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UF can own state; just don't tell Meyer

By GARY SHELTON
Published October 11, 2006

This column is going to drive Urban Meyer crazy. I suspect he may fling his sports section across the room.

But, you know, I think his football team is pretty darned good.

Yeah, Meyer's gonna throw a fit when he reads this. He may slam his fist down upon his desk in anger.

But, the nerve of me, I suspect his program is on its way.

From here, all things are possible, including a dramatic spike in Meyer's blood pressure. From here, the Florida Gators can win their division, their conference, their national championship. From here, heck, the program can grip the state with both hands.

And, man, is it going to tick Meyer off to read about it.

You know things are going pretty well for a football coach when he wants everyone to cool it with the praise. The Gators are 6-0, and it would be fine with Meyer if no one would mention it out loud. They are second in the country according to the AP poll, but no one should suggest finishing first. He is America's hot new coach, and his is the hot new program, but really, do you have to bring that foam finger? How about a foam fist?

"Florida nonsense," is how Meyer refers to the runaway silliness that has engulfed fans, observers and, yes, members of the media.

"Beats incompetence," is how the rest of us might respond.

I'm kidding, mostly, because I'm certain that Meyer meant "nonsense" in the best way possible, and under no circumstances was he talking about that hat you wore to Saturday's game. Besides, Meyer is a football coach, a profession of grumpy men who are obligated to point out the degree of difficulty to fan expectations. It doesn't help if his players' heads swell so badly he has to buy new helmets.

Still, if you have heard the gnashing teeth of Florida fans over the past few years - the sound was like a coach in a trash compactor - it's hard to blame them for a little giddiness. And if some of them expect to win three national titles in the next two years, well, that comes with the face paint.

Let's face it. A very large percentage of what makes college football fun is nonsense, and thank goodness for it. It is a sport of large animals on the sideline, of silly fight songs, of Lee Corso riding those large animals while singing a silly fight song. If not for nonsense, coaches wouldn't be paid so much. If not for nonsense, there might not have been a job opening at Florida before last season. Sometimes, nonsense makes the best sense of all.

True, it is only October, and true, the season is only halfway done. Also true: The Gators still have to play against Tuberville and Richt and Spurrier and Bowden before they even get to the postseason.

On the other hand, October was awfully early two seasons ago when the Gators fired Ron Zook. October came early last year, too, and Meyer was distraught to the point of tears against LSU.

So, yeah, this is better.

These are good times for the Gators, a program that looks about a year ahead of where reason suggests it should be. The Gators seem to improve by the week, and by this point, you get the feeling that more is at stake than this season.

To the south, Miami's program seems to be in can-the-coach chaos. To the north, FSU is struggling again. Neither is currently in the Top 25. In the coming offseason, the challenge of both programs will be to stem the Gators' momentum.

Given the present, given the future, staying calm is a lot to ask of a Florida fan.

Coming into the season, I thought the schedule would have caught up with Florida by now. Who knows? It might yet. But if you portion out the games one at a time - and, really, Meyer's purpose is to make his players tune out the parade so they can focus - you begin to get the feeling that the Gators might be able to pull this off.

Auburn? Yes, it's a tough place to play. (In particular, it was a tough place for Auburn to play Saturday.) But if Florida can run the ball, it has an even chance of winning.

Georgia? There were times during the Tennessee game I was sure the Bulldogs had brought back Ray Goff to coach.

South Carolina? Yeah, I know who will be on the other sideline. I also know the game will be at the Swamp, a stadium that matters again.

FSU? The Seminoles have struggled, but it's hard to believe they won't play well at home against Florida. But, yeah, the Gators will be favored.

Here's a question: Is it really nonsense to talk about the possibility of a team reaching a national championship game? It wasn't last week, when Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville called for a playoff system. (The Tigers' run defense? That was nonsense.)

Given the (insert insulting adjective here) BCS, being in the top two is no small thing. It means possibilities. It means maybe the voters are paying attention to Florida's schedule. It means the nonsense has a chance to transform into full-fledged gibberish.

It means that maybe, just maybe, a program is about to arrive.

Offense, defense and nonsense.

[Last modified October 11, 2006, 01:49:17]