Billy Donovan:

“These guys are giving me everything they have.”

And that was enough on Wednesday night. Hurray for beating bad teams. Florida reaches the 20-win mark while the Gottliebless Tide fall to 13-12 and 3-8 in conference play. The final tally was 83-74, but it was close, requiring free throws — made this time — down the stretch to hold the Tide at bay.

More Donovan:

“I understand all their flaws and all their flaws can be seen but sometimes we get a little bit fatigued and we get tired and they’re young and they’re thinner and they’re not quite as old as some of these teams and they get pushed around.”

Hurray for keen coaching observations. Actually, it is somewhat heartening to realize that Donovan gets it, that he understands the place and time and circumstances and that he’s not thrilled about where his program stands at the moment. It puts things into perspective. And the head coach knows where accountability has to start and stop.

“This group of Chandler and Nick, and even Dan to an extent, and Alex Tyus, have been thrust into a situation that to be quite honest is really unfair and I probably hold myself more responsible in terms of not having more pieces around those guys so they can do what they can do and be complemented more.”

Donovan has always been great with the media and fans, and has always been willing to share his thoughts and reasoning when it comes to Gator hoops. Hearing these words from Donovan offers some insight, offers some relief for Gator Nation that, hey, things are going to be okay. We might not have a contender this year, and our problems might not be fully solved even in 2010. But they will be solved, and Florida basketball will be back.

Give it up for the Utes of Utah, who stormed the Superdome and whipped Alabama, 31-17. It was an amazing performance from a double-digit ‘dog, playing the games of their lives.

The Utes looked faster, better prepared, and more physical. They were also sky-high for a game that the Crimson Tide viewed as meager consolation for the big prize.

The anti-SEC proponents are using the loss as ammunition for their relentless case against college football’s finest conference. A Mountain West team beat one of the SEC’s elite, they say. And via the transitive property, Florida — who beat the Tide by a similar-but-not-quite-as-impressive tally of 31-20 — must be overrated as well.

It’s just the familiar drumbeat of fans who are jealous and envious of the brand of football which is played perenially in the Southeastern Conference. Make no mistake about it, the loss was embarrassing. As good as Utah looked, a 12-1 SEC squad — even in a down year for the conference — should have found a way to win. And how can a squad which barely posted a winning season in ‘07 find themselves unmotivated to win a BCS bowl?

But if you’re going to tell me that Utah really is that good, and that Bama really was that bad, I’m going to fight you. Hard. Some facts:
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Our sights are now set on Oklahoma. But before we go… one last shot.

When it comes to Saturday night’s epic matchup, the only logical place to start is Alabama.

I felt going in that Florida would win by multiple touchdowns. I nursed the opinion that Florida might embarrass the Tide based on common opponents and overall body of work.

I was wrong. The Crimson Tide under Nick Saban deserved their No. 1 ranking. Alabama was easily — easily — the best team Florida has played this season. We fans were treated to two of the best teams in the country playing great ball and slugging it out to determine who’s tougher, who’s better. There was no dirty play, ala FSU. There was no underhandedness, nothing close to resembling unsportsmanlike behavior. It came down to two teams, both tough as nails, both “old school” in so many ways. Both are honorable squads who fought clean, fought hard. And at the end, one clear victor emerged.

Ladies and gentlemen, there should be no argument: the Florida Gators are the best team in the SEC, and among the best in the nation. And they had to go through the second-best team to get there.
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Seriously, I FURTZ-blurble-WOOOOOOO!!@!111-bxxzt am very ZZZZZZZZZZZT

I happen to think @@#%@#@# DGSD GS GSG F GF
sdfg

It’s like My cat is loose
on the key or sometht-2i00—0000 0 ZZZZZZZZZZZT THE BEST- E EW=

WON THE 4th q give him GRRRMMPP-ZTT-flimp!- give him the HEISMAN
SEC CHAMPS

S-E-C-S-E-C-S-E-C-FFZZZZZZTT-gulp-BAM1!!!

