position: the aforementioned top 15 linemen trio, the running back tandem of Mike Davis and Matt Jones, two much bigger, more powerful running backs than Demps and Rainey, LaTroy Pittman, a speed demon at receiver, and hopefully, Stefon Diggs will join us. Signs are pointing him to Gainesville, and while they are hard to ignore, nothing is set until he signs.

The point is, this has been all Muschamp's doing. The defense in 2010 was the opposite- it had an eerily effective way of forcing turnovers but also gave up big plays by the truckload. I'd much rather prefer it this way, with fewer yards and less takeaways, but I'd obviously like it if we could have both. The recruiting is all Muschamp and his assistants, as Meyer had only a couple of guys onboard. The count is now 17, including 7 ESPNU Top 150 players. Credit Muschamp for that.

Talent wise alone, we could have been 10-2. We were in every game except LSU, and you have to credit Alabama for putting us away in the fourth quarter. If we beat Auburn, Georgia, South Carolina and FSU- games we lost by a combined 34 points- we would be in the SEC Championship Game and likely in the Capital One Bowl, which is much better than the Gator Bowl, even if we get another chance to beat Ohio State before Meyer takes the reins there.

To sum it all up: Meyer left us broken, which is fine with me. If his heart issues and family issues were what he said they were, he wasn't the right man to lead us anyway. Who wants a coach with heart illnesses to be the guy to try to pull you out of a hole? If Meyer was a downright liar, as many believe him to be, then fine, he's a traitor, we wouldn't want somebody who doesn't want us to lead us.

Wouldn't you rather have a coach with tremendous intensity that improves your defense immediately (and defense wins championships, right?) to be your guy?

I would.

Even if Muschamp fails- and I don't think he will- at least he's got the heart to stick with us until the end.

We've made some strides, and fallen back at the same time in Year 1. But if Muschamp and Weis are half of their reputations, they will have the Gators back in the BCS Championship hunt before the current freshmen graduate.

Boom.

That's not OK, Gators.

In fact, that's the sorriest I've seen the Gators play since the 2004 Mississippi State game.

At least one of the units (offense or defense) showed up in every game since then to a greater extent than they did today.

From just looking at the 54-32 final score, the average person would probably think that the Gators blew the doors off the Paladins, and allowed them to crawl back to make it somewhat respectable.

The fact is, if not for a complete turnaround in the players' mindset, the Gators would have fallen victim of maybe the biggest upset of all in a weekend filled with them.

The 4 best non-SEC teams all went down- #2 Oklahoma State, #4 Oregon, #5 Oklahoma, and #7 Clemson to all but ensure that the SEC will put two teams in the BCS Title Game with LSU, Alabama and Arkansas vying for those two spots (if Arkansas beats LSU on Friday, hell breaks loose). But had Florida lost to a mediocre FCS team, more people would have been shocked than all the other four upsets combined.

Not me. And not many other Gators fans, either. We with knowledge know this team is comically bad- and has been pretty much all season.

The saddest part is that there wasn't a single reason, stat or bad play that caused this early meltdown- it was a total team effort and commitment to playing as if their heads had been dumped in sleeping powder. What? There's no such thing as sleeping powder? Well, I didn't think there was such a thing as allowing an FCS team to walk into the Swamp and jump all over us for a 22-7 lead after the 1st quarter, so pardon me for making something else up.

The point is, the Gators all pitched in to help form one big mess of a performance, albeit a bowl clinching performance. The defense was terrible in the first quarter. They routinely missed gap assignments, allowing Furman QB Chris Forcier to run around like a wild man and complete any pass he felt like- which was a LOT. The offense couldn't do much after their first drive, either, unless you count snapping the ball over Brantley's head for a safety, until they scored to make it 15-7. Then the defense was caught completely flat footed for a trick play TD to make it 22-7.

After that, the Gators woke up and played better. Sort of. But they had lots of help from Furman, who offered up a pair of pick 6's, allowed Andre Debose to simply run a fly pattern with no safety in the same zip code for two long TD's, and just generally replaced the Gators as the team trying to beat themselves. Aside from the 76 yard TD for the Paladins that was stuck in the middle of all these mistakes (which was nauseating), the Gators played relatively mistake free football after the first quarter (for them, anyway).

The good news is that Florida is going bowling. Missing out on a bowl game is the ultimate indignity for a Gators program that's won 3 national championships in the past 15 years. and two in the past 5. At least the Gators dodged that bullet.

Now, though, comes a huge test for Will Muschamp- the Florida State Criminoles.

Forget the whole Beach House Bowl deal. This is Muschamp's huge chance to show what a great motivator he is. Today's game is the equivalent of an entire store's worth of ammunition for Muschamp to get his guys ready for a huge rival. This game against FSU will go a long way in determining how fired up Muschamp's guys are for a rivalry game- and maybe in general.

And one more thing- don't call for Muschamp's head yet. We didn't lose the game, first of all, and besides, Nick Saban lost to Louisiana Monroe in the lowlight of a truly gruesome 7-6 inaugural season as head man of Tuscaloosa. Everybody wanted him fired after that season. Funny, those "Fire Saban" chants kind of died down in 2008, didn't they?

Once Saban got guys who were committed to running his gameplan, the Crimson Tide ripped off 12 straight wins before eventually falling to Urban Meyer's explosive Gators. Turns out Saban's Tide was just putting it off a year- because with even more/better/older players ready to play Saban football, the Tide did it all over again- this time defeating the Gators and then the Texas Longhorns for a BCS Championship. Now he's got a statue of himself outside Bryant Denny Stadium, a mere 105 weeks after being criticized and hated and wanted fired.

In short, the Gators were horrible today, but let's see if Muschamp can turn into a blessing in disguise- not just against the Criminoles, but long term.

Or if it's really an accurate representation of who we are.

Which would be sad.

The South Carolina Gamecocks defeated the Florida Gators in the most un-Spurrier way possible.

