ESPN College Football

Green and Gators just haven't gone well together lately.

This year alone, three Florida players -- cornerback Janoris Jenkins and linebackers Chris Martin and Kedric Johnson -- had misdemeanor marijuana-related arrests. Jenkins, an All-SEC performer in 2010, was dismissed from the team last week following his second arrest in three months for possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana.

On the same day as Jenkins’ dismissal, it was reported that former Florida offensive lineman Maurice Hurt tested positive for marijuana at the NFL combine in Indianapolis.

Former Gator receiver Percy Harvin tested positive for marijuana before the 2009 NFL draft, and tight end Aaron Hernandez admitted before last year’s draft that he failed a drug test during his time at Florida.

So when new coach Will Muschamp met with reporters before he spoke to the Central Florida Gator Club in Orlando on Tuesday night, he was asked if he thought there was a drug problem, specifically marijuana, with players at Florida.

Muschamp said he hasn’t specifically addressed marijuana use with his players, but said there is continuous effort to help them with the decision-making aspects of life outside of football.

“We’re constantly in the mental conditioning stage with our football team of making good choices and decisions,” Muschamp said. “It’s a constant effort. When you’re dealing with young people, that’s every day. It’s not going to change. We could have no incidents for 10 years, but we’re still going to be doing it.

“When you’re dealing with young people, you’re always in that developmental stage of making good choices and decisions.”

Despite the four incidents this spring, Muschamp classified those as isolated situations and doesn’t believe marijuana use is a rampant problem circuiting throughout his entire team.

“We’ve got a good situation going,” he said. “We’ve got some good kids on our football team. Some guys make poor decisions and choices and that shouldn’t reflect on the whole team.”

Though coaches are allowed to administer their own dismissals, Florida has the only drug policy in the SEC that allows an athlete to remain on a team with four failed tests. A fourth failed drug test results in a player missing 50 percent of the season.

Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina and Tennessee dismiss athletes after a third positive test, while Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi State dismiss athletes after a fourth.

Former Florida coach Urban Meyer recently told The Gainesville Sun that marijuana use among players was an issue at Florida before he became head coach in 2005.

Four of the 30 arrests during Meyer’s six-year tenure at Florida were for possession of marijuana.

"It was a problem when we got here," Meyer told The Sun. "I thought we put a little bit of a dent in it. But it's still a problem.

"It's an issue at a lot of places. I've talked to a lot of other coaches who told me they were dealing with it as well. But at Gainesville, it's a national story.

"We sought counselors. We did a lot of things. There comes a point when you have to separate the player from the university, and I did that several times."

Meyer said he cut players loose after a third failed test.

Muschamp made a powerful statement when he cut Jenkins loose.

While marijuana use might have been a problem before Jenkins’ dismissal, it doesn’t look like Muschamp will make it much of one anymore.

A check of what's making headlines around the SEC:

• Mark Bradley of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that fretting over Logan Gray is much ado about not much.
• Former Florida tight end Aaron Hernandez refutes the Boston Globe story that he failed multiple drug tests when he was in college.
• South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier takes the rivalry with Clemson's Dabo Swinney to the golf course.
• For the first time, Auburn's Tiger Prowl crosses state lines over into Columbus, Ga.
• Alabama's schedule issues remain unsolved, although SEC commissioner Mike Slive said the league hasn't given up on trying to "do what we can" for the 2010 season.
• The new NCAA president is Mark Emmert, an old friend of Nick Saban's, writes Gentry Estes of The Mobile Press-Register.
• Former Tennessee player and heralded recruit Nu'Keese Richardson tries to rebuild his college football career at Hampton.

Making the rounds in the SEC:

• SEC commissioner Mike Slive wishes former Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin well ... as long as he's in California.
• Former Florida tight end Aaron Hernandez reportedly failed multiple drug tests when he was at Florida.
• Auburn's Tiger Prowl tour is back on the road this year, cruising through the state of Alabama.
• Georgia could end up signing more than one quarterback in the 2011 class, writes Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
• Quarterback Jacoby Walker (knee) and running back Knile Davis (collarbone) both suffered injuries in Arkansas' spring game this past weekend.
• Former Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead can take solace in two unheralded quarterbacks of the past who went on to become superstars, writes Rick Cleveland of The Jackson Clarion-Ledger.

