ESPN College Football

The NFL combine wraps up on Tuesday, and a flood of former SEC players have left their mark -- both good and bad.

The defensive backs were the last to run the 40-yard dash, and a lot of eyes were on Tennessee safety Eric Berry.

Unofficially, his two 40-yard dash times were 4.46 and 4.40. Earlier, the 5-11, 211-pound Berry did 19 reps on the bench-press, so he certainly didn’t do anything to hurt himself and figures to be a top 10 pick.

Alabama cornerback Javier Arenas tweaked his hamstring running the 40 and didn’t go a second time. He ran a 4.52 unofficially on the first one.

Florida cornerback Joe Haden turned in a disappointing 4.57 in the 40. Again, these are unofficial times, and we’ll try to get you the official times once they’re posted later Tuesday.

Vanderbilt cornerback Myron Lewis helped himself with a 4.45 in the 40 and also weighed in at more than 200 pounds. The NFL loves big corners who can cover.

LSU safety Chad Jones ran a 4.54, but only did nine reps on the bench-press.

Georgia safety Reshad Jones was second among the safeties with 24 reps.

Mississippi State’s Jamar Chaney posted the fastest 40-yard dash time among linebackers, a 4.54. He also did 26 reps on the bench-press and recorded a 39-inch vertical jump. Chaney solidified himself as a solid mid-round pick, possibly as high as the third or fourth round.

Todd McShay of ESPN’s Scouts Inc. also felt like South Carolina outside linebacker Eric Norwood helped himself by running a 4.71 40-yard dash. At 245 pounds, Norwood also showed good lateral movement, quick feet and demonstrated all the qualities that make him an explosive pass-rusher.

A pair of former SEC linebackers that didn’t impress McShay were Kentucky’s Micah Johnson and Florida’s Brandon Spikes. Johnson (258 pounds) ran a 4.99 and didn’t change directions very well. Spikes didn’t run the 40, but looked stiff in drills.

Florida defensive end Carlos Dunlap turned in a fast 40 time (4.71), but according to scouts McShay talked with, Dunlap didn’t come across well in interviews and was characterized as lazy.

Tennessee defensive tackle Dan Williams continues to look like a first-round pick. Weighing 326 pounds, he ran a 5.17 40-yard dash and did 26 reps on the bench. He also moved fluidly during drills.

McShay thinks Alabama nose guard Terrence Cody will probably be a second-rounder. Cody shed some pounds and was down to 354, but ran a 5.68 40, the slowest among the defensive linemen.

Florida cornerback Joe Haden and Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain have both moved up on Mel Kiper's latest Big Board of the top prospects in the NFL draft.

With the NFL combine kicking off this week, Haden is now No. 5 and McClain No. 8. The top SEC player on Kiper's board is Tennessee safety Eric Berry, who's No. 3.

Kiper has Berry as his top safety, Haden as his top cornerback and McClain as his top linebacker, further validation of the caliber of defensive talent the SEC produces year in and year out.

Tennessee defensive tackle Dan Williams has also moved up to No. 17.

The Vols are the only team in the country with two defenders ranked among Kiper's top 20 prospects, which doesn't exactly back up former Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin's repeated claims last season that the Vols were hurting for talent.

Florida joins Oklahoma as the only two teams nationally with three players on Kiper's Big Board. Center Maurkice Pouncey is No. 18 and defensive end Carlos Dunlap is No. 22.

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper has moved Alabama nose guard Terrence Cody back into the first round as the No. 28 overall pick to the San Diego Chargers in his latest mock draft.

Cody weighed in at 370 pounds at the Senior Bowl and struggled at times with his conditioning, but Kiper thinks he's a classic run-stuffing nose guard and that a 3-4 team will grab him in the first round.

"People can ask why I moved Terrence Cody back up onto my latest Big Board, and consider him a first-round guy, and here's a case that illustrates why," Kiper said. "Regardless of questions on weight or build, when you look for that 3-4 centerpiece, a guy who has the physical traits of a block-occupying clogger who will let your linebackers play with freedom, Cody's that type of guy. Dynamic or not, you know what he can give you, and on draft day, and that's a huge consideration."

Cody is one of seven SEC players in Kiper's latest first round. He has Tennessee safety Eric Berry going No. 3 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Florida cornerback Joe Haden going No. 7 to the Cleveland Browns, Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain going No. 12 to the Miami Dolphins, Florida defensive end Carlos Dunlap going No. 17 to the Tennessee Titans, Tennessee defensive tackle Dan Williams going No. 26 to the Arizona Cardinals and Florida center Maurkice Pouncey going No. 30 to Minnesota Vikings.