Eat clock with long drives, change field position, and punt.

Against the anemic Gators, though, the Gamecocks could have taken a knee on every play and still won.

Because the Gamecocks were far from perfect themselves. In fact, they tried to give the Gators a free football game, but being the nice guys they are, Will Muschamp's crew refused to take it Maybe Muschamp wants his boys to win, and not allow the other guys to lose.

How did it happen?

Well, once again, let's start with penalties. The Gamecocks actually committed far more than Florida, but the Gators' came at the worst possible times- like 3rd and goal and 4th and 3. Again, these are the procedural pre-snap penalties that drive any coach out of his mind. The pass interference and late hits are more costly, true, but they also show that your player is hustling and playing with emotion. So that's at least a trade off.

I'm starting to lose faith in Weis. It hurts to say, but I really am. The play-calling looked so much like it did a year ago with Addazio- dive left, dive right, occasional sweep, fumble, sack, two yard out pattern... with the same results. To Weis' credit, though, I'm not so sure he has any other option. The offensive line is comically bad, and by now it's pretty obvious that Brantley's confidence is permanently and irreversibly messed up. Sure, there's all this talk about him being a tough guy for coming back, and while I applaud his efforts, it doesn't translate into results.

I will not call for Muschmp's firing, or Weis's... yet. The schedule is a nightmare, granted, but the Gators could be 8-2 right now. If they catch all the punts against Auburn, don't commit 16 penalties against Georgia- many of them on third down- and convert in the red zone against South Carolina... guess what? This Gators team is 8-2, off to Atlanta, and maybe ranked in the top 10.

But no. We're the Florida Gators. We tease our fan base by playing well for awhile against the great teams- see the touchdown to Andre Debose against Alabama, the 17-3 lead against Georgia, etc.- and THEN we choose to screw ourselves with authority, so hard that we cause the second big bang.

Give Muschamp time. Let him and Weis recruit guys for their style, and see how it works. I just think that being left with Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps is more than enough to work with to have success. The offensive line issues, however are Urban Meyer's fault. He was too busy napping along with Steve Addazio to even sense that the line was horrendous. So for that, yes, Urban Meyer did leave the cupboard bare.

I'm sick of this. But I will tolerate it. Again, this is not last year. Last year our offense was just offensive to the minds of real football fans. Steve Addazio committed genocide on people's brain cells both by running killer dive plays and then explaining to the poor peasants of Gainesville how the play works, interspersed with telling people that "everything's gonna be OK".

This year, we are left to clean up the mess that Addazio started. It happens in politics all the time- I'm not getting into what party I am or anything, just saying that when a new President comes in, he often doesn't like what his predecessor has done with something and will try to fix it. But it sometimes gets worse before it gets better (in his eyes), and in the long run, improvement will be made. So I am giving Muschamp two more seasons (2012, 2013, this season's been shot in the head multiple times) to get this team to Atlanta. There are some positive signs already- the team has played three ranked teams really tough. They just gave the games away because they're not used to that spotlight.

For next year, here are the problems that MUST be fixed. I've been hammering on them all year, and the Gators haven't seemed to have made any adjustment or commitment to fixing them. Maybe by putting them in bold will help. We can start next week against Furman, and then continue to work on them against FSU and if we make a bowl game (no sure thing) then we'll work on them there:

Offensive line

Good thing Jessamen Dunker, DJ Humphries and Omari Phillips are on the way. Charlie Weis would be better off playing offensive line all on his own than sticking the current starters back out there to wreck another QB's confidence. The trio of big baddies all rank as top 15 offensive linemen. I don't expect them to be Michael Ohers in their first game, but by 2013, after a year of learning the SEC game, these guys should be primed and ready for war. Good protection can mean the difference between a win and a loss on even one play.

Deep receiving threats

I haven't really touched on this because it's far down the line of problems the Gator have, but UF has sorely lacked a dependable deep receiver. It's safe to say now that Deonte Thompson has been a bust. We need another Louis Murphy-type receiver, or an Aaron Hernandez type tight end. We'll be getting both in Latroy Pittman, Kent Taylor and Colin Thompson. In Taylor and Thompson we have arguably the nation's two best tight ends, and Pittman is a speed demon.

Cut the penalties

Watching the Gators get flagged repeatedly for the same pre snap infractions makes me want to strangle small animals so they can let out some freakish cries that my own throat cannot make in order to express my utter disdain. I'm kidding. I love animals. I am not kidding, however, when I say the Gators get so many flags thrown at them you could collect them all and start a new continent. The penalties just gotta go, along with the lazy attitude that some of the players have when they simply ignore Muschamp's tongue lashing and do it again. If the penalties stay, the wins will continue to fly away.

Great defense

Here is where Urban Meyer left the cupboard stacked. At least, if you believe ESPN, scout and rivals. Ronald Powell, Jonathan Bostic and Dominique Easley have silently done great jobs but the rest of the defense just isn't living up to their billing. Of course, that's hard to do when your billing is the greatest recruiting class in recent memory, but then the top-ranked senior class of 2009 (Tim Tebow's class) reached their potential and beyond. Muschamp is known to recruit and coach great defense, so I have some confidence this will be the first issue fixed. It's not really bad to begin with right now, but it's not at championship level, and all of these goals are what Florida needs to do to get to Atlanta. The defense will get there first.

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The QB position isn't really as important. Sure, it's nice to have a Tim Tebow or a Tom Brady, but it's not necessary. All we need is a Doug Johnson, and you can consistently win 10 games and get to Atlanta with Doug Johnson. That would be the last position that needs an improvement. Look at how LSU and Alabama are doing without a great QB. One loss between them and it came against each other in overtime. It's defense that wins championships, and our coach is Will Muschamp.

So one day we'll return to glory again.

It's weird to see the Gators in the same conversation as bowl eligibility. Even last year, it wasn't really a question.

But losses to South Carolina and Florida State could mean that Florida will be watching the bowl games from home, since Furman does not count toward bowl eligibility.

