But many believed this year the softball program would suffer because of the loss of great players like Stacey Nelson, one of the best pitchers EVER in college softball, and veteran players like infielder Ali Gardiner and outfielder Kim Waleszonia who did so much to put Florida softball on the national map. Florida was an incredible 63-5 last year.

Well, don't look now, but this Gator softball team is doing just fine, thank you.

Despite the player losses, through games of this past Sunday, the Gators are atop the SEC standings with a 14-3 record and an overall record of 34-5. This group has developed its own identity, an identity that features the home run and an offense that could shatter school records this year.

In part, this is because the game of women's college softball is changing; kids are playing at younger ages and the game that used to feature 1-0 games as routinely as the sun comes up now features much more hitting and runs being scored and that has translated into the sport becoming as popular as ever.

As I write this, the average earned run average in the SEC is now 2.89 and that includes only one school, LSU, with an ERA of less than two runs a game. I think the pitching is a little down in the SEC this year but it also shows directly that the game of women's college softball is becoming an offensive game.

And Florida is the poster team for offense. The Gators hit .330 as a team and they've hit 76 homers, on pace to shatter the school record. Senior Francesca Enea leads the SEC with 17 homers and in rbi wih 54 and hits .382. Michelle Moultrie is hitting .408 while Megan Bush and Brittany Schutte are in double digits in home runs.

This isn't pretty softball, it's the Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots Gator softball edition in 2010 that beats you down with a powerful offense that averages over seven runs a game, good enough pitching and a defense that is second in the SEC.

The result has been sustained success, huge crowds that come out and support the program, and a brand of softball that those fans love to watch. And winning doesn't hurt either.

I don't know if Florida can make a third straight trip to the College World Series but the Gators are certainly on pace to make a run at an SEC title and host an NCAA Regional and if you win that, you never know what can happen in a Super Regional. The worry would be that a superior pitcher could stop the Gator hitters as Washington did last year but this might be a better offensive team than last year's group and if the Gators can get enough pitching of its own, Oklahoma City might be within reach.

Gator softball is indeed alive and well...if you don't believe me, go out and watch for yourself. You'll be glad you did.

But many believed this year the softball program would suffer because of the loss of great players like Stacey Nelson, one of the best pitchers EVER in college softball, and veteran players like infielder Ali Gardiner and outfielder Kim Waleszonia who did so much to put Florida softball on the national map. Florida was an incredible 63-5 last year.

But if things shake out right for the rest of the athletic year, this could be a record setting year for Gator athletics.

Already in the bank are two national titles; the women's swim team won a national championship for the first time since 1982 and the Gator men's track team won an NCAA Indoor national title as well. The University of Florida has never won more than two NCAA titles in a single athletic year but that could change this year.

Gymnastics already has an SEC title under its belt and it will qualify for the NCAA Championships to be hosted by the Gators later this month. Florida is a definite contender for the title and next year looks to be even better with a dynamite recruiting class coming in under coach Rhonda Faehn.

If gymnastics doesn't do it, how about softball and/or baseball? Both teams are ranked in the top ten nationally and the softball team has already made two straight trips to the College World Series. Pitching may be the key to their return because right now Florida is crushing the ball offensively and they come off a sweep of LSU that had won 24 straight games.

The baseball team is young and its pitching too may be the key as to how far this group goes but there is definite talent on hand and if you can host regionals and super regionals anything can happen. The Gators narrowly missed going to Omaha last year.

Well, if those two sports can't do it, how about tennis? The men are unbeaten in SEC play and ranked sixth nationally and the Gator women are also unbeaten in SEC play and ranked third in the country. Some believe the women have the better chance to win a national title but both teams should be factors in the hunt.

If not tennis, how about track and field? Coach Mike Holloway has done a remarkable job in coaching both the men's and women's teams and both are definite contenders for outdoor season national titles. The Gator men are currently ranked number one and the women are number four and there is talent galore on these teams to make a serious championship run.

We all know how good University of Florida athletics has been but this year could be its best ever with a little luck. It is NEVER easy to win a national title but right now the Gators have 15...FIFTEEN...teams that have either finished in the top ten or that are ranked in the top ten right now in one poll or another.

Can you say remarkable?

I believe Florida is going to win another national title this year to make this the best year for Gator athletics in that department. And that is saying a lot, considering the success this school has had in the past with its athletics.

Enjoy. Watch history being made. It will be fun to see where this ends up.

But if things shake out right for the rest of the athletic year, this could be a record setting year for Gator athletics.

One player in particular played his best basketball down the stretch in freshman guard Kenny Boynton who poured in 27 points in his first ever NCAA Tournament game.

But flash back to the start of the season. Boynton, a home grown product, was heavily recruited and a lot was expected of him but he struggled at times with his shot and adjusting to the college game. It just goes to show you that even when you are a highly decorated high school player, adjustment to the college game can sometimes be a slow learning process. Boynton was inconsistent at times but still played a lot and learned.

