College Football Preseason Top 25: #11 Florida

Life after Tim Tebow won’t be too hard on the Gators but Al Dannity expects some teething problems.

The schedule
With the exception of a possible banana skin on September 11 at home to South Florida, the Gators have a simple slate ahead of its date with Alabama on October 2. That lack of a test could prove costly to Florida when it travels to Tuscaloosa. Keep the Gators lack of serious challenges in mind when making College Football betting decisions about this game.

The Alabama game starts of a fascinating October for Florida. LSU visit a week later, followed by Mississippi State on October 16, and finishing with the game formerly known World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party on October 30. This Georgia team is reminiscent of the 2007 outfit, no-one knows what to make of it and anything could happen. LSU and Mississippi State are equally unpredictable in 2010. The final four games of the regular season feature a tricky home game against South Carolina and a trip to Florida State.

The players
While Maurkice Pouncey is gone to the NFL, Florida’s offensive line is the most experienced part of the Gator’s line-up. With four returning starters, including Pouncey’s brother Mike, UF will be tough to beat in the trenches. The Gators will need this experience as running back Jeff Demps and wide receiver Deonte Thompson are the only returning players at skill positions. This puts plenty of pressure on John Brantley, the highly rated replacement for Tim Tebow but at least he can count on Demps to be fast out of the backfield.

The defense is a similar mix of youth and experience. With Janoris Jankins returning at cornerback, and safeties Ahmad Black and Will Hill back too, I like the Gators to remain strong at secondary. The defensive line and linebacking corps are talented but short on veterans. Kicker Caleb Sturgis and punter Chas Henry are both returning starters from 2009.

The forecast
This promises to be a good year for the Gators, and Florida certainly possesses the talent to finish far higher than I have them ranked. They just miss out on the cracking the Top 10 because of that October stretch. I can’t see this Florida team beating Alabama on the road and I like one of its other opponents in SEC play to pull off an upset in Gainesville. There will be plenty of games where the Gators lean on their offensive line to grind out victories but as the year progresses, Brantley will show more leadership. The quarterback showed plenty of promise in the spring game and I like Florida to finish strong and win the SEC East with a 6-2 record, before losing again to Alabama in the SEC title game. This will send Florida to either a BCS bowl or the Capital One bowl. It will be a good season for a rebuilding Gators team, one that should contend for the National Championship in 2011.