On the flip side, a win in either one guarantees a bowl.

South Carolina is first.

Right now, Georgia, Florida State, South Carolina and Auburn are tops on the list for payback from the Gators. The Bulldogs and Tigers will have to wait until next year, and FSU can wait until Thanksgiving weekend. But we have a chance right now to get even with South Carolina for the embarrassing beating they gave us in the Swamp to claim the SEC East. Yes, this means Georgia wins, but again, that can wait until 2012. We can only pay back SC, so either we get revenge on neither of the two, or one of them. I'll take one of them.

A victory would complete the gigantic fall from being the team to beat in the SEC East to watching the SEC Championship Game at home and potentially dropping out of the Top 25. Though injuries have certainly played a key part in that, the Gators can take the pleasure of knowing that hammered in the final nail on the coffin, and the teams will be even.

But this game means more than that.

This might seem familiar, and yes, this is what I wrote prior to the Georgia game, but every game in college football means so much since there are so few of them. This is a chance for Florida to prove that they have turned the corner. Vanderbilt was one game. Can Florida play good football consistently, or was it just a one game deal? Vanderbilt was no joke, but Carolina is better, even without Lattimore. Hopefully, the maturity and improvement process will continue in this game, too.

If the Gators win out, then it's all good in Gator Nation. We have a top 5 recruiting class coming in, with guys fit to run Weis's system on offense, including three of the nation's top offensive linemen, two dynamite running backs to replace Rainey and Demps, and more defensive help. We'll be looking good in 2012. And really, that's all we're playing for- to set ourselves up for a good 2012 season (that and to give the loyal seniors a great sendoff).

Let's not think about what losses would do, because these are all winnable games. Of course, Florida has blown two winnable games, so we know this team is perfectly capable of ending its season in horrific fashion.

It really comes down to this- win out and the Gators' pilot season under Will Muschamp is a success. 9-4 with wins over rivals Tennessee and FSU, at the home of a top 15 team and a bowl win would be some feat for this team after losing four straight.

But perhaps the best thing about it would be to see Muschamp's favorite philosophy get used by his players to perfection.

Adversity.

Then we'll know Muschamp is for real.

Urban Meyer did not leave the cupboard bare. Those who know that's true now have a legitimate argument for the people who don't.

It's a simple argument, really. Two words.

Jeff Demps.

He rescued the Gators today, much like he did a year ago against Miami Ohio, and kept the Gators alive for a bowl game. It's shameful, really, that a program like Florida is even worried about making a bowl game.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

But back to the game.

The Gators played a little better overall, and I realize that the maturity process goes game by game very gradually. My only complaint with Muschamp and Weis (who we know are really co-head coaches) is that the improvement process didn't start until today. The idea is for them to start out shaky (though not Miami Ohio shaky) against FAU, play a little better against UAB, then a little better against Tennessee and then Kentucky and so on. The scores are irrelevant. I was watching for smarter, more mature play each week, and it went the opposite way.

But anyway. Enough of the past and let's focus on today's game.

I was impressed that the Gators committed only five penalties, and one of them was not called. Come on, be honest, if the flag had fallen for pass interference late in the game on Pop Saunders nobody could complain. Five penalties isn't great, but it's acceptable and a whole world better than the 16 it committed against Georgia last week... certainly for this team that wears self destruct buttons on their gloves it's something to break open champagne for.

What's not acceptable at all is catching a pass early in the game, breaking tackles, getting to the 2 yard line... and then FUMBLING THE BALL AWAY AT THE GOAL LINE so that not only do you not score, not only does Vanderbilt take the ball, they get it at the 20 yard line.

For god's sake... HANG ONTO THE BALL. I would rather Omarious Hines or whoever it is next time take a voluntary seat at the 20 yard line every time than have him try to score, succeed 75% of the time and the other quarter of the times be lost fumbles. I get the fact that he's trying his hardest and just wants to make a big play turn into a huge play, and can appreciate his effort, but there's an instance of trying too hard.

Other than that, though, and a few busted assignments on both offense and defense. Sure, there was plenty of material for me to criticize, but it's gotten a lot better overall, and I am proud of this team for overcoming a horrific four game skid and bouncing back to beat a Vanderbilt team that is a far cry from the joke it used to be all the way up to last season. Their coach, James Franklin, has done a spectacular job.

Really, I have nothing but good wishes for James Franklin and have to tip my cap to him. He was ridiculed as a moron for taking the Vandy job, but hey, it is an SEC school and aside from the military colleges where the players have to be great soldiers and tough enough to handle the grueling plebe system, coaching at a highly regarded academic school such as Vanderbilt, Stanford or the Ivy League Schools is about as tough as it gets. But it's the toughest at Vanderbilt by far because of the conference it plays in. You can't beat the Gators or the Crimson Tide or either set of Tigers on the field any easier than you can convince a recruit from Nashville to attend Vandy over them.

Yet somehow, Franklin has loaded his team with highly regarded players and has come oh so close numerous times this year. He's lost to Arkansas, Georgia and Florida by a combined 13 points. Those three teams have a combined 18-7 record, and Arkansas is #7 in the nation.

Nevertheless, a win is a win, so while I offer my hand to James Franklin to say good game, the Gators still control the Commodores by their throats. This makes 21 straight victories all the way back to 1989. The Gators also lead the all time series 34-9 with this one, and it's especially sweet because this is the best Vandy team since 2008- when Florida led 42-0 before pulling the starters. This Gator team is obviously nothing compared to that 2008 team, but to see them fight through and get this win was beautiful.

Anyway, each year, somebody different plays the role of Head Commy Killer (last year it was Jordan Reed, 2009 was the defense, 2008 was Carlos Dunlap, 2007 was Tim Tebow, 2006 was DeShawn Wynn, 2005 was Reggie Lewis... and so on) and this year it was Jeff Demps, who ran for a career high 158 yards, including a move so dirty en route to a 52 yard TD that essentially won the game that it was immediately rated NC-17 by the United States Motion Picture Association. Sorry kids, you'll have to wait until you're 18 to see that filthy cut by Demps.