While his season statistics may not be eye popping he was a major contributor to this team by averaging 33 minutes a game, leading the team with a 14 points a game average while shooting 37 percent from the field and 29 percent from beyond the arc.

And beyond the arc is where Boynton struggled for most of the year with a rather funky shot that the coaching staff will have to decide what to do with; leave it alone or tear it down and teach a new shooting technique. Or, maybe judging on how he shot it late, do nothing at all!

In the latter part of the year we saw Boynton become more of an offensive force and his shots began to fall. In his last four games, Boynton was 24 of 56 (43 percent) and 13 of 30 from long distance (a very respectable 43 percent) and you could just see him playing and shooting with more confidence. That should bode well for next season.

It will also be intriguing to see how much the coaching staff tweaks his role with the team. Erving Walker was the primary ball handler but when SEC play started his turnovers began to climb. Chandler Parsons ran the point at times with his ability to pass and see over zone defenses and you wonder if Boynton, who can handle the ball, might be asked to play the point a little more next year.

He'll be part of a team that, barring anything bizarre, will return everyone but departing senior Dan Werner while adding at least 6'9" Patric Young and 6'5" swingman Casey Prather. Getting into the NCAA Tournament was invaluable for this team, and that experience should help them next season.

Perhaps the best thing that can be said of Boynton and his teammates was said by head coach Billy Donovan who called this group one of the best he has ever coached in terms of its willingness to learn, its unselfish play, and its work ethic. Even though the play was up and down at times, there was little doubt about how hard this group played and how they just seemed to forget about losses and refocus on the next game.

It was a fun group to wrap your arms around and I believe that with more bodies coming in next year the expectation level for the group will elevate. Everyone will be a year older and this could be one of the best teams in the league.

And if Kenny Boynton builds on his end of the year performance, you could be calling him one of the better players in the SEC as well.

One player in particular played his best basketball down the stretch in freshman guard Kenny Boynton who poured in 27 points in his first ever NCAA Tournament game.

Many believed that by winning those national titles that Florida would join the elite of colllege basketball; the Dukes, the North Carolinas, the UCLAs and even Kansas.

Not so fast my friend.

Florida is not those schools in basketball and probably never will be; but that doesn't mean this program is not a good one in the sport. Far from it.

As this is written, the Gator basketball team again sits squarely on the bubble as it prepares to play Auburn in the SEC Tournament; most believe Florida has to win one game, if not two, in the tournament to punch a ticket to the Big Dance. If Florida does not go, there will be a segment of Gator fans who will grumble that Florida has not returned to the NCAA Tournament since winning those back to back national titles.

So where does that leave this program? What is its future?

Before going there, let me clarify something right away; it is ALWAYS better to go to the NCAA Tournament and go one and done than to win the NIT...always. The NCAA Tournament experience would do much more for this group than another NIT trip.

But even if Florida does not make the NCAA's, does anyone really believe the program is in trouble? If you do, think again.

I am not blind to things that are wrong; Florida has had too many defections, transfers, and miscalculations in recruiting and all those things have led to where Florida is right now. It always seems Florida does not have enough bodies to compete and that is annoying at times, but understand, do you think the coaches plan it that way? Of course they don't but that issue must be addressed.

This year, whether or not Florida makes the NCAA Tournament, Billy Donovan and his staff have done a remarkable job with this team; maybe it is his best coaching job in a long time. But to go to the next level again, they'll need more bodies, better players and most of those players have to stick around.

Next year, Dan Werner leaves as a senior; Adam Allen's future is in doubt because of injury and Nimrod Tishman may also go because he seemingly cannot play at this level. Two players to this point come in; power forward Patric Young and swingman Casey Prather. But Florida could get more in 2010.

It is no secret Florida would love guard Brandon Knight and he has narrowed his list to five including the Gators. Power forward C.J. Leslie is a possibility too as is Ray McCallum Jr. But it is still possible that Florida will not fill all of its available scholarships for 2010 and that isn't necessarily bad.

More help is on the way in 2011 with the likes of Austin Rivers assuming he doesn't get swayed by Duke and guard Bradley Beal. Power forward Rakeem Christmas has narrowed his choices of schools to five including Florida as well.

Which leads me to this; the Gator basketball program is in good shape and will be for years to come under Billy Donovan's leadership. Next year, however, will be a big year if the Gators don't make the NCAA Tournament this year with just about everyone back and a year older the pressure will be on to go to the Big Dance.

So if you're a fan of Gator men's basketball, let's hope this year's group can get an NCAA Tournament invitation...but if not, know the future looks to be solid.

Many believed that by winning those national titles that Florida would join the elite of colllege basketball; the Dukes, the North Carolinas, the UCLAs and even Kansas.