Florida might want to scratch redshirt freshman Gary Brown out of any plans to help on the defensive line next season, at least for the time being.

Brown faces two counts of misdemeanor battery for allegedly slapping a woman and scratching another Sunday morning.

Brown has been suspended from all team activities.

This can't be the way Florida coach Urban Meyer had hoped to spend his leave of absence, dealing with this kind of nonsense. Then again, he ought to be used to it. According to the Orlando Sentinel, this is at least the 27th arrest of a Florida player since Meyer took over as head coach in 2005.

It was just a little more than two months ago that Carlos Dunlap's DUI arrest rocked the team the week of the SEC championship game. Dunlap was suspended for the game, and Florida lost 32-13 to Alabama a few days later, ending the Gators' 22-game winning streak.

Alabama cornerback Kareem Jackson is projected as a first-round pick in Todd McShay's latest mock draft.

McShay has Jackson going 19th to the Atlanta Falcons. Jackson gave up his senior season to enter the NFL draft early.

Overall, McShay has seven players from the SEC going in the first round. Other than Jackson, Florida center Maurkice Pouncey is a new addition at N0. 31 to the Indianapolis Colts.

Tennessee safety Eric Berry will be the highest drafted SEC player, according to McShay. Berry is projected to go seventh overall to the Cleveland Browns. Berry's Tennessee teammate, defensive tackle Dan Williams, also moved up in this mock draft to 18th overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Rounding out McShay's SEC first-round selections were Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain 12th to the Miami Dolphins, Florida cornerback Joe Haden 13th to the San Francisco 49ers and Florida defensive end Carlos Dunlap 17th to the Tennessee Titans.

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

Taking a look at what's making news in the SEC:

• The new Nick Saban statue at Alabama's Walk of Champions could be up in time for the A-Day spring game on April 17, writes Chase Goodbread of The Tuscaloosa News.
• Columnist Jeff Schultz of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wonders what comes next for Nick Saban if he wins another national title ... maybe some coastline between Pensacola and Panama City?
• Former Florida defensive end Carlos Dunlap pleads guilty to his DUI charge and receives a year of probation.
• Ole Miss is looking for defensive back reinforcements in this recruiting class, writes David Brandt of The Jackson Clarion-Ledger.
• The Class of 2007 is living up to its billing at South Carolina, writes Joe Person of The State newspaper.
• Auburn is still awaiting decisions from several key prospects, and all the while, trying to hold onto some key commitments, writes Andy Bitter of The Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer.

Now we’ll take a look at this season’s All-SEC defensive players and where they were ranked coming into the league.

South Carolina’s Eric Norwood, a three-time All-SEC selection, had 78 players ranked ahead of him in the state of Georgia alone in 2006.

And in the 2007 class, Florida defensive end Carlos Dunlap wasn’t the top-ranked player in South Carolina. Notre Dame’s Gary Gray and South Carolina’s Brian Maddox were both ranked ahead of Dunlap.

Antonio Coleman and Dan Williams were part of the class of 2005, so there’s no data available from Scouts Inc. for them. Terrence Cody was a junior college player when he signed with Alabama:

Antonio Coleman, DE, Auburn

Class: 2005

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: N/A

Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida

Class: 2007

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade 84, No. 2 defensive end, No. 3 player in South Carolina, No. 15 player nationally

Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama

Class: 2008

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: N/A

Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee

Class: 2005

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: N/A

Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama

Class: 2007

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade of 79, No. 5 inside linebacker, No. 8 player in Alabama, unranked nationally

Eric Norwood, LB, South Carolina

Class: 2006

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade of 69, No. 99 defensive end, No. 79 player in Georgia, unranked nationally

Rennie Curran, LB, Georgia

Class: 2007

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade of 79, No. 8 inside linebacker, No. 17 player in Georgia, unranked nationally

Joe Haden, CB, Florida

Class: 2007

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade of 79, No. 18 safety, No. 3 player in Maryland, unranked nationally

Javier Arenas, CB, Alabama

Class: 2006

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade of 77, No. 31 cornerback, No. 52 player in Florida, unranked nationally

Eric Berry, S, Tennessee

Class: 2007

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade of 90, No. 1 cornerback, No. 1 player in Georgia, No. 4 player nationally

Mark Barron, S, Alabama

Class: 2008

ESPN’s Scouts Inc: Grade of 80, No. 19 athlete, No. 12 player in Alabama, 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.

Alabama cornerback Kareem Jackson has joined teammate Rolando McClain in declaring for the NFL draft.