So we escaped the Swamp with a win on Homecoming, which is never a bad thing, especially since we lost our Homecoming game last year to Mississippi State in the Greatest Misguided Attempt At A Game We Wish Was Never Played In The Swamp. We have reason to believe that our team is getting better, it's just not showing in our win-loss record. That will come next year and even more so in 2013.

We'll get there.

In the meantime, let's get ready for South Carolina.

Quick question: can we win that game?

The answer depends on if Florida improves as much from this week to next week as they did from last week to this week. If we do, then I love our chances, because without Marcus Lattimore South Carolina is a chicken with its head cut off... in more ways than one.

But really, what could be sweeter than choking the chicken and killing their chance at Atlanta? Think how sweet that would be... then know that if we come prepared, it will become a reality.

There's a glass case that contains a nauseating secret in Will Muschamp's office.

Some call it the metal rod inserted in his leg after badly breaking the bone. Muschamp calls it adversity in a box.

He promised that his team would overcome adversity when faced with it.

Well, the Florida Gators are faced with a Mount Everest of adversity now. Or more accurately, we find out how much pride is left in this Gator team.

The hideous loss to Georgia knocked the Gators out of the SEC East race... so why keep playing? The answer is simple: pride and self-respect.

This senior class has been one of the best to take the field for the Gators. How do they finish? Most importantly, how does Muschamp finish a rocky first year?

Do the Gators wake up, cut the mistakes and win their final five games (bowl game included), or do they continue to play like garbage and lose their last four?

These remaining four games are all tossups. Even Furman (who nearly beat South Carolina last season). But the Gators lost two straight tossup games. Bouncing back and winning all four, and then a bowl game, would be huge. Losing all four could mean the end of Muschamp's career before next season even begins.

Let's take a look at the implications of all the possible scenarios.

A win over Vanderbilt and this team is feeling good about itself. They're no joke this year and by now everybody knows it. As much as we Gator fans are locked in a silly phase of nostalgia, we need to look at the here and now- this is a legitimate team. This win would give us confidence heading into Columbia to take on a weary South Carolina team fresh off a tough game at Arkansas. A loss in the Swamp to Vanderbilt, however, and Muschamp and Florida's bowl hopes are in trouble.

Getting a win in Columbia will be difficult, because the Gamecocks still have a tenacious defense led by Melvin Ingram and Jadeveon Clowney, and Alshon Jeffrey is always good for a pair of touchdowns. But if Florida can get it done, they'll be riding high and probably blow Furman out. It'll also be sweet payback for knocking Florida out of Atlanta last year. (Then we'll root for Georgia. We'll get payback on them next year, and we can only get revenge on the Gamecocks this year, so let's avenge one of two and knock SC out like they did to us). A second loss in a row to South Carolina could kill any hopes of a decent bowl game.

A win against Furman is expected; a loss here and I'm calling for Muschamp's head. It's that simple.

If there's one game I want to win above all others, you guessed it- it's FSU. It's not just another game, it's a final shot at redemption for Muschamp, and more importantly, the seniors. Then there's the embarrassing blowout the Noles handed the Gators last year, and a Florida victory could really kill FSU's bowl hopes. Of course, it's always nice to give our seniors a proper send off in the Swamp. Oh, and there's a fellow named Stefon Diggs, one of the nation's top receivers, who will be in attendance for this game, and a good UF showing could lure him into the Swamp.

Winning all four will ressurect the Gators' season, and maybe get them back into the Top 25, which is always our goal. I'd be really impressed with Florida if they could bounce back and win four straight. It's definitely something voters would consider for next year's preseason poll, and would be a great message to fans that Muschamp's boys never give up.

The season is far from over. Our chances at Atlanta are gone, but we have four mini seasons left to go, and we must win them all to show that we have pride.

What's left in us, really? I ask you: what is left of our program? Do we fold just because we've been eliminated? Or do we play with heart, guts and pride?

I'll give you my prediction: Florida will lose three of four because they will mercilessly beat themselves.

There, I said it. We'll beat Furman and lose the other three.

Vanderbilt's been so close to pulling off numerous signature wins. The reason they didn't was because the other team made one mistake too few. Arkansas made plenty of errors, but buckled down in crunch time to win. South Carolina made a slew of miscues, but stood up tall when it mattered in the end. Georgia didn't play perfect, but Vandy couldn't catch them napping in the end.

Florida is the worst team in the nation with penalties. They haven't forced a turnover since the Kentucky game. Not only will they not beat Vandy playing like that- they'll get crushed. If I'm James Franklin, I don't even play aggressive- I just sit back and watch Florida fumble the ball away, penalize themselves into 3rd and 20 and then drop punts. I really hope I'm wrong, but Vandy's just been so close so many times and the only thing missing was a late turnover.

South Carolina's defense excels in forcing turnovers, and Spurrier just needs to run a game-managing offense, one that methodically moves the chains, kills clock and eventually scores. He just needs to wait for Florida to beat themselves. And the way they're going lately, they will.

Losing to Furman is unthinkable. One thing Florida is very good at is playing tough defense. Not forcing turnovers, but not allowing teams to rumble through them. Furman won't do much.

FSU isn't a great team, they're average. How Florida does against them depends on if they play FSU or Florida. What I mean is, do they play well, or do they play like trash? EJ Manuel is good, not great. Does Florida pressure him or do they take a nap and allow him to beat them? FSU's defense is good, not great. Does Florida attempt to block them or do they snooze? It's completely up to them. I believe they'll beat themselves again.