No, it's not about being Saint Patrick's Day...it is the day quarterback Tim Tebow says he'll unveil a new "pro style" throwing motion when the Gators have their Pro Day.

Tebow has been working out in Nashville with an impressive list of coaches that includes former head coach Sam Wyche, former NFL offensive coordinator Marc Trestman and former Green Bay Packer quarterback Zeke Bratkowski.

Tebow was recently interviewed about his future plans and said in that interview that he would attend the NFL Combine but not throw. He said he will throw at Florida Pro Day and hopes to impress with a new throwing motion.

I had a chance to interview Bratkowski a few weeks ago on my "Sportscene" show and he raved about how smart Tebow is, about how he is a willing pupil who wants to work to get better, and that he was primarily working with Tebow on raising the level of the ball in his throwing motion and on his footwork, specifically his three and five step drops he did not do at Florida while operating out of the shotgun.

It is all about repetition. Making these changes so that they are routine in nature.

Tebow said in the interview that he's never been asked to shorten or quicken his release before; and he acknowledged that his throwing motion has a loop in it as well. But these are all things that seem to be fixable, and the hope is that with Tebow working with all these coaches, his technique will improve and his draft status will improve.

Contrary to some I have heard speak on this subject, it is not the job of Urban Meyer or anyone else as a coach to severely tweak a throwing motion of a quarterback while in college. I have heard some national people say Meyer did Tebow a disservice by not changing his throwing motion but I believe it is the job of a head coach to win at that level, and let pro football take care of itself.

Tebow himself said coaches did coach him up at Florida but the coaching he is getting now is different...more NFL and pro style.

It seems easy to say, doesn't it, that Tebow will just change his throwing motion and all of a sudden become Peyton Manning but that is easier said than done. Those who have seen Tebow throw recently though do say the ball is coming out more quickly but the key I believe is going to be in repetition where Tebow feels comfortable throwing in his new style without reverting back to his old ways.

Even though he doesn't come right out and say it, if you know this kid, he's fueled by all the criticism of his throwing motion and believe me he wants to show his detractors he can be a good NFL quarterback. He will have about a month to keep working and refining his motion until that March 17th circus and we'll see if there are any changes that we can notice in his mechanics and his footwork.

Don't bet against him.

No, it's not about being Saint Patrick's Day...it is the day quarterback Tim Tebow says he'll unveil a new "pro style" throwing motion when the Gators have their Pro Day.

I'm talking about both the Gator men's and women's basketball teams, who have defied the odds this year to be at least heavily in the conversation when it comes to NCAA Tournament consideration.

Going into this week's games, Billy Donovan's guys have won six of their last seven SEC games after an 0-2 start in the league. We all know about the last second heroics this year of Chandler Parsons and we also see just how many down to the wire games this group has been in this year.

Get used to it.

The fact is that the Gators will rarely blow someone out or rarely be blown out, partly because of the relative parity of the league and partly because this group somehow finds ways to stay in and win games when the numbers say they should have no chance. Flawed as this group may be, they're awfully fun to watch, they play hard, and Donovan and his staff have done a wonderul job of coaching this group up to this point in the year.

Doesn't Donovan at least deserve to be in the mix for SEC Coach of the Year?

On the women's side, Amanda Butler and her staff have also played a lot of close games this year and they're also right in the thick of things in the SEC. Much like the Gator men, expect this group to play nail biters right down to the end. To date, nine of the ten games Florida has played in the SEC this year have been decided by single digits. At 6-4 in the league at the time of this writing, the Gators have a better league record than powerhouse LSU and nationally ranked Georgia.

While the Gator men's team is a rather youthful bunch, Butler's team has seniors like Sharielle Smith, Steffi Sorensen and Lonnika Thompson at her disposal but this group still had to make up for the offensive losses of Marshae Dotson and Sha Brooks and that has been tough at times.

Like the men, it hasn't been pretty to watch at times. But also like the men's team, this group has a grit about it and a toughness about it that keeps them hanging around games it probably should not be in if you just look at numbers. Stout defense and excellent rebounding since Christmas have been big keys to their success.

So don't look for these Gator teams to be high in many offensive categories; don't look for them to be up there in many SEC categories period. But they are there in the place where it counts...in the standings.

These teams are fun to watch and fans should wrap themselves around these kids. There is a difficult stretch run yet to make in SEC play but as of now both teams have willed themselves to be right in the thick of things to make a run at postseason play.

Pay attention...you might miss out on some wonderful basketball. Don't miss it.

I'm talking about both the Gator men's and women's basketball teams, who have defied the odds this year to be at least heavily in the conversation when it comes to NCAA Tournament consideration.