The NFL combine wraps up Monday and Tuesday, and already several former SEC players have helped themselves.

A few might have hurt themselves, too.

Auburn running back Ben Tate had a super workout session. Weighing 220 pounds, he turned in the third fastest 40-yard dash time among the running backs (4.43), was second among the running backs with a 40.5-inch vertical leap and tied for the most reps on the bench-press among running backs with 26. He also had a 10-4 broad jump, which tied Tennessee's Montario Hardesty for first among the running backs.

Hardesty, who had bulked up to 225 pounds, ran a 4.49 40-yard dash and did 21 reps on the bench.

The defensive linemen and linebackers are working out on Monday, and Georgia defensive tackle Jeff Owens set the bar pretty high on the bench-press with 44 reps. His teammate, Geno Atkins, did 34 reps. As a comparison, Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh did 32 reps.

Kentucky linebacker Micah Johnson put up 31 reps Monday morning.

The strongest former SEC player of the combine was Arkansas offensive guard Mitch Petrus, who did 45 reps over the weekend. That tied a combine record (since 2000).

The fastest former SEC player was LSU return specialist Trindon Holliday, who ran a 4.34 40-yard dash.

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow didn't throw at the combine. He'll show off his new delivery at the Gators' pro day on March 17, but he did demonstrate what kind of athlete he is. He ran a 4.72 40-yard dash, fourth fastest among the quarterbacks, and tied Josh McCown's record for quarterbacks with a 38.5-inch vertical leap. Tebow's hands (10 1/8) also measured the largest of the quarterbacks.

One of the biggest surprises of the combine so far was that Ole Miss' Dexter McCluster didn't turn in a faster 40 time. Weighing 172 pounds, McCluster ran a 4.55, but did show off his strength with 20 reps on the bench-press.

LSU receiver Brandon LaFell also had a disappointing 40 time (4.6), while Ole Miss' Shay Hodge was even slower (4.63).

Some players chose not to run the 40 and/or work out because they were injured or simply wanted to wait until their school's pro day. Florida tight end Aaron Hernandez had a strained back and didn't run.

The defensive backs work out on Tuesday.

All right, five more selections until we get to the 10 best players in the SEC from this past season.

There’s a distinct Florida flavor to these next five selections. Unfortunately for the Gators, all three of them will be playing in the NFL next season.

Here are numbers 15-11 in our countdown of the SEC’s 30 best players from the 2009 season:

No. 15: Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida: His college career ended on a sour note with the DUI arrest and subsequent suspension the week of the SEC championship game, but there was no denying Dunlap’s impact this past season as a pass-rusher. He was second in the SEC with nine sacks and came back strong in his final game against Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl. Few players possess Dunlap’s combination of size and burst off the edge. He gave up his senior season to enter the NFL draft and is a lock to go in the first round.

No. 14: Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU: Peterson blossomed during his sophomore season as one of the most complete cornerbacks in college football. He has great range and cover skills along with the size to overpower receivers at the line of scrimmage. Peterson was also one of the better tackling cornerbacks in the SEC. He finished third in the conference with 15 passes defended and also had two interceptions. He’ll easily be the top returning cornerback in the SEC next season.

No. 13: Brandon Spikes, LB, Florida: Spikes’ senior season wasn’t quite as productive as his junior season, but he was still one of the top three linebackers in the league. He was a key cog in a Florida defense that ranked near the top of the country in just about every category. Unfortunately for Spikes, the whole eye-gouging incident will be what a lot of people remember about his final year. But his leadership and productivity from his middle linebacker position established Spikes as one of the top defenders in the league for the second year in a row.

No. 12: Eric Norwood, LB, South Carolina: The first half of the season belonged to Norwood, who racked up six sacks, an interception return for a touchdown and a blocked kick in the first four games. He slowed down a little bit as the season wore on, but he was still one of the best big-play defenders in the SEC. Norwood finished the season with seven sacks, 11.5 tackles for loss and also led the Gamecocks with 11 quarterback hurries from his outside linebacker position. He leaves South Carolina as the school’s all-time leader in sacks and tackles for loss.

