1 » Florida Gators senior quarterback Tim Tebow continues to gain ground in the Scripps Howard Heisman Trophy poll. Accounting for five touchdowns and 311 total yards on Saturday, Tebow now holds the No. 2 spot on the list, earning three first-place votes. Ahead of Tebow is Texas Longhorns QB Colt McCoy (5), while Stanford Cardinal RB Toby Gerhart (2), Houston Cougars QB Case Keenum (0) and Alabama Crimson Tide running back Mark Ingram (0) round out the top five. Ingram led the poll the last three weeks. Voting tabulations are made on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis, with each voter ranking a top five.

2 » Skyrocketing up ESPN analyst Mel Kiper’s NFL Draft Big Board all season, junior defensive end Carlos Dunlap has fallen back to earth after his recent DUI arrest. Dunlap dropped 14 spots from No. 3 last week to No. 17 on Wednesday. Also on the list are junior cornerback Joe Haden – a “polished cover corner with tackling ability to match” – who is up to No. 7 after holding down the No. 9 spot last week, and junior tight end Aaron Hernandez brand new to the list at No. 19. Kiper says Hernandez has “great hands and excellent run-after-catch skills for a TE.” Noticeably absent from the board for a second-straight week is senior middle linebacker Brandon Spikes, who last appeared at No. 25 on Nov. 18.

3 » ESPN Insider and Football Outsiders are featuring the five keys to the Florida vs. Alabama game. While OGGOA cannot reprint the article, here is the gist of it. The five keys and teams with the potential advantage for each are as follows: Yards Per Play (Florida – 6.8 vs. 6.0), Sack Rates (Alabama – 3.9% vs. 10.5%), Second Quarter (Push), Turnover Battle (Push), Field Position Advantage (Florida – 14th vs. 25th).

4 » The Orlando Sentinel reports that redshirt senior safety Dorian Munroe will apply for a medical redshirt and expects it to be granted by the NCAA. Junior cornerback Moses Jenkins, sophomore left tackle Matt Patchan and senior transfer WR Carl Moore have all been granted medical redshirts so far in 2009.

Florida Gators defensive coordinator Charlie Strong is the leading candidate to become the next head coach of the Louisville Cardinals, numerous sources have told Pat Forde of ESPN.

Cardinals athletic director Tom Jurich has had no contact yet with Strong, sources said. Jurich told his counterpart at Florida, Jeremy Foley, that he will not interfere with the Gators’ preparations for the SEC championship game Saturday against Alabama. However, shortly after that game is over, Jurich is expected to contact Strong, and an interview could take place as early as Sunday.

With sources saying that Strong is “the clear front-runner” for the job, ESPN’s Chris Low reports that “assistants around the country are already lining up to try and get onboard with Strong at Louisville.” Should Strong leave, it will be the second time in as many seasons that the Gators have lost a coordinator and head coach Urban Meyer will need to find a replacement. Offensive coordinator Dan Mullen was hired as the Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach after the 2008 SEC Championship game. Like Mullen, Strong would likely stay on to coach Florida in their January bowl game.

Assistant defensive coordinator/safeties coach Chuck Heater and assistant head coach/defensive line coach Dan McCarney would be the leading candidates to replace Strong should he accept the job. One of the two could join Strong as his defensive coordinator wherever he winds up. Should a team like the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have any interest in Strong, they will have to act fast after the conference title game.

1 » Surveying four Southeastern Conference head coaches, ESPN’s Ivan Maisel came to one inevitable conclusion: Florida Gators senior quarterback Tim Tebow is the difference between his team and the Alabama Crimson Tide when it comes to the 2009 SEC Championship game. “The Crimson Tide don’t have a quarterback who has started 22 consecutive victories, has won a National Championship and a Heisman [Trophy], and is 34-5 overall as a starter,” Maisel writes. “Alabama doesn’t have Tebow.”

» In other Tebow news, he has been named as one of five finalists for the 2009 Walter Camp Award given to college football’s Player of the Year.

2 » Alabama QB Greg McElroy has done his job for the Crimson Tide so far in 2009. Leading the team to an undefeated regular season, McElroy’s SEC passing numbers are comparable to Tebow’s (though he does not use his legs). McElroy has also proved that he can get it done with the game on the line, like he did last week against the Auburn Tigers. Nevertheless, “he’ll need that same kind of poise Saturday (and maybe then some) against the best defense he’s faced all season.”