For the Gator men, more bodies are needed. Kenny Kadji and Adam Allen are hurt and aren't playing. Nimrod Tishman apparently isn't good enough to play in SEC games. So the "Iron Eight" or so will have to gut it out this year and guards Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton especially will be logging heavy minutes because Ray Shipman hasn't played all that well in relief at the two spot. Will all those minutes affect Walker and Boynton toward the end of the year?

And at the three spot, there is very little right now. Senior Dan Werner is lost, without his shot and his confidence and Chandler Parsons has taken over as the starter there. Florida must get something from this spot if it is going to legitimately challenge for the NCAA Tournament but you wonder where the help will come from.

Still, with nice wins over Michigan State and Florida State sewn up and a win that looks better now over NC State since it knocked off Duke, a .500 finish in the SEC and a non conference win later this year against Xavier might be enough to get Florida in. The Gators must protect home court and try to steal a couple of road wins as it did against Arkansas. But the margin for error for this team is small.

The Gator women are in a similar situation; Florida already has road SEC wins over Arkansas and Mississippi State but suffered a bad loss at Alabama, a team that had not won an SEC game to that point. Perhaps the players mailed it in, thinking all they had to do was show up to win, and if so, maybe they learned a valuable lesson. There are no easy games in the SEC.

This is a team that does not shoot the basketball very well but one that for the most part has embraced playing good defense. But the team must become more consistent and long range shooters Jordan Jones and Steffi Sorensen must find the range if Florida is to score more. They have plenty of people that play, but consistency is the key.

Unlike the Gator men, the Florida women do not have a signature non-conference win; in fact, it has two bad losses to High Point and to Florida A&M. Still, if the Gators can somehow finish at .500 in the rough SEC, a tournament bid is possible. But there will be a whole lot of teams who will be like Florida in the middle of the pack that makes it big for Florida to beat those teams head to head. Every team in the league, even mighty Tennessee has a loss, and Florida should have beaten Tennessee at home earlier this year so anything is possible.

Rooting for these teams will be trying at times; I believe both will be up and down and squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble when all is said and done. But for both teams, just getting to the NCAA Tournament this year is big and that should be the goal, and if that is accomplished, the season should be deemed a success.

Every game will be important. Isn't that the way it should be sometimes?

For the Gator men, more bodies are needed. Kenny Kadji and Adam Allen are hurt and aren't playing. Nimrod Tishman apparently isn't good enough to play in SEC games. So the "Iron Eight" or so will have to gut it out this year and guards Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton especially will be logging heavy minutes because Ray Shipman hasn't played all that well in relief at the two spot. Will all those minutes affect Walker and Boynton toward the end of the year?

The winningest senior class in SEC history also helps Florida become the first school in FBS history to win 13 games in back to back seasons. Despite not making its stated goal of winning an SEC and national title, this football team overcame a flu epidemic, an eye gouging incident, fines levied against its coach for criticizing officials, suspensions, assistant coaches leaving and the uncertainty of head coach Urban Meyer's future to carve out a great season.

But in the blink of an eye, that season is history. It's over. The seniors and their success will leave. And what lies ahead is at best uncertain. Isn't it strange that despite winning a national title about a year ago and winning 13 games this season that there would be so many questions about this program going into next year.

And boy are there questions.

It starts of course with the future of Meyer. In the bizarre time when he retired and then unretired we learned just how much he has suffered with chest pains and who knows what else. After the Sugar Bowl, he said he planned to be the head coach at Florida and I believe that; but thinking it and actually having it happen are two different things.

Reading between the lines, I think Meyer will have to have some type of surgical procedure done and certainly he will have to change his all involved, all in type of coaching that has made him so successful. No one knows if he can do this, and no one knows how much time it will take.

The coaching staff has taken a major hit too. Gone are defensive coordinator Charlie Strong and assistant coaches Vance Beford and Billy Gonzales, all excellent recruiters by the way. My guess is that assistant coach Chuck Heater will become the new defensive coordinator but a new staff must be assembled and get to work quickly.

Steve Addazio, the offensive line coach and offensive coordinator, is also the interim head coach now. Does that mean Meyer is NOT the head coach anymore? What role will Meyer now have? How involved will he be in recruiting? Addazio is a great guy and an excellent coach but he will have a lot on his plate at least temporarily as he tries to keep the Gator ship steering in the right direction. And if Meyer can't coach anymore, will he be the guy long term? If so, he can't wear all those hats and adjustments will have to be made.

And can the Gators hold together what looks to be a top five at least recruiting class with all the stuff going on? Matt Elam, a highly prized recruit, recently left the Gator camp for FSU and said part of his decision was based on all that was going on with Meyer's health. Addazio and the staff will have to work hard to make sure the kids who are verbally committed stay that way and work to fend off the other coaching staffs who will try to have a field day with all the changes and distractions at work at Florida.