No. 11: Aaron Hernandez, TE, Florida: Hernandez was perhaps my biggest whiff on the preseason Top 30 list. Just a bad oversight on my part. But there was no missing him this past season. He was a first-team All-American and established himself as one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the country. Hernandez led the Gators with 68 catches, including five touchdowns. He was a nightmare matchup for teams and was extremely effective after the catch. He was one of five Florida juniors declaring early for the NFL draft and is being projected as a first-round pick.

• No. 16: Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee
• No. 17: Ben Tate, RB, Auburn
• No. 18: Montario Hardesty, RB, Tennessee
• No. 19: Mike Johnson, OG, Alabama
• No. 20: Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida
• No. 21: Rennie Curran, LB, Georgia
• No. 22: Randall Cobb, QB/WR, Kentucky
• No. 23: Shay Hodge, WR, Ole Miss
• No. 24: A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
• No. 25: Pernell McPhee, DE, Mississippi State
• No. 26: Malcolm Sheppard, DT, Arkansas
• No. 27: Mark Barron, S, Alabama
• No. 28: Terrence Cody, NG, Alabama
• No. 29: Brandon LaFell, WR, LSU
• No. 30: Julio Jones, WR, Alabama

If you want to have a little fun at my expense, go back and look at my Top 30 players in the SEC heading into last season.

Not that I was the only one, but I didn’t even have the Heisman Trophy winner anywhere on the list. Mark Ingram didn’t make the cut. Talk about coming from nowhere to win college football’s most prestigious individual award.

Some of the other things that stick out is that I obviously had Ole Miss running back Dexter McCluster (No. 28) too low and Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead (No. 3) too high.

I also whiffed on Florida tight end Aaron Hernandez. I knew soon after completing that list that leaving Hernandez off was a bad mistake.

Others like Ole Miss’ Greg Hardy and Kentucky’s Trevard Lindley were injured and didn’t have big seasons, so I had them ranked too high.

In short, if we were doing a postseason Top 30 list in the SEC, it would look a lot different.

How different?

Let’s sketch one out and see.

Beginning today, I’ll unveil picks No. 30 through No. 26, and we’ll count it down to the top player in the SEC this season.

Keep in mind that this ranking is based on this season only, including the bowl games.

So here goes:

No. 30: Julio Jones, WR, Alabama: He was a top-5 player on the preseason list and deserved every bit of it based on a fabulous freshman season. But this season, Jones suffered a knee injury in the second game that held him back during the first half of the season. He came on once he got healthier and made a huge play in the LSU game to turn that game around. He's still a great player with great upside. He just didn't have a great sophomore season.

No. 29: Brandon LaFell, WR, LSU: Consistency was the name of the game for LaFell, who was also a member of the preseason list. LaFell led the SEC with 11 touchdown catches. That's after catching eight touchdowns as a junior. In reality, he was about the only semblance of offense the Tigers had most of the season, and they probably should have gotten him the ball even more than they did.

No. 28: Terrence Cody, NG, Alabama: He had one of the plays of the year with his blocked field goal as time expired to save the Tennessee game, and he's unquestionably a load when it comes to stopping the run. But Cody wasn't an every-down player and was probably overrated when you consider all the first-team All-America honors he raked in. There's still no denying his presence in the middle.

No. 27: Mark Barron, S, Alabama: One of the breakthrough players of the season in the SEC, Barron led the league with seven interceptions on his way to first-team All-SEC honors. His emergence helped to solidify an Alabama secondary that proved to be one of the best in the country.

No. 26: Malcolm Sheppard, DT, Arkansas: One of the bright spots for the Hogs on defense, Sheppard was a force in the middle and finished second among SEC interior defensive linemen with 11 tackles for loss. He was also effective at pushing the pocket in pass-rushing situations. He had two of his best games against the two best teams Arkansas faced -- Alabama and Florida.

It’s always a lot of fun three and four years later to see where players were ranked by the recruiting analysts coming out of high school.

So we’ll take a two-part look at this season’s Associated Press All-SEC team and where those players were ranked.

Keep in mind that some of these guys were academic risks, which affected their ranking. Others came in at different positions.

As a teaser, we can tell you that 107 players were ranked ahead of this season’s Heisman Trophy winner, Alabama running back Mark Ingram, in the 2008 class. On the flip side, star players such as Tim Tebow, A.J. Green and Aaron Hernandez were ranked very highly when they signed.

ESPN’s Scouts Inc. wasn’t ranking players in 2005, so there’s no data for players in that class.