3 » Tebow may be getting all the press, but does it really take The Huntsville Times to point out that the Gators are about more than just their star QB? Paul Gattis writes that, “when it comes to the Gators, they are more than their brightest stars.” For example, Florida senior wide receiver Riley Cooper has more catches and receiving yards than Alabama’s Julio Jones – and twice as many touchdowns, too. That is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Gators’ complimentary players.

4 » Tickets to the SEC Championship showdown of the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country are the hottest things going right now. Averaging $583 per seat on StubHub, ticket prices for the 2009 game in the resale market are almost $100 more than they were in 2008. The SEC has even gone as far as to alert fans to be cautious of purchasing counterfeit tickets.

Florida Gators defensive coordinator Charlie Strong could very well be the next head football coach for the Louisville Cardinals. But don’t expect any talks to begin until after this weekend, as University of Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich has halted his pursuit of a new coach until after said candidate’s team has finished playing. Jurich’s patience is noteworthy and commendable, though he will be forced to seek out a replacement before bowl games commence and will likely begin speaking to Strong a day or two after the 2009 SEC Championship game.

Strong’s agent, Nathan Whitaker, told the Courier-Journal that he has yet to be contacted about the Louisville opening. One dark horse candidate for Strong’s services may very well be the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, as pointed out by a dedicated OGGOA reader named Travis who took some time out to tell us exactly why.

Travis finds it curious that Strong’s name has not yet surfaced in regard to Notre Dame’s opening. It may be a long shot, but not nearly as big of a long shot as you may think. With a report today stating the Fighting Irish are considering Connecticut Huskies defensive-minded head coach Randy Edsall, here are a few things to consider:

Five reasons Strong-to-Notre Dame may be in the cards…after the jump…
Continue Reading » Strong to Louisville on hold, perhaps Notre Dame?

1 » The Tennessee Volunteers may be 7-5 with a .500 record in the Southeastern Conference, but far be it for head coach Lane Kiffin to keep his mouth shut – especially when getting a chance to talk about the coaching staff of the No. 1 Florida Gators. When asked about the SEC Championship game, Kiffin responded in the only way possible for him. “Florida has better players, Alabama has better coaches,” he said.

2 » Florida junior transfer running back Emmanuel Moody (ankle) practiced at full speed on Tuesday and will be active for Saturday. Head coach urban Meyer worked the Gators on the field turf practice field in order to best simulate the Georgia Dome field.

3 » The Gators have appeared in the SEC Championship game nine times while the Crimson Tide have only made six appearances – all against Florida. In those games, Alabama is 2-4 with wins in 1992 and 1999.

4 » Starting the last three games, freshman left tackle Xavier Nixon has been a notable addition to Florida’s offensive line. The rebuilt unit has only allowed senior quarterback Tim Tebow to be sacked four times; he was sacked 21 times in the nine prior games. “You need that presence inside, and when coach [Steve] Addazio did that, that was a great tactical move,” Meyer said. “X has gotten a lot better. X did not play great Saturday. He had some missed assignments, but the one thing about him is he plays hard. He has a passion. He’ll get better.” Junior right guard Mike Pouncey agrees. “Xavier’s been playing good,” he said. “He’s been playing better than the other guys that were in there. Moving Carl [Johnson] inside is a big key.”

5 » During his post-practice press availability, Meyer showed his respect for Florida State Seminoles head coach Bobby Bowden. “I’m good friends with coach Bowden, and I have a lot of respect for him,” he said. “He’s great for college football. [44 years of coaching] is a long time. [I] just want to go another week. You admire a guy that had the stamina and [did] it the right way. That’s the thing you always admire about coach Bowden – he’s done it the right way.”

6 » Florida women’s basketball (3-4) fell 72-71 to the Florida A&M Rattlers (4-2) in the first game of a doubleheader Tuesday at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The Gators trailed by 12 points with 48.2 seconds remaining but scored the last 11 points to cut the deficit to one with 1.5 seconds left on the clock. Sophomore center Azania Stewart scored a career-high 17 points, though Florida only shot 36.9 percent.

No. 13/17 Florida Gators basketball (7-0) allowed the Florida A&M Rattlers (0-8) to get off to a hot start but pulled away in the second half to win 80-59 in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on Tuesday night. Senior forward Dan Werner led the Gators with one of the best games of his career, scoring a team-high 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting (4-of-6 from three) and a team-high nine rebounds in the contest (though he had five turnovers). Four Florida players finished the game in double figures including junior F Alex Tyus (15), redshirt junior transfer center Vernon Macklin (14) and sophomore point guard Erving Walker (10).

The Rattlers shot almost 49 percent from the field in the first half, taking advantage of sloppy defense and keeping the Gators’ lead within four points at halftime. Florida pulled away immediately after the break with a 23-4 run to start the second half. They never looked back, shooting 51.7 percent from the field and 35 percent from beyond the arc.