Here's my problem with Muschamp, and with Weis. It's understandable for teams to be committing penalties left and right and miss blocking assignments in the first few weeks of a coach's tenure. But it's week 10, and the same issues not only haven't gone away, they're worse. This team shows no sign of improvement from week 1, and if anything, regressions. Sure, the competition has gotten better, but we're supposed to get better as the season goes on. That's a coach's job, and Muschamp has not done that. He's come out and admitted it, which is good, but until I see a big improvement over a two game span, I cannot trust this team.

Do I think Muschamp and Weis can get the Gators back to the top eventually? Yes. They will get guys that suit their systems and we will see an improvement next year. DJ Humphries, Jessamen Dunker and Omari Phillips, three of the nation's top 15 offensive linemen, are on the way, as are Mike Davis and Matt Jones to install a real physical pro style running attack. Jeff Driskel and Jacoby Brissett will have the summer to improve and learn the complete Charlie Weis offense. So the future looks very good for Florida.

Just be prepared to lose a few more games we shouldn't first.

Today, I'll get you read for tomorrow's Georgia game with some fun facts, x's and o's, and predictions.

First come the fun facts.

-Florida has won 18 out of the last 21, 11 out of the last 13, 5 out of the last 6, and the last 3.

-The all-time series is tied 38-38 since the venue of the game was moved permanently to Jacksonville in 1933 (not counting 1994 and 1995 when it was moved to each team's stadium).

-The last Gator head coach to lose to Georgia in his first year was Charlie Pell. Since then, Galen Hall, Steve Spurrier, Ron Zook and Urban Meyer all beat Georgia in their first try.

-In the last three Florida-Georgia games, history was made. In 2008, Florida crushed Georgia 49-10, which was and still is the worst loss for Mark Richt. In 2009, Tim Tebow broke Herschel Walker's record of rushing TD. Last year's game was the first ever to have overtime not just in the Florida-Georgia game, but in any neutral site game involving two SEC teams.

-Florida is 2-0 when calling a timeout in the final 30 seconds (1993, 2008).

-The Gators are +11 in the turnover battle in the last 3 games against Georgia

OK, now onto the serious stuff.

The Gators could not like their chances in this game any more with the return of a slew of starters. Everybody's been talking about how much the return of Brantley means. Sure, it helps, but not as much as Jeff Demps at top speed. To me, that's our biggest advantage- maybe even our secret weapon. Georgia does not have much tape on Demps from this year, and the tape they have is from FAU, UAB, Tennessee and Kentucky. Of course, Demps is just as fast against the Wildcats as he is the Crimson Tide, but the defense is better and faster for Alabama.

The larger point is this: at some point, sheer volume wins. Georgia cannot stop Chris Rainey, Jeff Demps, Trey Burton, Frankie Hammond, Omarious Hines, Jordan Reed, Andre Debose (another big player making his return), Deonte Thompson and Mike Gillislee. Nobody can. Of course, when you only use three of them, anybody can stop them. So when Demps went out against Alabama, and Charlie Weis stubbornly refused to use Michael Gillislee, Trey Burton and Jordan Reed, Florida's offense floundered. Rainey, Thompson and Mind you, it was stuffed the entire second quarter with Brantley, so it wasn't Jeff Driskel's fault.

So I beg of you Charlie Weis, please don't be Steve Addazio and run Rainey 40 times and neglect Gillislee and Demps. I don't think you will, but you have proven to be quite predictable with who the ball will go to. Spread it around.

To sum it all up, the first key is to spread the ball around. It's like feed the fish- everybody needs their share.

The second key is hidden behind the otherwise superb play of the defense- force turnovers. The Gators have not forced a turnover in the month of October, which is humiliating for a team that only two years ago won 13 games with its defense and Tim Tebow. Georgia is not an explosive offensive team, nor do I expect them to look like one tomorrow. I expect lots of pressure on Aaron Murray, sacks, fumbles maybe- nothing but good things from our superior defensive front 7 that is somehow last in the SEC.

The third key is simple- great special teams. A big return, a blocked kick, etc, could change the game around in an instant. And please, oh please, just catch the punts.

The fourth key is better blocking. It doesn't matter who's taking snaps, if he doesn't have time, the Gators' offense will go nowhere. Sure, the Gators played Alabama and LSU, two great teams, but then the offensive line was manhandled by a horrible Auburn defense. It must be leagues better tomorrow.

The fifth key I have for tomorrow is the inverse of Addazio's biggest focus- stay on schedule in the down and distance. The Gators need to force Georgia's offense into as many uncomfortable situations in the down and distance as possible. That's where more mistakes come, as opposed to third and 1. It will also force Georgia to be predictable with their play-calling.

Key number 6 is avoid penalties. It's simple. No explanation necessary. AVOID PENALTIES. The Gators have excelled at beating themselves this year with stupid, unnecessary, pre-snap procedural penalties. It needs to stop. Now.

All in all, I have a good feeling about tomorrow's game. From Malcolm Mitchell being ruled out, to Kwame Geathers and Shawn Williams being suspended for the first half, Demps, Brantley, Debose, Ronald Powell, Caleb Sturgis and Dan Wenger being ruled probable, plus, you know, 18 out of the last 21, I like our chances.

Florida 24, Georgia 10.

And then, at last, we come to Georgia.

Georgia.

Georgia.

Georgia.

The team I hate the most is our next opponent.

And it could very well be the Gators' biggest game of all time.

Maybe not as much as the three national championship games Florida played in, but that's about all this game takes a backseat to in importance.

This game isn't just important for where the Gators finish this season. It's not just important for what bowl Florida winds up in. It's not just important to maintain the complete and utter dominance Florida has had over UGA since 1990 in this extremely bitter rivalry. It's not just important for recruiting.

It's important because a loss will knock the Gators out of the SEC Championship Game, kill their chances of going to a decent bowl game, even out if not begin a 180 flip in the rivalry, will possibly lead to decommittments or dropping Florida off the list for recruits...

And overall, officially end the Gators' golden age.

A loss here means that the 2011 season was a complete failure, which would make it two seasons in a row. That's not what recruits want to see. They want to see great strides by the new coaching staff. Sure, it's normal for coaches to struggle in their first season as a coach, but Florida isn't normal.