We’ll look at the All-SEC offense first and defense later in the day:

OFFENSE

Tim Tebow, QB, Florida

Class: 2006

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade of 90, No. 4 quarterback, No. 1 player in Florida, No. 15 player nationally



Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama

Class: 2008

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade of 81, No. 12 running back, No. 3 player in Michigan, No. 108 player nationally



Anthony Dixon, RB, Mississippi State

Class: 2006

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade of 40, unranked among running backs or nationally

Shay Hodge, WR, Ole Miss

Class: 2006

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade of 76, No. 63 receiver, No. 16 player in Mississippi, unranked nationally

A.J. Green, WR, Georgia

Class: 2008

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade of 91, No. 2 receiver, No. 2 player in South Carolina, No. 5 player nationally

Dexter McCluster, AP, Ole Miss

Class: 2006

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade of 76, No. 71 running back, No. 64 player in Florida, unranked nationally

Randall Cobb, AP, Kentucky

Class: 2008

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade of 74, No. 86 athlete, No. 24 player in Tennessee, unranked nationally

Aaron Hernandez, TE, Florida

Class: 2007

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade of 81, No. 1 tight end, No. 1 player in Connecticut, No. 49 player nationally

Mike Johnson, OL, Alabama

Class: 2005

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: N/A

Ciron Black, OL, LSU

Class: 2005

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: N/A

Mike Pouncey, OL, Florida

Class: 2007

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade of 77, No. 18 offensive guard, No. 71 player in Florida, unranked nationally

John Jerry, OL, Ole Miss

Class: 2006

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade of 40, unranked among offensive linemen and nationally.

Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida

Class: 2007

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade of 79, No. 9 offensive guard, No. 32 player in Florida, unranked nationally

ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper has six SEC players going in the first round in his initial mock NFL draft.

Interestingly enough, five of the six are juniors. Kiper's first pick from the SEC is Tennessee safety Eric Berry, going No. 3 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Florida cornerback Joe Haden is projected as the No. 7 pick to the Cleveland Browns.

The rest of the SEC selections, according to Kiper, are Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain No. 12 to the Miami Dolphins, Florida defensive end Carlos Dunlap No. 15 to the New York Giants, Florida tight end Aaron Hernandez No. 21 to the Cincinnati Bengals and Tennessee defensive tackle Dan Williams No. 26 to the Arizona Cardinals.

If you're counting, that's three Gators in the first round. And with two Vols projected to go in the first round, maybe they weren't hurting for talent quite as much as Lane Kiffin and the previous staff carried on about last season.

Notice some of the big names that didn't show up in Kiper's first mock draft? Among them: Alabama nose guard Terrence Cody, Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes, Auburn defensive end Antonio Coleman, South Carolina linebacker Eric Norwood and Florida quarterback Tim Tebow.

Having had a few days now to digest the 2009 bowl season, here’s a look at the All-SEC bowl team:

OFFENSE

QB Tim Tebow, Florida
Broke Vince Young’s record for total offense in a BCS bowl game with 533 yards in the Gators’ 51-24 rout of Cincinnati in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Completed 31 of 35 passes for a career-high 482 yards.

RB Dexter McCluster, Ole Miss
Was there a better player in the SEC the second half of the season? McCluster rushed for 184 yards and two touchdowns in the AT&T Cotton Bowl win.

RB Mark Ingram, Alabama
Despite cramping up in the Citi BCS National Championship Game, the Heisman Trophy winner showed his grit and led the Crimson Tide with 116 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

WR Riley Cooper, Florida
Led the Gators’ offensive explosion in the Sugar Bowl with 181 receiving yards, including an 80-yard touchdown. Cooper averaged 25.9 yards on seven catches.

WR Brandon LaFell, LSU
The Tigers didn’t put up much offense, but LaFell had five catches for 87 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown. LaFell led all SEC players with 19 touchdown catches over the past two seasons.

TE Aaron Hernandez, Florida
His nine catches led all players in the Sugar Bowl, and he finished with 111 receiving yards. Hernandez opened the Gators’ scoring with a 7-yard touchdown catch.

OL John Jerry, Ole Miss
Helped clear the way for Ole Miss’ 193 rushing yards against an Oklahoma State defense that finished ranked 11^th nationally against the run.