“Between turnovers, quick shots and some defensive lapses, we didn’t play well for about 20 minutes – and played pretty well for about 20 minutes,” head coach Billy Donovan said. “I thought our patience on the offensive end, especially in transition with some of the passes we tried to make, it was almost like we diffused our own energy with some of the decisions we made when we had a chance to get on a roll.”

Sophomore guard/forward Ray Shipman started the game over prized freshman Kenny Boynton, though Donovan did not provide a reason for the switch. Shipman took advantage of the opportunity and recorded a team-high four steals with six points while Boynton went 0-for-7 from the field; however, the freshman did dish out a career-high nine assists and earned two steals by playing hard all night.

Macklin, who also finished with seven rebounds, was able to use his size and strength to his advantage all night. He dominated Florida A&M with dunks, finger rolls and post moves, even throwing up a double clutch layup that got the Rowdy Reptiles excited. All ten Gators who saw court time scored, including Israeli freshman PG Rod Tishman who put up the first points of his career on two free throws.

Florida basketball improved to 11-0 all-time against the Rattlers and are 29-0 against the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Gators will take a short trip to Jacksonville, FL, on Friday for their next game against the Jacksonville Dolphins (0-4) at 7 p.m.

Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer has decided to suspend junior defensive end Carlos Dunlap for the 2009 SEC Championship game after he was arrested Tuesday morning by Gainesville Police on charges of driving under the influence. Dunlap was found slumped over sleeping behind the wheel of his red Chrystler at a traffic light. Dunlap faces one second degree misdemeanor DUI charge and was released on his own recognizance without bond by Judge Mary Day Coker.

“Carlos obviously made a very poor decision,” Meyer said. “He’s not going to play, and I want to visit with him and his family first, and then go from there. Stunning is probably a good word [to describe how I felt when I found out]. Young guys make decisions all the time. This one’s a serious one.”

One of the Gators’ top defensive players, Dunlap was named the 2009 BCS National Championship game MVP and has been a powerful, athletic force on the defensive line in 2009. He is expected to leave school after this season and be the top Florida player taken in the 2010 NFL Draft.

“You think you’re in control and the next thing you know you’re in trouble,” Carlos Dunlap, Sr. said about his son’s arrest. “I am dumbfounded right now. He’s always been so anti-drug, anti-drinking. But it’s not what you do, it’s how you respond to what you do.”

Meyer said junior DE Justin Trattou will start in place of Dunlap while senior DE Jermaine Cunningham will stay on the field for more snaps than usual. Redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Jaye Howard will get playing time at end while redshirt junior DTs Lawrence Marsh and Terron Sanders hold down the inside of the line. “The good thing is we have a little bit of depth,” Meyer said.

1 » Florida Gators defensive coordinator Charlie Strong has been named as one of the five finalists for the 2009 Broyles Award, which is given to the top assistant coach in college football each season. Nominated along with Strong are defensive coordinators Kirby Smart (Alabama) and Dick Bumpas (TCU) and offensive coordinators Jeff Quinn (Cincinnati) and Bryan Harsin (Boise State). Strong has never won the award before, though he is a three-time finalist (2000, 2007, 2008).

2 » Also being honored as an award finalist on Tuesday is senior quarterback Tim Tebow. Tebow, one of 10 named to the 2009 Manning Award‘s short list, could become the first two-time winner in its history. It is his third consecutive nomination. The Manning is the only quarterback award in college football that takes into account the candidates’ bowl performances. Colt McCoy (Texas), Tony Pike (Cincinnati), Jimmy Clausen (Notre Dame), Ryan Mallett (Arkansas), Kellen Moore (Boise State), Dan LeFevour (Central Michigan), Case Keenum (Houston), Max Hall (BYU) and Andy Dalton (TCU) are the other nine finalists.

3 » Having secured their first Top 25 ranking since Jan. 19, No. 13/17 Florida basketball is back in action tonight against the Florida A&M Rattlers at 7 p.m. in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The game is the second part of a doubleheader that also features the schools’ women’s teams. The first game tips off at 4:30 p.m.

4 » Did you like the special Nike Pro Combat uniforms the Gators wore Saturday against the Florida State Seminoles? The Oregon-based shoe and clothing company is now letting fans bid on a complete uniform locker including a helmet, jersey, shoes and cleats. Bidding starts at $1,200 and all proceeds will benefit Gator Boosters, Inc. I will take this time to note that OGGOA does accept gifts and donations.