The outpouring of love for the Florida Gators in the wake of Saturday’s blowout win would undoubtedly be unprecedented were it not for the 12 month orgy that saw a 2006 BCS title sandwiched between 2 basketball chamionships. Irrespective, the about face by Florida fans-who have become about as faithful as that girl who tells you how “special” you are when she invites you to her house at 2:00 a.m. after 30 minutes of drunken banter-is hilarious when considering that only a week ago calls for Mullen’s head were common, and some went so far as to question Pope Meyer.
Today, Gainesville is the land of “milk and honey,” where strangers stop to help one another with flat tires and assist the elderly across the street. A quick peek into the camp of the Gator’s vanquished foe reveals that the panic, anxiety, and overall lunacy that infected Gator fans only a week ago, has found a home in Baton Rouge where, less than a year after LSU’s BCS title, the message boards are rife with seditious fans urging Les Miles’ firing. So, Mr. Jean-Francois gets his car wreck after albeit a little closer to home than anticipated.
The volatility and histrionics of the SEC fan bases notwithstanding, the only lesson to be taken from Saturday’s results (and this applies from Austin to Gainesville to Athens without exception) is that the 2008 season is upon us. And, in the SEC and Big 12, which are far and away the strongest and deepest conferences in the land, the weekly fratricide will continue leaving in its wake the chaos, angst, and occasionally, elation that makes CFB the greatest sport on earth.
SNL would be remiss for failing agree that on a number of levels, the buoyed spirits of the Gator nation appear to be soundly based for a number of reasons. First, the Gators scored huge with “style points” Saturday. For those who continue to deride the need to win impressively, SNL recommends a gander at this week’s polls, which now have Florida ahead of Georgia, undefeated BYU, who both won Saturday. Like it or not, as long as subjectivity remains a core value in the BCS distillation process, big wins in high profile games are worth their weight in gold (see ‘Bama’s victory of UGA as Exhibit “A.”).
Second, Florida, having lost once, has suffered through the “dark period” that inevitably occurs when a title contender is upset. SNL concedes that a loss is never a good thing, but for this Gator team, the taste of defeat should remain fresh enough to prevent a second lapse to the “decent” teams as the season wears on (looking at you UK, USC, Vandy and FSU), each of which could, but should not, beat Florida.
Finally, Saturday’s resounding victory has rightfully been characterized as Florida’s renaissance-a game in which Florida found an identity which consists of Tebow distributing the ball to wildly talented speedsters, an increasingly stingy defense, and imposing special teams. To most partisan observers, Florida’s performance Saturday was like watching the launch of the Space Shuttle after several failed attempts. The resulting fireworks have given rise to a belief by many, including E-SPIN’s Cowherd, that Florida is one of the top-5 teams in the country.
Unlike 2 weeks ago, there now exists ample evidence to gauge the 2008 contenders, and it is reasonable to place the Gators in the quintet of BCS-title hopefuls-for now. Of the 1-loss contenders, USC and Oklahoma rank ahead of Florida today.
Most pundits agree that the feebleness of the PAC-1+9 is such that USC lacks the autonomy to make it to the BCS-title game absent more losses by the other elite. Oklahoma, whose defense again failed to show up for a big-time game, appears poised to win out, as does Florida. Texas has a tough road and PSU could lose to the Buckeyes. Which makes viable a scenario whereby a bevy of 1-loss clubs must be distiguished. If this occurs, Florida’s big-time win last Saturday will be instrumental in building the Gators’ resume.
Still, the only certainty, for Gators, Lions, Tide, Trojans, Sooners, and Horns is that getting there will be more than half the fun. It always is.
-So Sayeth the Shepherd
Gainesville Sun sports columnist, Pat Dooley, has predicted an LSU victory in The Swamp this Saturday. This sentiment was echoed in yesterday’s MGoBlog picks, which predicted an outright victory for the Tigers as well. Interestingly, the cacophony of learned CFB pundits has not manifested itself in Vegas, where the Gators remains 6-point favorites. 
