#5 – Florida Gators 9-3 SU; 5-6-1 ATS
Fargo’s Take
- If there is one coach under the microscope
this season, it’s Florida’s head man
Urban Meyer. He came into Gainesville last season
with some of the highest expectations from Florida
faithful and while the 9-3 season was a success
to some, it wasn’t good enough. It wasn’t
good enough for Meyer either as he said during
the offseason that the Gators were not even close
to where he wants them to be. With a year in the
new system, Florida’s expectations are even
greater this season and the goal is the National
Championship. The second year of the west coast
offense is the best under Meyer as Utah went undefeated
in year two in 2004 while Bowling Green went 9-3
in his second year with the Falcons. Quarterback
Chris Leak struggled last season but it was his
third different offense in three years so coming
into 2006 with knowledge is huge. He reportedly
looked spectacular in spring drills. As good as
the Gators have been over the last five years,
they have not gone to the SEC Championship game
but that string can come to end finally this season.
Returning Starters
on Offense – 6 Leak struggled learning
the new offense last year but he still finished
with excellent numbers. He threw for 2,639 yards
while tossing 20 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions.
Those numbers should be much better this time
around especially with the talent around him.
Leading receiver Chad Jackson has departed but
the next seven pass catchers all return led by
a trio of senior wideouts in Dallas Baker, Andre
Caldwell and Jemalle Cornelius. At tailback, sophomores
Kestahn Moore and Markus Manson are exciting players
who are on their way to stardom but it’s
up to senior DeShawn Wynn to bring in that necessary
leadership. The offensive line needs to replace
four starters but that should not hurt the offense
as it’s easier to learn blocking techniques
in this offense as opposed to the more traditional
offense. Florida finished a disappointing 61st
in total offense last season but that number will
improve dramatically in 2006.
Returning Starters
on Defense – 6 The Gators had one
of the top defenses in the country last season,
finishing 9th overall and 18th in scoring. With
five starters returning to the front seven, it’s
no wonder that Florida is pegged as the best defense
in the SEC heading into 2006. The biggest concern
is in the secondary where three starters need
to be replaced including both corners. However,
Reggie Lewis and Avery Atkins could emerge as
a strong combo while strong safety Reggie Nelson
is ready for a breakout season. If this unit comes
together quickly, the Gators will be tough to
move the ball against. Marcus Thomas and Jarvis
Moss are All-SEC selections on the line while
Brandon Siler and Earl Everett form the best linebacker
combo in the conference and are also All-SEC contenders.
The defense carried the team for much of last
season and could do it again this year although
that likely won’t be necessary.
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Schedule
- The schedule is brutal but if everything falls
into place as it should, the Gators should survive.
Two non-conference home games against Southern
Mississippi and Central Florida start the season
and those two are not cakewalks. A trip to Tennessee
follows with three more home games right after
that. Kentucky, Alabama and LSU all invade Ben
Hill Griffin Stadium with the latter two being
very tough tests. If those aren’t bad enough,
the Gators go to Auburn next and then play Georgia
in Jacksonville following that. Florida gets a
break after that with games against Vanderbilt,
South Carolina and Western Carolina. The season
finale is at rival Florida St. In total, there
are four games on the schedule that could go either
way (LSU, Auburn, Georgia and Florida St.) with
the latter three all being away from home.
You can bet on…
The main reason that the Gators are ranked higher
than the other powers in the SEC is because of
the reputation of Meyer. He has shown dramatic
improvements in his second year as coach in his
last two programs with the teams going a combined
21-3. Granted, those teams did not play in the
SEC but he didn’t possess SEC talent on
his squad as well. Special things can happen at
Florida in 2006. The Gators are 9-2 as a road
underdog since 2002 and they will likely be in
that role at least a couple of times this season.
If Tennessee ousts California in its opener, the
Volunteers could be slight favorites and add another
difficult road game to the slate. The underdog
has covered seven of the last 10 meetings in that
series.
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