Finally, how many of the talented juniors will leave early for the NFL? Certainly from all you hear, defensive stars Carlos Dunlap and Joe Haden are projected first round picks, and players like the Pouncey twins, tight end Aaron Hernandez, and maybe a couple of others will have decisions to make based on the information they get back on their draft position from the NFL. And don't forget, some great and productive seniors like Tim Tebow, Brandon Spikes, Jermaine Cunningham, Riley Cooper and others will leave too.

I keep saying that when you are at the top, there is only one way you can go and it can happen quickly, and we're seeing first hand evidence of that right now with this Gator football program. However, don't write off Florida just yet; certainly there are questions, but the cupboard is certainly not bare and the "plan to win" that Meyer has put into place hasn't gone anywhere.

It is a new year, and it will be a year of big change for the Florida football program. How much change, and the effect those changes will have remain to be seen.

Happy New Year??? We'll see.

The winningest senior class in SEC history also helps Florida become the first school in FBS history to win 13 games in back to back seasons. Despite not making its stated goal of winning an SEC and national title, this football team overcame a flu epidemic, an eye gouging incident, fines levied against its coach for criticizing officials, suspensions, assistant coaches leaving and the uncertainty of head coach Urban Meyer's future to carve out a great season.

But as we all know, after sleeping on his decision, he had a change of heart and returned to coach the Gators.

Just one day after announcing that he was resigning as head coach of the Gator football team because of health concerns, Urban Meyer a day later also has a change of heart and says he will return to coach the Gators after he first takes an indefinite leave of absence to get his health in order.

Urban and Billy are very close friends; so there is some irony in Urban pulling "a Billy" to come back and coach again at Florida.

There are certainly questions yet to be answered; how long will the leave of absence be, what specifically will Meyer do to get his health back, and what will he do differently to make him better in health while yet maintaining the 24/7 approach that has made him so successful. Offensive coordinator Steve Addazio will serve as interim head coach as well and no one knows how long he will serve in that capacity. How much will Meyer be out on the road recruiting?

But why did Meyer change his mind? Simply put, it was because of his players. He said he saw his team practice on Sunday and saw how spirited the practice was despite the emotional news given to his team that he was leaving the night before.

The spirited practice apparently struck a nerve with Meyer; he spoke of keeping his priorities of father, husband and coach in the right order at a press conference Sunday but he also felt how close he was to his players, his second family, and it was those players who changed his mind and allowed him to take this leave to get well and return as their coach.

Meyer would not go into detail about exactly what physically is wrong with him or what steps will be taken to get him better. It was obvious he feels that is a private matter and he kept it that way although he did acknowledge he has not had a heart attack. No one, not even Meyer, knows what lies ahead or what he will specifically do to get himself in better physical and mental health.

But Gator Nation can breathe a sign of relief now after a very tumultuous 24 hours or so; its head football coach is back, and now what has been a very weird December can be changed into a good start for 2010 with a January 1 bowl win.

Urban Meyer indeed pulled a "Billy" and a lot of Gator fans today are glad he did.

But as we all know, after sleeping on his decision, he had a change of heart and returned to coach the Gators.

A lot of us were doing that; but now it looks like Urban Meyer was spending some agonizing time over the holidays with his family not worrying about what Santa brought for presents but about his health and his coaching future.

Health reasons?

Sure, we knew he entered the hospital after the SEC title game suffering from dehydration...right. How about chest pains?

And we learned in a recent Sports Illustrated article that Meyer had a heart issue that was not considered to be life threatening although with stress it could bring on migranes and dizziness.

But even with all that information, no one, and I mean NO ONE, knew this was going to happen; Meyer's decision to resign was a real stunner.

I'm not going to bore you with adulation about Meyer, his winning percentage, his national titles and all of that. For me, Meyer steps down because there is only one way he knows to coach and that is 24/7 from the offense to the defense to the special teams to the pregame meal to what time practices will begin and end. Because of his health, he couldn't coach that way any more, and that's why he's quitting.

Some cynical fans and broadcasters have already speculated that in time Meyer might coach again...so what if he does? Does he owe the University of Florida anything? No, he doesn't. He won, he won the right way for the most part and Gator fans should be thankful for the time he was their coach.

But there is more bad to this outside of the obvious...what about the fate of the assistant coaches on his staff? I am told by several sources that they had no idea this was coming down, and if so, now many of them could be out of work. If he did not tell his staff that he was thinking about stepping down, should he have? The timing here seems awkward but I am also told this was not a snap decision by any means.

And of course, there is the possible impact on recruiting. You can bet Charlie Strong will now go after the kids he recruited to Florida to get them to go to Louisville and he should do that now. Strong said all along out of loyalty to Meyer he would not pursue any of those kids but now that picture changes drastically. Don't be surprised if an assistant coach or two goes with him as well.