OL James Carpenter, Alabama
Combined with Mike Johnson to make the key block that helped spring Trent Richardson on his 49-yard touchdown run in the second quarter of the Citi BCS National Championship Game.

OL Justin Anderson, Georgia
The Bulldogs were playing without starting right tackle Josh Davis, and Anderson came off the bench in the second half to help give a much-needed lift to the running game.

OL Mike Johnson, Alabama
The anchor of an Alabama offensive line that paved the way for both Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson to each rush for more than 100 yards against Texas’ vaunted defense.

C Maurkice Pouncey, Florida
Spent more than five hours at Tulane Hospital with kidney stones and had several IV’s, but didn’t miss the start and led the way for the Gators up front.

DEFENSE

DE Marcell Dareus, Alabama
Had the hit that knocked Texas quarterback Colt McCoy out of the game and also returned an interception 28 yards for a touchdown right before halftime.

DE Carlos Dunlap, Florida
Came back strong from his suspension in the SEC championship game with two sacks in the Gators’ Sugar Bowl romp.

DT Geno Atkins, Georgia
Pressured Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson relentlessly. Atkins finished with a sack and also blocked a field goal attempt in the second quarter.

DT Dan Williams, Tennessee
A rock all season long in the middle for the Vols, Williams ended his career with nine tackles, including a half a sack in the 37-14 loss to Virgina Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

LB Patrick Trahan, Ole Miss
His 34-yard fumble return for a touchdown sealed the game for the Rebels with 3:12 remaining. Trahan also had an interception on Oklahoma State’s next possession.

LB Jerry Franklin, Arkansas
Finished with 10 tackles and had a third-quarter interception that turned the game around for the Hogs. East Carolina was leading 10-0, but Franklin intercepted a pass and returned it 31 yards to set up an Arkansas field goal.

LB Eric Norwood, South Carolina
Wrapped up a record-setting career at South Carolina by leading the Gamecocks with 10 tackles in their 20-7 loss to Connecticut in the Papajohns.com Bowl.

DB Walter McFadden, Auburn
Intercepted two passes in Auburn’s Outback Bowl win. McFadden’s first pick set up a touchdown, and he did the honors himself on the second one – returning it 100 yards for a touchdown.

DB Tramain Thomas, Arkansas
His 37-yard interception return for a touchdown tied the game in the third quarter. Thomas also tipped away a pass at the goal line in the final minutes that might have saved the game.

DB Kendrick Lewis, Ole Miss
Intercepted two passes in Ole Miss’ 21-7 Cotton Bowl victory over Oklahoma State. His big hit in the fourth quarter also forced the fumble that Patrick Trahan returned 34 yards for a touchdown to break the game open.

DB Chad Jones, LSU
Did a little bit of everything in his final game at LSU. Led the Tigers with eight tackles, including one for loss, while also forcing a fumble, breaking up a pass and blocking a kick.

SPECIAL TEAMS

K Alex Tejada, Arkansas
His 37-yard field goal in overtime was the difference in Arkansas’ 20-17 victory over East Carolina in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

P Spencer Lanning, South Carolina
In extremely cold conditions, Lanning punted seven times for a 42.3-yard average and had a long of 48 yards. He also doubles as the Gamecocks’ place-kicker.

KR Brandon Boykin, Georgia
Tied an SEC record with his third kickoff return for a touchdown this season, taking one back 81 yards to answer Texas A&M’s first touchdown.

Florida tight end Aaron Hernandez has followed Joe Haden's lead and announced Wednesday that he's declaring for the NFL draft.

Haden, the Gators' All-America cornerback, had announced earlier this week that he's turning pro.

Defensive end Carlos Dunlap is also expected to come out, while center Maurkice Pouncey and guard Mike Pouncey are also strongly considering it. Two others to watch are safeties Major Wright and Ahmad Black.

One team lost its coach to Notre Dame. The other is losing its coach -- at least temporarily -- to health concerns following this game. Has there ever been a BCS bowl game where there has been less talk about the game itself than Friday night's Allstate Sugar Bowl between Cincinnati and Florida? Big East blogger Brian Bennett and SEC blogger Chris Low take a closer look at the matchup and everything surrounding it.

