GC Gang makes its 2009 predictions

The guys who do the writing and take the pictures you see here on GatorCountry.com and in Gator Country Magazine were asked to share the opinions about the upcoming college football season and how defending champion Florida will fare in it. Here’s what they had to say:

BUDDY MARTIN, GATOR COUNTRY, EXECUTIVE EDITOR:

We’re talking expectations here.

If you’re Donald Trump or Warren Buffett, not missing financial projections for the year is a scarlet sin.

When going to an expensive restaurant where you’ve never had anything less than spectacular service and remarkable cuisine, you expect the same.

Stopping short of the mountaintop is totally unacceptable in a championship culture.

Sorry Urban Meyer, you brought it on yourself.

The price of success weighs heavily on a legacy.

There is no wiggle room for a hiccup. Anything short of a berth in the BCS title game for the Florida Gators will be looked upon by most people as a failure.

And so it is in Gator football – part fantasy, part reality.

Mainly because Meyer has taught us that fantasy is the new normal – just like pink is the new black and a 500 credit score is the new 700.

Realism just doesn’t apply anymore. Injuries, fumbles, interceptions, foibles in play calling—even if caused by acts of God like hurricanes, earthquakes or tsunamis – cannot be used as excuses.

And since Meyer doesn’t believe in luck – good or bad – that can’t be a reason either.

Frankly, I don’t think they’ll need an excuse or a reason, because the 2009 Gators have the ingredients.

I’m not smart enough to say whether they’ll stumble and lose a regular-season game, but I don’t see it unless LSU gets better and pulls off the upset in Red Stick.

So are the ’09 Gators destined for greatness?

It may or may not be in the stars. Of course, we must remember that 11 other SEC teams are checking out their constellations these days to forecast their astrological fortunes as well.

Barring a miraculous healing in Athens, Knoxville or Columbia, the Gators will outright own the SEC East and march their way to Atlanta like Sherman, torching everything and everyone in sight.

From the other side, the best-looking constellation in the SEC West appears to be in either Tuscaloosa or Oxford.

My tea leaves say it’s Florida and Alabama on Dec. 5 in the Georgia Dome.

From there, I expect the Gators to prevail for a third time in four years and get their tickets punched to Pasadena, Calif., where they will play Texas for the BCS national title in the Rose Bowl.

And win.

Hey, we said realism didn’t apply here, didn’t we?

BUDDY’S PICKS FOR 2009

1.  WHAT WILL THE GATORS RECORD BE THIS YEAR? 13-1.

2.  DO THE GATORS PLAY FOR THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AND WHOM WILL THEY PLAY? Yes, Texas.

3.  WILL TIM TEBOW WIN THE HEISMAN TROPHY? No.

JOHN FINERAN, GATOR COUNTRY, ASSOCIATE EDITOR:

Years from now, when other historians of college football look back to determine the greatest team and greatest player of all time, they won’t have to do much research.

The 2009 season will be the bookmark to which they refer.

Team arguments will be made for Nebraska 1971, Nebraska 1995, Southern California 1972, Army 1945, Notre Dame 1947, Notre Dame 1924, Miami 2001, Ohio State 1968, Michigan 1947, Oklahoma 1956, Texas 1969 and Alabama 1961.

Arguments, meanwhile, will be made for Illinois’ Red Grange, Carlisle’s Jim Thorpe, Texas Christian’s Sammy Baugh, Georgia’s Herschel Walker, Texas’ Vince Young, Ohio State’s Archie Griffin, Syracuse’s Jim Brown, Notre Dame’s George Gipp and Minnesota’s Bronko Nagurski as college football’s top player of all time.

Yet, when all is said and done, none of them — the teams or the players — will pass the litmus test when compared to Florida’s 2009 team and quarterback Tim Tebow.

And long after the new contract that takes Urban Meyer through Florida’s 2014 season runs out, his resume alone in Gainesville will have those same historians including him in the discussion for the greatest coach of all time along with Notre Dame’s Knute Rockne and Frank Leahy, Carlisle-Stanford’s Pop Warner, Michigan’s Fielding Yost, Ohio State’s Woody Hayes, Alabama’s Paul “Bear” Bryant, Southern California’s John McKay and Pete Carroll, Nebraska’s Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne, Florida State’s Bobby Bowden, Penn State’s Joe Paterno, Grambling State’s Eddie Robinson and Army’s Red Blaik.

Florida’s four-year run from 2006-2009 under Meyer also could potentially be one of the greatest dynasty runs by any program, as good as Nebraska’s run in the 1990s, Miami’s in the 1980s, Southern California’s in the 1970s, Alabama’s in the 1960s, Oklahoma’s in the 1950s, Notre Dame’s the post-World War II 1940s and Minnesota’s in the 1930s.