Finally, Athletic Director Jeremy Foley will now have to find a replacement for Meyer at a rather strange time when coaching staffs are mostly filled. You can bet the names of Bob Stoops and Mike Shanahan will come up, as will Bobby Petrino because he was by all accounts on Foley's short list when Meyer got the job. He is a terrific offensive mind who works well with quarterbacks but he also recruited some rather shady characters while at Louisville. Other names will surface too; always do.

The Urban Meyer Era is over at Florida. It's too bad; he's a young man and obviously a terrific coach. I hope his health does allow him to coach one day, but as a father myself, I also hope he will take this time to enjoy his kids and his family.

That is certainly more important than coaching football.

A lot of us were doing that; but now it looks like Urban Meyer was spending some agonizing time over the holidays with his family not worrying about what Santa brought for presents but about his health and his coaching future.

No one wants to still admit it.

But you know it.

The loss by Florida to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game still hurts...and hurts badly.

And that's one of the key questions this Gator team is going to have to answer as it gets back to practice for its Sugar Bowl date with Cincinnati; can it put the loss in the SEC Championship Game behind them and focus in to get ready to play well on January 1?

We all saw what happened last year to Alabama in a similar situation; it had lost to Florida in the SEC title game and that team looked listless and disinterested as it lost in the Sugar Bowl to upstart Utah.

Will that happen to Florida this year with Cincinnati?

You don't get over losses like the one Florida had to Alabama this year quickly; those types of losses linger; you replay the game in your mind a hundred times and wonder what went wrong to derail a season where the stated goal was to win an SEC title and play for a national title in Pasadena.

It hits you in the face that you will win NO championships, and that reality hurts.

So now, as you face a Cincinnati team that is shooting for an undefeated season, this team must decide how it wants to end what has been in truth a very good year...either with a disinterested loss or a win that could vault them into the top three in the country at season's end with a 13-1 record?

The process to heal would seem to be a slow one, and this comes from no one other than senior quarterback Tim Tebow.

"It's gonna hurt; (the SEC game loss) it will probably hurt a while," Tebow said. "I think I guess we're over the point we're feeling sorry for ourselves and we're getting back to working and working hard and trying to get some extra and just getting better and getting ready for a good team in Cincinnati."

And as you start to prepare, you add distractions to the mix. Good teams can face distractions this time of year. You can lose coaches; Florida has lost two of them. You have talented juniors who could be jumping to the NFL; Florida has on paper many of them. You can see where it would be hard to focus on a game so far away with all this going on and it won't be easy.

And that's the challenge. The leaders of this team, a group of seniors that has won more games than other SEC group, must somehow tie this team together for one last game and one last shot at winning, to end their careers with a good taste in their mouths, as opposed to the stinging taste of defeat suffered in early December.

It will not be easy to do, but this season hasn't been easy from the start with the hype and expecation of being number one all year, to the flu bug, to Tebow's concussion, to the complaints about the offense, and so much more. This team has talked about how it has handled adversity and pressure all year and now we'll see how they handle getting ready to play a game more for pride than a championship.

The preparation starts now.

No one wants to still admit it.

I don't think anyone, not even the most ardent Alabama fan, could have predicted how dominant the Crimson Tide would be in this game. But facts are facts and Florida got its tail whipped but good.

But now the question that is up for debate...given the lofty expectations this team and its fans set for this season, is the 2009 year going to go down as a successful one?

You can certainly make a case for saying no. This ONE game loss in the SEC Championship Game means no SEC title, no national title, and no rings for this team in 2009.

Nothing.

All the weeks it was ranked number one, all the trials and tribulations this team navigated through to get to Atlanta is all a distant memory. It came down to a de facto playoff game to win the SEC championship and to play for a national title and Florida came up short.

If you are making the yes argument to my question, you can point to a 12-1 season, to appearing in a BCS bowl game (Sugar Bowl) and a chance to win and go 13-1 and end up as one of the top five teams in the country. And, let's face it, that is something Florida has not done a whole lot in its long history of playing football.

Certainly the season would be a bigger disappointment if Florida does not get motivated to play in the Sugar Bowl and loses to Cincinnati, a team that is trying to make history of its own by finishing an undefeated season. You can bet the Bearcats will be plenty motivated to knock off big boy, SEC power Florida on national television much as Utah was last year in beating Alabama.

I always try to be a glass half full kind of guy, but I must tell you, for all that Florida has accomplished this year, the loss in the SEC title game does put a rather large damper on what is on paper a very successful year. Maybe a few years from now when we see a 13-1 or a 12-2 record for the 2009 season it will look better, but for right now I think the Gator players, especially the seniors, and many Gator fans feel the season has ended on a terribly demoralizing and disappointing note.