Brian Bennett: Well, Chris, clearly Urban Meyer and Brian Kelly don't think the Sugar Bowl is that important, since Meyer tried to upstage it with his non-retirement retirement and Kelly couldn't be bothered to stick around to coach this game. You've been around the Gators. What's your sense in how they're approaching this game and how much motivation they'll have to play it after losing to Alabama?

Chris Low: Brian, an excellent question. The only thing missing now is for a bunch of players on both sides to take a leave and decide not to play in the game. That said, Florida has about seven juniors who are looking strongly at turning pro. That's never a good thing, because you never know for sure what their commitment level is for that last game -- assuming it is their last game. The best thing the Gators have going for them is Tim Tebow. He desperately wants to go out a winner and has had a pretty good hold on this team for the last couple of years. Typically, the Gators have followed his lead. But with no national championship to play for and so many unknowns concerning Meyer's future, this has an uneasy feel to it if you're of the orange and blue persuasion.

BB: Of course, Cincinnati has its own distractions, with Kelly's departure and interim coach Jeff Quinn taking the Buffalo job. But I get the sense that the Bearcats are focused and motivated for this game. Unlike Florida, they really have something to prove. They can show that they can win without Kelly, that they can beat a big SEC power and they can finish 13-0 with at least a claim to being the best team in the country. Motivation only goes so far, though. Cincinnati is going to have to play a nearly perfect game, I think, to win. I actually believe that outside of Tim Tebow, Florida doesn't have nearly as many offensive weapons as the Bearcats do. Am I crazy on that point, Chris? And did the Gators' defense show some fatal flaws in Atlanta?

CL: Sticking with the motivation theme for a moment, this will be the first game Florida has played since the end of the 2007 season where the Gators didn't have a national championship in their sights. Talk about reshuffling the deck. But, no, I don't think you're off at all about the lack of offensive weapons for the Gators. They have plenty of talent and plenty of guys who can run fast. What they don't have is an abundance of guys who consistently made plays down the field in games this season. Tight end Aaron Hernandez is a tough matchup for anybody, and the Gators will involve him in several different ways. Receiver Riley Cooper was Tebow's favorite target on the perimeter and made some big plays for the Gators. But all in all, it was much more of a grind-it-out offense this season, and as we saw in the SEC championship game, the Gators aren't real comfortable when they have to play from behind. To me, the key is whether the Bearcats can keep Tebow in a bunch of third-and-long situations. Do they have that kind of defensive muscle, Brian, to stuff the Gators on first down?

BB: In short, no. At least not if that defense plays the way it did down the stretch this season, when it gave up more than 36 points per game. The Bearcats are small up front and highly susceptible to being pushed around by bigger offensive lines, which the Gators have. Tebow could give them nightmares with a power option. Cincinnati is really built defensively to stop spread attacks with its speed, though its athletes probably can't match Florida's. Defensive coordinator Bob Diaco would love to see the Gators play like they did against Alabama, when they pretty much abandoned the running game. But Cincinnati will likely have to score quickly and build a lead for that to happen. Arkansas gave Florida some trouble with its spread. How do you think the Gators' defense will stand up to the Bearcats' no-huddle, pass-happy system which is unlike most SEC offenses? Can they pressure Tony Pike, who gets rid of the ball so quickly from the shotgun?

CL: It's hard for anybody to get that last impression of the Florida defense out of their mind. The Gators didn't do much of anything well defensively against Alabama in the SEC championship game. But in fairness, that was the exception this season. Charlie Strong's guys set the tone for the Gators as they sprinted out to a 12-0 regular season. When they needed a play on defense, they got it. I do believe Florida is well equipped to handle Cincinnati's up-tempo style. For one, the Gators get their best pass-rusher, junior defensive end Carlos Dunlap, back for this game after he was suspended for the SEC championship game. He's a force coming off the edge, but Jermaine Cunningham is just as good on the other side. And even if the Bearcats are able to get rid of the ball quickly and neutralize the Florida pass rush, the Gators have plenty of answers in the secondary. Strong won't be afraid to play man coverage with cornerbacks Joe Haden and Janoris Jenkins, both of whom will be playing in the NFL at some point. There's a reason Florida tied for the SEC lead with 20 interceptions. The Gators had 13 of those during the final six weeks of the regular season. Heck, even middle linebacker Brandon Spikes has four interception returns for touchdowns over the last two seasons. In short, this is a Florida defense that gravitates to the football.