When this 2009 college football season ends on Jan. 7, 2010 after the shadows of the San Gabriel Mountains have disappeared in the darkness of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., the Florida Gators will have their third national championship in four seasons under the 45-year-old Meyer, thanks to the running, passing, toughness and playing smarts of the 6-3, 245-pound Tebow, who will join Ohio State’s Archie Griffin as only the second player in history to have two Heisman Trophies.

JOHN’S PICKS FOR 2009

1. WHAT WILL FLORIDA’S RECORD BE THIS YEAR? 14-0. Getting there won’t be easy. There will be injuries that will test the Gators’ physical depth and mental resolve, but so talented is this 2009 bunch that they will overcome each obstacle thrown in their path. Not that going into Louisiana State on Oct. 10, into Mississippi State on Oct. 24 and into South Carolina on Nov. 14 will be easy. Nor will Florida’s home games with Arkansas on Oct. 17 and Florida State on Nov. 28. Nor will the SEC Championship Game against Alabama, which will be frothing at the mouth to avenge its 2008 defeat. And certainly nor will the Citi BCS National Championship Game at the Rose Bowl against hometown fav Southern California. With Tebow whipping them on, the Gators will beat every team it encounters in 2009 and early 2010.

2. DO THE GATORS WIN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AND WHOM DO THEY PLAY IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME? See above. Yes and Southern California. Think about this –– the Gators will have played and beaten LSU, Georgia, Florida State, Alabama and Southern Cal. Is that impressive enough?

3. WILL TIM TEBOW WIN THE HEISMAN TROPHY?  There will be players who are better statistically, players who maybe have better running and passing talents. But the voters will recognize what they didn’t in 2008 –– that Tim Tebow does it all and wins the big games, too. That will be too much for Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford (the reigning Heisman Trophy owner) and Texas’ Colt McCoy to overcome. In fact, to be fair to Tebow, the Heisman folk ought to declare the 2008 win by Bradford tainted and give that trophy, too, to Tebow to go with the ones he won in 2007 and will win in 2009.

TIM CASEY, GATOR COUNTRY, PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR:

Last season I picked the Gators to lose two regular-season games, making me the only Gator Country staff member to not predict that Florida would play in the BCS Championship game. I only bring that up to illustrate that I am not a homer and don’t see the world through Orange and Blue glasses.

I’ve tried as hard as I can to find a reason to say that the Gators could lose any games this year, and it just hasn’t hit me yet. The standard reasons would include injuries or a lack of focus. There is no way that Brandon Spikes and Tim Tebow will allow this team to lose focus or any locker room drama to occur.

Injuries can and will occur, but this team has so much depth that unless both starting cornerbacks get hurt it won’t matter. Even if Tebow had to miss a few games, the mere sight of him on the sideline would motivate the team to play better. John Brantley is more than capable to take the helm against any opponent.

CASEY’S PICKS FOR 2009

1. WHAT WILL THE GATORS RECORD BE THIS YEAR? This season, there will be no doubt as to which team is the best in the nation. Florida will go undefeated, winning the SEC.

2. DO THE GATORS WIN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AND WHOM DO THEY PLAY IN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME? The 2006 team stole a few games, relying on the opponent to make key mistakes and even won a few that could have easily gone the other way. The 2008 team was dominant in every game except Mississippi, Alabama and Oklahoma, but came through in the big situations and left no doubt they would win a rematch with any of those teams. The only question left in January was what would happen if Florida were to face USC. The Gators won’t get the dream match-up with the Trojans in Pasadena, but they will win the BCS Championship Game against Texas.

3. DOES TIM TEBOW WIN THE HEISMAN TROPHY? Texas quarterback Colt McCoy will win the Heisman Trophy. Nobody wants to anoint Tebow or Sam Bradford as “greatest ever.” Tebow won’t put up the offensive numbers he did in 2007 and that’s a good thing. His offensive teammates will help carry the load and the Florida defense will smother the opposition.

JUSTIN WELLS, GATOR COUNTRY, RECRUITING COORDINATOR:

Coming off the 2008 season, there were three main questions as to whether or not Florida would be able to repeat in 2009 and make it through the rigors of a season undefeated:

1. Could Florida adequately replace Percy Harvin’s impact on the offense as a runner and receiver?

2. Would the offensive line be able to fill the gaps created by the departures of tackles Phil Trautwein and Jason Watkins?

3. Could the Gators avoid the preseason injury bug that hit so hard a year ago?

With just a few days before the opening game of the 2009 season against Charleston Southern, the answers to questions 2 and 3 look good for the Gators. But I’m not sure how the loss of Harvin will affect the Florida offense, at least in the early going.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Florida’s offense looks a little sluggish through the first few weeks of the season, much as it did at the beginning of the 2008 season.

However, the return of Tim Tebow, insures this will still be a very good unit. As long as players like Jeff Demps, Aaron Hernandez, Emmanuel Moody, David Nelson, Chris Rainey, Deonte Thompson and other players step up and new offensive coordinator Steve Addazio finds the right combination on the offensive line as he did a year ago, Florida should put plenty of points on the scoreboard.