The Gators are the most prestigious program over the last 15 years, and part of what made that happen is a set of ridiculous expectations that both Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer helped create by winning so much. Recruits want to play for the best team they can, and four straight losses... well, you get it.

A loss to Georgia could really ressurect the Bulldog program, not just this year, but for the future. The two teams have exchanged turns walloping each other with two decade long regularity, and, well, it's been 21 years since Georgia really controlled this series. History suggests that a defeat here will start a nice, long, run the other way. That is simply unacceptable. A Gator victory, however, would keep the current run of 18 out of the last 21 going.

This game has an eerily similar feel to the 2007 game- a sophomore QB for Georgia who beat himself up all summer long after a heartbreaking defeat the year before to Florida, plus a freshman running back with a legend that grows by the week. Oh and the Gators are also coming off losses to Auburn and LSU (similar to 2007, when they lost to both Tigers (but not as badly) except they beat Kentucky in between).

I won't even focus on the East race, because again, the booby prize there is just another mauling by Alabama or LSU. Let Georgia get bodyslammed once so they can see how it feels.

But the overall effect of losing to Georgia is sickening. A win is the most beautiful thing in the world, and on the flip side, a loss is the worst. It's more than the above reasons. Yes, it hurts in recruiting, the SEC East, in the message rooms, etc. but there's just something else that cannot be put into words that makes a loss here intolerable. And that feeling is magnified this year, since the Gators need this win, really, really badly.

Now, let's focus on what a win would do.

This is a golden opportunity for Muschamp's first signature win at Florida. Not just because he was Georgia's captain in 1994, but more because it gives him a chance for his fans to see that he was really serious about overcoming adversity.

Three straight losses, including two clobberings, and a bye week to rest up and heal and bounce back. There isn't really a better opportunity for him to overcome adversity this year than with a win over UGA. Nor is there a better time to at least salvage something from the wreckage that is the 2011 season. The building is in flames, and will go down soon, but it hasn't yet, so there is enough time to run back, and grab some valuables left behind.

The ability to bounce back from defeat is one of the most important traits a team can possibly have. Become demoralized, and one loss becomes two, two becomes three, and pretty soon, three becomes seven or eight. The Georgia game is a very winnable game, but Florida has excelled at beating themselves this season, and they need to play better as a team no matter who takes the snaps (update: John Brantley is listed as questionable for a Monday return to practice).

It would also serve as a huge boost for recruiting. Muschamp has already set up his tent in Atlanta, snagging four highly coveted recruits from that area this year.

Finally, a win here would save Gator fans from a year of abuse. I define a rivalry game as a loss that would hurt more in the message boards (on the internet) than in the standings. As much as this would hurt Florida in the East (actually, it would be the killshot), it would hurt more everywhere else.

To sum it all up: a win over Georgia could boost the Gators for years to come.

I asked you in the facebook group what you thought of Muschamp and a few of you starting accusing me of being a bandwagon fan, which is about as rediculous as saying the Mexicans bombed Pearl Harbor. I am and always will be a Gator fan. Just wanted to clear that up.

So I'm going to take an objective look at Will Muschamp's job so far.

Is Florida's 4-3 record due to Muschamp not getting his job done, or is it due to high levels of competition without our full roster?

The short answer is both.

Obviously, Florida was not put into a position to succeed with the top two teams in the country in back to back weeks. Nor were they on the road at the defending national champions without their starting QB and top rusher.

But then there are issues that never existed under Urban Meyer- at least not until his final year where it was more or less Addazio's show and not to this extent.

Playing Alabama is very tough. They have as nasty of a defense as I've ever seen. They're fast, strong, and don't mess around- and make tackles in the open field. Then there's Trent Richardson, my Heisman vote, who I believe is far better than Mark Ingram ever was for the simple reason that he is faster.

LSU on the road is no easier because they have an even faster defense than Alabama does plus a more explosive offense. Spencer Ware and Michael Ford will be playing on Sundays really soon at this rate, not to mention their entire starting defense.

And then the Auburn game, in a packed Jordan Hare Stadium without QB John Brantley and Jeff Demps was a very difficult task as well.

But Muschamp isn't without some blame, either.

One of Muschamp's huge pet peeves is adversity and how his teams would overcome it. His other is playing great defense. There was plenty of adversity- and talent- wearing Gator jerseys against Alabama. And indeed, they started out on fire. They built a 10-3 lead- and then choked as Alabama scored 35 unanswered points. It was Alabama with all the adversity to overcome in a packed Swamp, and they did. Go ahead and blame Brantley's injury, but that doesn't excuse the Gators getting assaulted in the trenches all night.

How about the adversity against LSU? The Gators were gigantic underdogs in Death Valley, but all wasn't lost. Chris Rainey was still around. But the offensive line took a nap and allowed him to get swarmed. And the defense, you know, played terrible except for a few stops.

The Auburn game was disgraceful. The same defense that gave up 38 points to Chuckie Keeton gave up a grand total of 6 to Florida. Charlie Weis has so much more talent with his Gators than Utah State even without Brantley and Demps, hey, even without Rainey but you wouldn't know it from that game.

And the penalties are a sign of a very undisciplined team. Urban's bunch never got penalized this much. 16 in one game? 15 the next? A huge improvement so that 6 penalties in a game is something to praise?

I do not want Muschamp fired, nor do I want Weis fired. That's just silly. It's their first season and they don't have the personnel needed to play their type of game. But the penalties and fright in the trenches just have to go. For this season, the goal is win 9 games, and Georgia, FSU and a bowl game are three of the games that need to be won

One more thing I want to touch on- Muschamp's tirade.

He went berserk on an official, as I'm sure you've seen since it's gone global via youtube by now. Sure, I liked it, because I was screaming the same things and worse at my TV screen, but I'm not the coach and Muschamp is. If he keeps doing this, his emotions could work one of two ways- his team plays fired up and better, or they play fired up and too aggressive, meaning making mistakes and playing worse.