BB: It's a formidable defense, Chris, and as much as I've been impressed with Cincinnati all year, I'm not sure the Bearcats can match athlete vs. athlete, especially without the game-day wizardry of Kelly. They are going to have to get some special-teams magic from Mardy Gilyard, get their offense to put Florida on its heels early and hope that the Gators really don't care much about this game. I see the Bearcats hanging tough early but losing by about two scores in this one. How do you see this playing out?

CL: The Tebow factor is just too much for me to pick against the Gators. He will make sure they're ready to play even if a few of his teammates happen to be thinking more about NFL dollars than the Bearcats. I look for the Gators to get out of the gate quickly on offense and then break the game open with a big play in special teams. There are so many ways they're capable of doing that, too, with a blocked kick, punt return for a touchdown or simply setting up short drives for themselves with their superior punt game. Cincinnati will score some points in this game, but I have Florida winning going away ... by at least 17 points.

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has six SEC players on his latest Big Board of the top 25 prospects in April's NFL draft.

Five of the six are underclassmen, led by Tennessee safety Eric Berry at No. 3.

Florida cornerback Joe Haden is No. 7. Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain is No. 11. Florida defensive end Carlos Dunlap is No. 16. Tennessee defensive tackle Dan Williams, the only senior among the SEC players, is No. 17, and Florida tight end Aaron Hernandez is No. 18.

Of note, Alabama senior noseguard Terrence Cody isn't listed among Kiper's top-25 prospects and hasn't been for several weeks now. Also, Florida senior linebacker Brandon Spikes has dropped off the Big Board.

One of the most intriguing underclassman in the SEC remains Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett, who's a third-year sophomore and eligible to turn pro. According to several close to the draft process, Mallett is continuing to seek out information about where he projects and is 50-50 right now.

It helps all of the quarterbacks in this draft that Washington's Jake Locker has decided to return for his senior season.

Florida's the team in the SEC that could have the most underclassmen leaving early. As many as five or six Gators could end up declaring for the draft.

The Sporting News has named nine SEC players first-team All-Americans.

On offense, Alabama running back Mark Ingram, Florida tight end Aaron Hernandez, Alabama offensive guard Mike Johnson and Florida center Maurkice Pouncey made the cut.

On defense, it was Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain, Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes, Florida cornerback Joe Haden and Tennessee safety Eric Berry.

Georgia's Drew Butler was the first-team punter.

Second-team honors went to Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, Alabama nose guard Terrence Cody, Alabama cornerback Javier Arenas and LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson.

Third-team honors went to Ole Miss offensive lineman John Jerry, South Carolina linebacker Eric Norwood and Alabama kicker Leigh Tiffin.

The SEC was loaded with great tight ends entering this season.

There was Arkansas' D.J. Williams, LSU's Richard Dickson and Auburn's Tommy Trott. And during the season, Tennessee's Luke Stocker and Alabama's Colin Peek established themselves as big-time receiving threats.

But as we get set to play the SEC championship game on Saturday, I have to agree with one of my colleagues at ESPN, Todd McShay.

Florida's Aaron Hernandez is perhaps the most dangerous tight end in the college game . He could also be one of the deciding factors for the Gators on Saturday against an Alabama defense that will no doubt be paying close attention to Hernandez, who leads the Gators with 54 catches for 654 yards. He also has four touchdown catches.

As McShay points out, Hernandez is one of those tight ends who can help you move the chains, but he also has big-play capability. He's an excellent runner after the catch and is athletic enough to be involved in the option part of the Gators' offense.

They will use him with the shovel pass and will also set up screen passes to him.

And, of course, don't forget about the jump pass when the Gators get near the goal line.

Florida just put the finishing touches on the best half the Gators have played against a legitimate opponent maybe all season.

They lead 24-0 at the half against Florida State and are on top of their game in all three phases.

The offense looks particularly impressive with the way the Gators have mixed it up, and it's obvious that Alabama is going to need an answer for tight end Aaron Hernandez next week in the SEC championship game.

Tim Tebow has already thrown two touchdown passes to Hernandez, and the Gators are pushing 300 yards of total offense at the half.

This game has a chance to really get ugly in the second half in a lot of different ways, and don't be surprised if Urban Meyer gets Tebow out of the game pretty quickly.

There's no reason to take any chances with the showdown with Alabama looming next weekend.