And I suppose it is very telling as to what many people feel is "successful" with Florida football now; there was a time that going to the Sugar Bowl and ending up with 13 wins and a top five or so national finish would have been wonderful but for many, in this particular season given the expectation levels whether realistic or not, all of those nice numbers will ring hollow.

The stated goal of this team was to get to Atlanta, win the SEC title game and go to the Rose Bowl to play for a national title. The pieces seemed in place but it just didn't happen thanks to an Alabama team that exposed Florida in many areas.

And what about the future? Things will most certainly change. The seniors will leave; a lot of juniors could too. Will Charlie Strong leave for a head coaching job and possibly take other coaches on the staff with him?

Truth be told, this will be an off season to watch very closely as the changing of the guard takes place in Gator football. The Tim Tebow/Brandon Spikes Era has almost ended and it will be fascinating to see what changes are made with this team.

But one more game remains for this group of record setting seniors and the hope is the team will be fully motivated and win. The healing process from the SEC loss must start now but as we saw with Alabama last year that task won't be easy.

I don't think anyone, not even the most ardent Alabama fan, could have predicted how dominant the Crimson Tide would be in this game. But facts are facts and Florida got its tail whipped but good.

Senior quarterback Tim Tebow made his final home game memorable, going 17 of 21 for 221 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for two scores as the Gator crowd roared its approval to perhaps the most beloved Gator in program history, a truly special and unique player and young man.

"He went out in style," Gator coach Urban Meyer said.

Fellow senior receiver Riley Cooper caught one of those touchdown passes and senior linebacker Ryan Stamper led Florida in tackles with seven, tied with fellow linebacker Brandon Hicks who played well in place of injured starter A.J.Jones.

The win, sweet for the seniors, was a good win for all concerned too. The game was never in doubt and the Gator defensive starters, again playing well as they have all year, held the Seminoles to a paltry 55 yards of total offense in the first half as Florida built a 24-0 lead and coasted home from there.

In a way, it is a little sad to see Florida dominate this game the way it has lately; it was so much fun in past years to watch two really good and super talented teams go at it, never knowing who would win. But lately, the gap in talent between the two schools has been widening and that was definitely on display on this night. FSU has good athletes; Florida has superior ones and the difference showed in a game with absolutely no drama at all. It was all Florida.

Still, it was a fitting end for this senior class that has been so special, never losing to Florida State and rarely losing period. This senior group has won national titles, SEC titles and yet felt the sting of a 9-4 season as well that they had to grow, learn and mature from and they learned well. It was wonderful to see them come out after the game to celebrate with the crowd and to soak in all that is The Swamp one last time.

Yet there is more work for this group to do, and the success of the season and of the goals that were set for it hinges on one game; a rematch with Alabama in the SEC Championship Game this week.

The numbers the teams have put up are remarkably similar all across the board. Both are undefeated. Both want bigger goals. It is one versus two. One team must lose; it is truly a winner take all game, a de facto play in game to get to the national title game.

Atlanta will rock.

"Probably the biggest week we've ever had here and we've had a few big ones," Meyer said. "We watched a little bit of their game (against Auburn) and obviously a great football team, great backs and obviously one of the best defenses in America."

But before that game gets played, take one more moment to soak in what these Gator seniors have accomplished. It is truly remarkable.

Some believe it is an end of an era. I don't know about that, but I do know excellence when I see it, and you and I saw excellence win 47 games.

We might see more.

Senior quarterback Tim Tebow made his final home game memorable, going 17 of 21 for 221 yards and three touchdown passes. He also ran for two scores as the Gator crowd roared its approval to perhaps the most beloved Gator in program history, a truly special and unique player and young man.

After working and sweating throughout the summer, after playing a perfect SEC slate at 8-0, and after going 11-0 to this point in the season, the Gator football team is approaching the finish line for the 2009 season.

Welcome to the real season.

Not to take anything away from what Florida has done to date, because being number one and undefeated and staying there all year long with the accompanying pressure this team has had to endure is certainly nothing to sneeze at, but these final three games will dictate how successful Florida's season will truly be.

But wasn't it fun to see some of the backup players get significant playing time and produce in the big win over FIU last week? Quarterback John Brantley threw three touchdown passes; receivers like Omarius Hines, Frankie Hammond Jr. and Justin Williams found the end zone and even Andrew Blaylock got in a few snaps at quarterback.

Minus Blaylock, this could be a glimpse into the Gator offensive of the not too distant future. The competition may not have been SEC grade in the FIU game but having these guys perform well can do nothing but help them down the road.

You also know it is a good offensive day when guys like VIncent Brown and Christopher Scott get carries at tailback. It is a good day when a Shawn Schmeider throws a nice block on the offensive line on a Brantley touchdown throw.

