John Tamanaha

Even though Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow appear to have designs on making BCS title games their personal playground, let’s not jump to the conclusion that Florida will capture its third title in the past four years. We’re not even convinced that the Gators will be in Pasadena on Jan. 7, 2010.

Yes, we know Florida's entire starting defense will return. And, of course, Tebow can jump-pass over tall buildings and will his team to do just about anything.

But Florida is a member of the Southeastern Conference, and that means they’ll always have their work cut out for them. Remember, at this time last year, everyone was talking about how Georgia would be the top Dawgs. We all know how that turned out.

Although the Gators won’t be given the opportunity to avenge last season’s loss to Ole Miss, their SEC slate is more than challenging. An Oct. 10 date against LSU in Death Valley will be the league’s game of the season. The Tigers may have been down in 2008, but with freshman Jordan Jefferson under center during LSU’s 38-3 whipping of Georgia Tech in the Chick-fil-A, next season got off to a big bang. You can be sure Les Miles will have the Bayou Bengals focused and in a nasty moody all season.

Florida’s non-conference schedule includes Charleston Southern, Troy, Florida International and Florida State. The Gator JV could beat those first three teams, but don’t sleep on the Seminoles. Bobby Bowden played close to 40 first-year players this past season, with a handful of them in starting roles. By the time Nov. 28 rolls around, you’re pretty much looking at those guys having upper-class experience and they’ll be eager to make a name for themselves in The Swamp.

With Tebow at the helm and going undefeated not a requirement for SEC teams, the Gators certainly have a shot at repeating, but that sort of thing is really quite rare. In the last half century, there’s been only one undisputed consensus back-to-back college football “national champion” — the 1994 and 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Texas, the team that Florida should have played in the BCS title game instead of Oklahoma, is our team to beat in 2009. After sharpening up versus Louisiana-Monroe, Wyoming, Central Florida, UTEP and Colorado to begin the campaign, the Longhorns will take a long break before going to Dallas and making it two in a row versus the Sooners. After that, the stiffest test for Texas will be its Oct. 25 date at Oklahoma State. With Colt McCoy and most of his offensive line back in the saddle, the Longhorns will be tough to keep pace with all season long.

Slideshow   BCS Championship Game Top images from No. 1 Florida's 24-14 victory over No. 2 Oklahoma more photos

Others in the equation: Oklahoma, with Sam Bradford's surprising decision to return for his junior season and not enter the NFL draft, and Alabama figure to be in the mix. Crimson Tide quarterback John Parker Wilson, but the cupboard won’t be bare in Tuscaloosa.

With its seven consecutive BCS bowl appearances, USC is seemingly always in the conversation, but this coming season could be quite different. With quarterback Mark Sanchez off early for the NFL and practically the entire Trojans defense needing to be replaced — safety Talor Mays' return is a big lift — and facing a tough road slate that includes Ohio State, Oregon, California, Arizona State and Notre Dame, Pete Carroll won’t be doing his usual campaigning in December.

The “Utah” of 2009: There won’t be any. With the rise in overall quality in the Mountain West Conference, an undefeated team is very unlikely to emerge and earn a BCS berth. Boise State out of the Western Athletic Conference is the best bet to poke its head back into the BCS, but the Broncos open the season versus Oregon. The Ducks will have to travel to Boise and play on the SmurfTurf, but they are always a dangerous team and will be solidified under the leadership of quarterback Jeremiah Masoli by then. Also problematic for the Broncos are WAC road games at Hawaii and Fresno State, not to mention their non-conference visit to trip to Tulsa on Oct. 3.

More on Texas Longhorns | Colt McCoy

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