It also opens the door for a frame of Muschamp. I was afraid of this a while ago and even more so now. If you weren't a Gator fan and didn't follow Florida football at all but you knew that Muschamp was a psycho, and you heard a report that he punched an FSU fan, you'd have to believe it's true even if it's blatant BS. All an angry Georgia fan has to do is say "Muschamp spit on me on his way inside the stadium" and Muschamp is in trouble because it's very believable.

The Gators don't control their own destiny in the East anymore, which is just as well because our booby prize will be getting clobbered by either Alabama or LSU again- this time with the bowl selection committee watching. We're better off letting South Carolina take that mauling, or better yet Georgia, since they haven't played anybody good this year at all and their fans are really obnoxious and cheerfully duck (100% accurate) claims that their schedule is weaker than a sedated mouse.

Right now, Muschamp has time to take a quick break, recharge his batteries and get back to work. Charlie Weis has work to do as well. He needs to figure out how to attack Georgia's defense (which I will get into soon, since offense is my comfort zone) with an offense that looked worse than Addazio's blunderful creation a year ago.

I never want a coach fired in his first year. Ever. It doesn't help. But I'll be as close to that point as possible if Muschamp loses to Georgia, for the simple reason that Florida has dominated Georgia for the past 20+ years.

It's a winnable game, and a must win for Muschamp.

It's also Muschamp's first test in the area of his creativity with extra time. This game will go far in determining his overall success at Florida.

If you didn't read my LSU game recap, then let's just get this on the table right away.

I hate Auburn.

Hate them with a burning passion.

I hate them more than FSU- and I absolutely DESPISE that stupid tomahawk chop.

But Auburn has an incredibly annoying habit that FSU does not- they beat Florida by a field goal EVERY TIME. Doesn't matter who's ranked higher, doesn't matter who has loads more talent, they always win by a field goal. Five of the last six Auburn victories have been by 3 points, and the one that wasn't was because Auburn picked up a fumble on a desperation hook and lateral and took it in for a TD as time expired. Auburn won that one, 27-17.

So we've established that this team has an extremely frustrating knack for escaping with wins over Florida.

Now let's forget the histroy and look to the here and now.

Auburn's offense has put up the points needed to win most of their games. But Charlie Weis has to be salivating for a chance to rebuild his offense's confidence against a truly pathetic Auburn defense. They never were that good last year, but were good enough to ride Nick Fairley (and Cam Newton) to a national championship. Now he and Josh Bynes are gone, and their defense has been exposed for the sieve that it is. The Gators' offense should have a field day.

Now that the killer defenses are out the way, Charlie Weis should have more room to create those one on one mismatches. Auburn does not have the speed defensively to match up with Rainey at all. When Demps is healthy, he's equally dangerous, and having Andre Debose step up as a potential big play guy was the biggest positive I took out of the last two games.

Jacoby Brissett will likely start again this week, according to Muschamp. Then again, he said Driskel would start last week and he did not. Either way, the Gators now have the QB bootleg as an option if there's nobody open, which is also a plus.

My guess is that Weis will instantly go to the swing pass and run game and see how that works out. If defenders cannot stop Rainey, he will have Brissett go deep in a one on one matchup. The Gators' success in this game will depend on the effectiveness of the small stuff, so it could open up the big stuff.

Auburn, on the other hand, has to be salivating over a chance to unleash Michael Dyer on Florida's stunningly weak front 7. Unless Florida can man up in the trenches, they have exactly zero chance to win the game, as Gene Chizik has absolutely no problem running Dyer 25 times for 200 yards. But their defense has been shaky. They've had good performances, and not so good performances. Mostly they've been awful. They will look to cure that against a freshman QB and an offense with a gigantic question mark.

When the Tigers are on offense, expect a lot of Dyer to start out. I would also look for Kiehl Frazier, the backup freshman QB for a change of pace. If Florida can't stop those two, they're dead. The biggest advantage Florida has is that Auburn's offensive line isn't exactly rock solid.

So Florida's offense and defense each need an ego booster, as does Auburn's defense. However, Auburn's D needs it more since they've been horrendous, while Florida's units have struggled against the two best teams in the country.

Now that those two ugly games are in the rearview mirror, I wouldn't say that we should look too heavily into them. Those teams are both phenomonal, and one of them will almost surely win the BCS Championship. The one thing that concerns me... is the PENALTIES.

That's an easy fix, but then it's not. Muschamp prides himself on having an aggressive team, and penalties come with it. It's a package deal. It's the silly procedural penalties that will ultimately kill this team.

This game will shape both teams' seasons more than any other. It's a game both teams absolutely need to win to finish where they want to. And it will likely come down to a single drive, or play... or mistake.

Florida Head Coach Will Muschamp can’t be thrilled with the way things are going with his offense and quarterback situation or the way the defense gave up 181 rushing yards to Trent Richardson.

But the Alabama game is behind the Gators and they have a new opponent to worry about.

Led by the nation’s best defense, the top-ranked Tigers look to frustrate the 17th-ranked Gators, who are expected to start freshman Jeff Driskel at quarterback for the injured senior John Brantley on Saturday in Baton Rouge.

LSU is 5-0 and is on top of the poll for a second straight week after easily beating Kentucky 35-7 last Saturday. Incumbent QB Jordan Jefferson made his season debut after being suspended for the first four games following an arrest on a felony battery charge in connection with an Aug. 19 bar fight.

A grand jury reduced the charge to a misdemeanor last Wednesday, leading Miles to reinstate Jefferson as a backup to Jarrett Lee.

Jefferson scored on his first play back, diving over the goal line on an early fourth-and-goal to put the Tigers up 7-0.

Miles has yet to give Jefferson his starting job back but envisions his return adding a new wrinkle to the offense. He passed for 1,411 yards with seven touchdowns while running for 450 and seven scores last season.