There were rumblings out in California during practice for the BCS National Championship Game that Jackson was leaning that way, and he admitted Friday that he'd already made up his mind before the game. That's despite Alabama coach Nick Saban advising him to come back for his senior season.

With Jackson turning pro, that leaves the Crimson Tide with only one returning starter in the secondary -- safety Mark Barron.

Jackson and South Carolina defensive end Clifton Geathers were the two most recent players from the SEC to declare for the draft. The deadline was Friday.

Here's the list of SEC underclassmen entering the draft:

ALABAMA

CB Kareem Jackson

LB Rolando McClain

FLORIDA

DE Carlos Dunlap

CB Joe Haden

TE Aaron Hernandez

C Maurkice Pouncey

S Major Wright

GEORGIA

LB Rennie Curran

S Reshad Jones

LSU

S Chad Jones

OLE MISS

QB Jevan Snead

SOUTH CAROLINA

DE Clifton Geathers

TENNESSEE

S Eric Berry

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.

The feeling back in November was that most of the SEC underclassmen seriously considering a jump to the NFL would end up pulling the trigger.

It's certainly shaping up that way.

LSU safety Chad Jones capped a busy day on Monday of juniors turning pro when his father sent out a press release saying Jones would enter the NFL draft. Jones was also a pitcher on LSU's baseball team, and some thought he might try his hand at pro baseball.

Jones was the fourth SEC player Monday to declare for the NFL draft, joining Florida center Maurkice Pouncey, Florida defensive end Carlos Dunlap and Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain.

Here's a team-by-team look so far of the SEC players who are turning pro:

ALABAMA

LB Rolando McClain

FLORIDA

DE Carlos Dunlap

CB Joe Haden

TE Aaron Hernandez

C Maurkice Pouncey

GEORGIA

LB Rennie Curran

S Reshad Jones

LSU

S Chad Jones

OLE MISS

QB Jevan Snead

TENNESSEE

S Eric Berry

Add Florida defensive end Carlos Dunlap to the exodus of Gators' juniors heading to the NFL.

Gene Sapakoff of The Charleston Post and Courier reports that Dunlap, who's from North Charleston, S.C., will announce later Monday that he's skipping his senior season and will make himself available for the NFL draft.

Dunlap is the fourth Florida underclassmen to leave, joining Joe Haden, Aaron Hernandez and Maurkice Pouncey.

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.

Breaking down the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Friday (FOX, 8:30 p.m. ET) between Cincinnati (12-0) and Florida (12-1):

WHO TO WATCH: Wow, where do you start? Florida coach Urban Meyer will step aside on his leave after this game, and it could also be the final game for several of the Florida juniors who are considering declaring early for the NFL draft. But the heart and soul of the Gators’ program for the past three years has been quarterback Tim Tebow, and he bids farewell to college football once and for all. Tebow is 34-6 as a starter and will go down as one of the greatest college football players of this era. Still, the image of him crying on the sideline in the final minutes of the SEC championship game loss to Alabama is one the Gators’ rivals like to remember. If it’s up to Tebow, he’ll give them one final image to remember.

WHAT TO WATCH: Prior to the SEC championship game, Florida had as much right as anybody to claim that it had the best defense in the country. But the Gators were carved apart by the Crimson Tide in their worst defensive performance in a long time. How do they bounce back? We’re going to find out against a Cincinnati club that ranks fifth nationally in scoring offense and sixth nationally in total offense. Quarterback Tony Pike is adept at getting rid of the ball quickly, and receiver Mardy Gilyard is equally adept at coming up with big plays. The Gators get their best pass-rusher back for this game, junior defensive end Carlos Dunlap, who was suspended for the SEC championship game. The Gators also have one of the best cover cornerbacks in the country in Joe Haden, who will lock down on Gilyard and attempt to take him out of the game.

WHY TO WATCH: With all of the different storylines going on, the game itself has almost become secondary. Is it the last time we see Meyer running the show at Florida for a couple of months? An entire year? Possibly ever? Are the Gators distracted, or are they motivated? Can the Bearcats overcome Brian Kelly’s abandonment of them for the Notre Dame job and shock the college football world much the same way Utah did last season against Alabama? Does Tebow have one more storybook game in him before he takes his shot at the NFL? And can the Gators win 13 games for the third time in the past four years?

PREDICTION: As ordinary as Florida looked in the SEC championship game loss to Alabama nearly a month ago, this is still the same team that won 22 straight games. The Gators have better players, better depth and more speed than the Bearcats. They also have Tebow, who will see to it that the Gators are at the top of their game one final time before they all disband. Florida 38, Cincinnati 21.