Did that just happen? Did it really happen?

On the morning of April 3rd, 2006, Florida had one national championship across the two “big time” college sports, football and basketball.

365 days later, the Gators had four.

Florida made history by holding national championships in both sports in the same calendar year. Then they followed that up with a back-to-back-to-back championship sandwich when they won their second consecutive NCAA basketball title only three months after beating Ohio State in football. Donovan’s b-ball Gators became one of a handful of elite teams to win the NCAA tournament two years in a row. And of course, they beat the hated Buckeyes in two of the three title matches, relegating “The” Ohio State University to permanent runner-up status.

It’s enough to make one dizzy, honestly.

The championship overload short-circuited many Gator fans’ pleasure meters, and the entire Gator Nation has been wandering around in a blissful haze for what seems like eternity. The “Year of the Gator” was quite simply the most amazing, stupendous, fall out of your seat year in the history of UF sports — indeed, it ranks quite highly among all-time college athletic achievements. Maybe right at the top.

Is it over? Or is it just the beginning?

Most evaluations of the ‘07 Gator football team include observations such as, “The offense looks substantially better than the ‘06 team.” Chris Leak has left the building, but Tim Tebow looks to be a wunderkind at the QB slot. Urban Meyer said that he believes the Gators have enjoyed a “net plus” across the entire field at every position. Florida loses many starters on defense, but when you have the best defensive coaches in the country, is the dropoff really going to be substantial?

Logic says ‘yes.’ The ‘06 defense might have been the best in the history (there’s that phrase again) of the University’s 100 year old football program. Jarvis Moss, Reggie Nelson, Derrick Harvey, Ray McDonald, and Brandon Siler were monumental in their importance to Florida’s success. But they stepped up to make big plays all year long, and we should have every expectation that this year’s crop of talented Gators should do the same.

In basketball, Billy Donovan sits on a potential #1 recruiting class. Again, logic says to expect a dropoff, but Donovan has taken his squad to three National Championship games in the last seven years, and won two of them. Don’t expect the nation’s best basketball coach to rest on his laurels.

Are we waking from the dream? Or is it just getting started?

Florida has the nation’s best coaches in both sports. The best facilities, the best fan support, the best recruiting classes.

Why would anyone expect it to end?