“We will use Jefferson in a variety of ways,” Miles said. “At different times in the season, we will need every skill and every collective attribute of our team.

“We are excited about this season right now.”

The Gators who are 4-1, are likely not quite as optimistic after the way things played out last weekend.

Brantley injured his right leg on a sack late in the first half of last Saturday’s 38-10 loss to then-No. 3 Alabama, Florida’s worst home defeat since falling 36-7 to LSU in 2002. He was helped to the locker room and did not return, and Muschamp said Monday the injury won’t require surgery but will keep the senior sidelined at least a week.

Brantley, who has thrown for 942 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions, had started 18 consecutive games. His injury opens the door for Driskel, but the highly touted freshman looked shaky last week.

Driskel completed 2 of 6 passes for 14 yards, fumbled a snap and was sacked twice as the Gators gained just two first downs with him under center.

“I’ve got a lot of faith in him,” running back Chris Rainey said. “He’ll be ready to go, ready to take that challenge.”

It would certainly help Driskel if the running game can get on track, but that could be difficult.

The Gators entered last week’s game leading the SEC in rushing at 259.0 yards per game but finished with 15. The Crimson Tide lead the FBS in rush defense with an average of 39.6 yards allowed, and LSU is almost just as stingy, ranking third at 60.4.

“Again, we’ve got our work cut out for us,” said Muschamp, who served as LSU’s defensive coordinator from 2002-04. “You got to get that taste out of your mouth. There’s no better opportunity than going to Baton Rouge and playing LSU.”

The Tigers have won 13 straight home games since losing 13-3 to Florida in 2009. The Gators were the top-ranked team at the time while LSU was No. 4.

This is the fifth time in six meetings one of the teams is ranked in the top 5, with No. 12 LSU defeating No. 14 Florida 33-29 last October being the lone exception.

Like the Gators, the Tigers also rely heavily on the ground game that could see a boost if Jefferson is inserted to run the option. LSU is averaging 172.6 yards a game and is second in the SEC with 14 rushing touchdowns.

LSU’s top tailbacks, Spencer Ware and Michael Ford, had subpar performances last week, but Miles was encouraged with what he saw from his backups.

Sophomore Alfred Blue had a career-best 72 yards on 16 attempts, while freshman Terrence Magee accounted for 38 yards on 12 rushes. Ware, who has a team-best 323 rushing yards, had four carries for five yards before leaving the game with a hamstring injury.

Miles is hopeful that Ware will be healthy enough to return to the running back rotation.

“We’ll have the opportunity to run the ball again with a number of guys,” Miles said.

LSU’s depth at running back could pose problems for Florida, which allowed Alabama to rush for 226 yards - the same number it allowed in its first four games combined.

This will be the toughest road test the Gators will face all year. Question is; can they answer the bell?

I seriously doubt there is a single Gator fan in existence that does not remember the fake field goal by LSU last year to save the game for the Tigers and seal a win in the Swamp.

That was one of the games that Steve Addazio got plenty of help from his defense and special teams and still lost. Of course, if the offense functions at all then there's a 50-something next to Florida's name on the scoreboard and there's nothing to worry about, but still, had the football not bounced like a basketball on Derek Helton's pitch to Josh Jasper the Gators would have won.

But forget that for a minute. There were obvious deficiencies that were concealed a year ago until Alabama exposed them, and instead of getting together to discuss the issues and how to solve them, Urban Meyer took a Tylenol for his chest pains and took a nap, and the rest of the coaches followed the leader. The rest of them, that is, but Addazio.

Steve Addazio isolated himself in his room and worked on a number of things in his free time. They included writing invitations to linebackers for free trips through the A-gap tunnel and into the backfield, drawing up more creative ways to throw 3 yard hitch routes, and how to turn one of your most explosive players (Trey Burton) into a QB despite his obvious inability to throw the ball.

This coaching staff is nothing like this, as they are all hard workers who follow Will Muschamp's (and, I guess, Nick Saban's) example of not leaving the office until the problem appears fixed. Then, it gets tested out in practice and if there are still problems, get right back in there and work on them some more until it's fixed for real.

So forget working on fake posters with phony quotes from Jarrett Lee. Forget stomping on the eye of the Tiger or telling your band to spell out "Geaux Heauxme You Heauxmeauxs" or anything silly like that. Don't even think about doing the Gator Chomp after a score. Just play football. Work on your issues.

This is what I want to see in Baton Rouge:

Better blocking

The blocking was simply horrendous against Alabama. Horrendous as in Steve Addazio horrendous. Maybe even worse. It's got be reversed against a nasty Tiger defense that will harass Jeff Driskel 24/7. If Florida wants any chance whatsoever, they have to block a decillion times better than they did last week. This will free up Rainey and Demps, who were grounded a week ago completely, which should open up one on one matchups for Driskel to exploit and slowly gain comfortability as Florida's QB.

More pressure

Not only did AJ McCarron have all day to throw, not only did Trent Richardson take handoffs and have enough time to play eenie-meenie-minie-moe over which gap to rumble through, the Gators often sent a heavy number of defenders and produced ZERO pressure. The Gators absolutely cannot allow Jarrett Lee any time to throw, because he can hurt Florida deep. And if Michael Ford or Spencer Ware get comfortable running up the gut... game over.

Driskel slowly worked in

Warm him up with soft, easy tosses to Rainey and Demps on screen plays, and if LSU covers them to start with, toss an easy hitch route to Burton or Jordan Reed. Slowly get him acclimated with being a Florida QB, and eventually begin to exploit those one on one mismatches that Charlie Weis is so fond of.

Great special teams

It was special teams that ultimately doomed the Gators last year, despite Andre Debose returning a kick for a TD. It could doom Florida once again if they aren't very careful of Lesprechaun Miles and his bag of tricks.

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It's a business. The Gators have issues that need fixing. This is a business trip to Baton Rouge, and if the business part goes well, then the fun can begin.