Florida back in national championship picture

Nov 3, 2008 - 9:20 PM By Bob Birge PA SportsTicker Staff Writer

Florida coach Urban Meyer wouldn't let his players talk about Georgia in advance of last week's game. The next subject that probably will be off limits is the national championship.

However, the Gators are very much back in the title picture following their 49-10 thumping of the Bulldogs - Florida's second-largest margin of victory in the history of the 86-game rivalry.

Florida (7-1) has climbed to fifth in the BCS standings, and it's not far-fetched at all for the Gators to make it to the January 8 BCS title game in their back yard at the Orange Bowl.

If the Gators run the table - a distinct possibility - they might only need one loss by Texas Tech, which has climbed to No. 2 in the BCS standings following its stirring 39-33 win over previous No. 1 Texas.

As the Longhorns found out Saturday night in Lubbock, it is extremely difficult to go undefeated in the Big 12 and Southeastern Conferences.

The Red Raiders have two difficult tests coming up - a home contest this week against No. 8 Oklahoma State and a trip to Norman on November 22 to face fourth-ranked Oklahoma. Even if Texas Tech finished the regular season 12-0, there would be the matter of the Big 12 championship game, possibly against Missouri.

Assuming No. 2 Penn State runs the table with three winnable games left and Texas Tech doesn't go unbeaten, the second BCS berth would come down to the best one-loss team.

Among the one-loss teams in the BCS standings, the Gators are just behind No. 4 Texas and just ahead of No. 6 Oklahoma.

Florida, which is a one-point loss to Mississippi away from being undefeated, would be able to make a strong case.

Since their 31-30 loss to Ole Miss, the Gators have outscored their four opponents by a combined 201-43 margin. That includes an impressive win over defending national champion Louisiana State (51-21) and last week's rout of Georgia.

With a potent offense averaging 50 points in the last four games and an improved defense, Florida is playing as well as anyone in the country.

"I made a statement earlier about how much I admired this team," Meyer said following the win over Georgia. "The admiration is starting to get real strong."

What's not to admire? Tim Tebow, whose numbers are down from last year's Heisman Trophy season, accounted for five touchdowns against Georgia, passing for two scores and rushing for three.

"All a coach really wants is for his team is to be really professional," Meyer added. "Talent will get you about seven wins. Discipline will get you maybe eight. When you start getting the leadership is when good things happen."

Meyer didn't want to talk about it last week, but the Gators badly wanted to avenge last season's 42-30 loss to Georgia, which included the Bulldogs' infamous end zone celebration following their first touchdown.

Meyer even called two timeouts in the final minute to tweak the Bulldogs. Perhaps it was payback for Georgia's stunt last season.

Now, the Gators can focus on their next goal, which is winning the SEC East title, something they can do with a win at Vanderbilt on Saturday. Florida defeated Arkansas, 38-28, in the 2006 SEC title game en route to the national championship.

Last year, Florida's young defense took its lumps during an up-and-down 9-4 season. This year, the Gators have outscored their opponents, 164-23, in the first half while allowing only two touchdowns.

"Maturity is the difference between last year and this year," Meyer said. "Maturity and competition (at positions) is the difference."

Florida concludes SEC play against South Carolina next week, then finishes the regular season with games against The Citadel and Florida State.

If the Gators take care of business, a berth in the BCS title game could be on the line when they face Alabama or LSU in the SEC title game.

Florida's hopes would get another boost if Alabama, the new No. 1 team in the BCS standings, loses at LSU this week.