Young defensive guys like linebacker Jon Bostic got to play too. Duke Lemmens even got a start in this game on the defensive line. Even Joey Sorrentino was playing some defense. And the defense as a whole was stellar again as it has been most of the season, holding FIU to under 200 yards of total offense even with backups playing for much of the second half.

But now it is time to turn the page for the stretch run, and maybe it is time Gator fans turn the page too. Those who have been critical of the offense, or of this play or that play or the play calling or whatever...at this time, with only three games to win for a national title, it is all about winning. Don't worry about what the score is or how close the game is or how well the team played. It is just all about winning and that is all that counts now.

It all starts with an FSU team that has certainly had more ups and downs than your neighborhood ferris wheel. Defensively, coordinator Mickey Andrews and his troops have not been good all year but offensively, even with starting quarterback Christian Ponder hurt and freshman E.J.Manuel now playing, the Seminoles are capable of scoring points.

It will be an emotional day for Gator coaches, players, and fans when Senior Day rolls around against FSU. A group that has won more games than any other senior class in SEC football history will have one last game to hear the cheers of the Gator faithful in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Guys like Tim Tebow, Brandon Spikes, Jermaine Cunningham, Riley Cooper, Markihe Anderson, Brandon James, David Nelson and Ryan Stamper deserve loud ovations as do the rest of the seniors. They've earned it.

But their job isn't done. They have a chance to beat Florida State again, win another SEC championship and another national championship. As great as this run has been for the seniors, there is more work to do.

Right after the FIU game, Gator head coach Urban Meyer said it best about FSU week.

"It's the world," Meyer said. "It's what makes this job the best job in college football, it's what makes this stadium the best in college football, it's Senior Day at Florida I mean this is going to be a special week."

"And in case you're wondering, it has started already."

Welcome to the stretch run.

After working and sweating throughout the summer, after playing a perfect SEC slate at 8-0, and after going 11-0 to this point in the season, the Gator football team is approaching the finish line for the 2009 season.

But like it has done in many of Florida's games this season, the Gator defense stepped up when it was most needed. The play of this unit arguably won the game.

It was anyone's game in the fourth quarter. Florida's offense was sputtering. South Carolina was driving, and in Florida territory. It was a 17-14 Gator lead when a Stephen Garcia pass bounced off a receiver and into the hands of defensive lineman Justin Trattou who rumbled with it deep into Gamecock territory.

Trattou's pick turned out to be the play of the game.

When you try to knock off the number one team in the country, things have to go just right and you can't make too many mistakes. This mistake turned out to be huge as quarterback Tim Tebow finished off the drive with a one yard run and the game was over, over because the Florida defense completely shut down the Gamecocks for the remainder of the night.

In the first half, the Gator defense was victimized at times by a Carolina running game that was statistically last in the SEC. The read option, often employed by the Florida offense, seemed to confuse the Gators at times and as a result Carolina was able to sustain some drives in the first half and stay in the game.

The Gator defense had a little prayer meeting so to speak with defensive coordinator Charlie Strong and the result was a much better second half effort according to Florida defensive end Jermaine Cunningham.

"The first half wasn't Gator defense," Cunningham said. "We all came in at halftime and got a little pep talk from Coach Strong and we went out in the second half and decided to play Florida "D" and had a couple of game changing plays."

In that second half, especially in the fourth quarter with the game on the line, the defense turned up the heat and came up big, stopping the run game cold, holding it to minus yardage in the second half. The passing game was stopped too at first with a dizzying variety of blitz packages and then with pressure from just the front four. As a result, quarterback Stephen Garcia was sacked, harassed, and forced to run for his life, unable to make a play.

Offensively, it looked like Florida was going to have a good day early, scoring on its first three possessions. But after that, it was mostly a tale of missed opportunities as Florida could not take advantage of excellent field position given to it many times during the game. In addition, wide receiver Riley Cooper couldn't catch a couple of long balls that could have been touchdowns and kicker Caleb Sturgis missed three field goals, although two of them were from over 50 yards.

But if we have seen anything this year, we have seen the "plan to win" include excellent defense, no turnovers and just enough offense and good special teams play and that's exactly what got Florida to win this game. Florida did not turn the ball over for the third straight game and quarterback Tim Tebow says its all about just winning.

"I think that's the identity of our team," Tebow said. "Sometimes it's not pretty, sometimes we have to fight for four quarters but we've been able to keep fighting at the end and find a way and I'm just proud of my teammates and it shows a lot of character."

Character indeed. This team has a lot of it...a lot. Florida is now 10--0. it went through the SEC schedule undefeated for only the fourth time in school history. And the Gator seniors have now tied the record for the most wins by a senior class in the SEC.

That's a lot of accomplishments and more are sure to come but the best accomplishment at this time of the year is to win and advance.

Mission accomplished.

But like it has done in many of Florida's games this season, the Gator defense stepped up when it was most needed. The play of this unit arguably won the game.