So far, outside of a few nagging injuries (the most serious being Dorian Munroe’s knee and Andre Debose’s hamstring), the Gators enter the season in relatively good health. The Pouncey Twins, Matt Patchan, Carl Johnson, Marcus Gilbert and even true freshman Xavier Nixon look poised to continue Florida’s strong play on the offensive line. A great defense in 2008 returns its top 22 players in 2009 and looks poised to take the next step to dominance.

JUSTIN’S PICKS FOR 2009

1. WHAT WILL THE GATORS RECORD BE THIS YEAR? LSU should be tough in Death Valley and I’m not underestimating Arkansas, Georgia or Florida State either. All in all, while it seems unlikely and against the odds, Florida should produce the SEC’s first undefeated team since Auburn in 2004. I expect the Gators to win the East, the SEC Championship Game and head to Pasadena with a 13-0 record.

2. DO THE GATORS WIN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AND WHOM WILL THEY PLAY IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME? I expect Florida’s opponent in the BCS National Championship Game will be USC, Texas or Penn State. The Trojans always manage to find a way to stumble over the course of the season, and I expect that trend will continue this year. So that leaves Texas and Penn State. While the Longhorns don’t exactly have a strong defense and that fact typically goes against most logical reason to pick a team to contend for a national championship, I think Colt McCoy will be a big part of directing Texas to a Big XII title and a shot against Florida for all the marbles.

3. DOES TIM TEBOW WIN THE HEISMAN TROPHY? No. If the Longhorns do what I expect them to do, and that is to appear as Florida’s opponent in the BCS title tilt, then it will be an outstanding season by Colt McCoy that gets Texas to Pasadena. I believe that will be enough to propel him to win the Heisman Trophy over Tebow (who will finish second) and California running back Jahvid Best (who will come in third). I predict that Sam Bradford has another great season and will likely end up as the top pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. But the loss of four offensive linemen will be enough for the Sooners to struggle a bit more than last year and Bradford’s numbers will drop off enough to prevent an invite back to New York.

FRANZ BEARD, GATOR COUNTRY, MANAGING EDITOR:

I can’t think of a year in Florida football history when the expectations for a championship and the excitement for the beginning of a new season are at such an extraordinary level. Without question, this is the most anticipated Florida football season in history. It’s a chance for the Gators to take their place among the great teams in college football’s storied history and a season that I don’t think the Gators will disappoint.

My optimism for an extraordinary season is fueled by the perfect storm of (a) Urban Meyer, who I believe is the best coach in all of college football; (b) the Florida coaching staff, which I believe is the perfect blend of experience and toughness on defense and creativity and enthusiasm on offense; (c) the presence of Tim Tebow and Brandon Spikes, the two most dominant players in the college game today; (d) veterans, veterans everywhere; and (e) a schedule that plays into Florida’s hands. The confluence of all these elements will create a season of magic that Gator fans will be talking about for the rest of their lives.

I believe that when the Gators show up fully focused on the game at hand that there isn’t a team in the country that can beat them and that, I believe, is the greatest challenge for this team. Can they stay in the moment and understand that every game they play is a tear-down-the-goal-posts game for their opponent? If they can keep it in perspective and prevent complacency, then this can be a team for the ages.

FRANZ’S PICKS FOR 2009

1. WHAT WILL THE GATORS RECORD BE THIS YEAR? The simple thing is to predict a 14-0 record but since no Gator team has ever gone unbeaten and since it’s only been done 22 times in history by the 12 teams that make up the Southeastern Conference, the odds are that it won’t happen. I’ll go against the odds this time, however. Tim Tebow and Brandon Spikes both have this burning desire to run the table and whenever a team is led by two players with this kind of leadership impact there is a chance their will to win will permeate throughout the team. I don’t think 13-1 would be a disaster or a disappointment, but I have a feeling this will be a year for the ages, one every Gator will remember for a lifetime.

2. DO THE GATORS WIN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AND WHOM WILL THEY PLAY IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME? The game everyone wants is Florida-Texas or a Florida-Oklahoma rematch. The game I think we’re going to get is Florida-Southern Cal, a game that matches the best two coaches in college football head-to-head. No matter who the Gators play in the final game, however, I do expect Florida to prevail. I think Tim Tebow and Brandon Spikes won’t be denied as they punch their tickets for eventual membership in the College Football Hall of Fame.

3. DOES TEBOW WIN THE HEISMAN TROPHY? The Heisman ballots aren’t due in New York until after the SEC Championship Game so I think it’s going to be hard for voters to go against Tebow if Florida wins the SEC title and is selected to play for the BCS National Championship. Sam Bradford had a Heisman-worthy season last year but after Tebow trumped Bradford and Oklahoma in the national championship game a whole lot of Heisman voters felt rather silly that they had voted who had the best stats over who was the best player. I think the best player wins it this year and that means Tebow finishes his college career with a second Heisman Trophy.