Crank up the volume.

H/T: EDSBS from 2 years ago.

As of this writing we are a few short hours away from every SEC team’s object of desire — an SEC Championship. To get it, Florida will have to get past a determined Alabama squad.

A few short pre-game notes:

- I continue to hear nothing but good things about Percy’s potential participation in this game. Based on my sources and how well they cross-check, I would be very surprised if we don’t see Percy play early and often, and contribute significantly to another Florida championship. Update, 11:30AM: According to Urban Meyer via a quick interview this morning at the Gators’ hotel, it sounds like Percy won’t play after all. Could be mind games from Meyer, but I doubt it.

- Unrelated to the game at hand, I’m also hearing rumors from people close to Brandon Spikes that the middle linebacker will not go pro next year. My take: he may believe that now, but when the greenbacks are wagged in his face, he might change his mind… ? It will be a difficult decision, since he’s easily a first-round choice this season, but for now, rumor is he’s returning.

- There has been a little swing in momentum in Bama’s favor in terms of pundits believing the Tide can win this game. This is good for the Gators; the less hype for the orange and blue, the better. I woke up this morning and searched my soul: do I really believe the Gators can win this game by multiple touchdowns? The answer: yes, without hesitation. I’m sticking with my 42-17 final prediction. Alabama fans will tar and feather me if I’m wrong.
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Let’s open some discussion on the Gators’ biggest game of the year, and potentially their biggest challenge yet. In Atlanta, Saban’s Tide lie in wait, ready to prove Vegas and their double-digit lines wrong. Florida goes in as the prohibitive favorite — and this is generally to the underdog’s advantage.

1) Pounceys vs. Cody. The critical question on the line is: can the Pouncey twins contain Bama’s massive noseguard?

The Pounceys have gotten a bit of on-air love this year, mainly from our old friend Gary Danielson, who said the brothers were both future NFL 1st-rounders. It’s not easy for offensive linemen to get highlighted on a national telecast, so consider this a high compliment. The Pounceys have also been featured on instant replay, particularly when they streak downfield to pick up a block for one of Florida’s speedy running backs. No question, the twins are good. The question is, how much have they been challenged this year, considering that most of the SEC is shaping up to be a bust? We don’t know. Nor do we really know how much Cody has been challenged by the lines he’s faced, either. But I do know that I wouldn’t want anyone else leading Florida’s hogmollies other than Pounceys Maurkice and Michael.
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I appeared on this week’s Pigskin Podcast to discuss the upcoming SEC Championship Game. Roll Bama Roll’s Todd Jones covers Bama (starting at the 11:00 mark) while I opine on the Gators and their chances (19:10). Have a gander.

The latest BCS standings feature three teams ahead of Florida.

1. Alabama
2. Texas
3. Oklahoma
4. Florida

Some members of Gator Nation are screaming and running around in terror as though the sky is falling. Fear of Texas?! Relax, fellas… if Florida wins out they will play in the BCS National Championship game for the second time in three years.

Here’s why.

1) Texas has one game remaining, against lowly Texas A&M. Florida has two — both ranked. No. 20 FSU, on the road, and No. 1 Alabama at a neutral site. If Florida wins both, their record will be 12-1, while Texas’ best possible record is 11-1.

2) The BCS computers don’t care which conference or division a team plays in. Texas and Oklahoma will be compared as relative equals. But humans, who have a vote in this just like the machines, do care. We saw this in 2006 when Michigan was denied a rematch with Ohio State and I believe the human voters will make the same choice in 2008.

3) At some point in the near future, Texas will begin to slip and they’ll be powerless to prevent the slide. This will occur because Florida, Alabama and Oklahoma will keep playing, but the Longhorns’ season will have concluded. Their only hope of holding onto a No. 2 BCS ranking is for all three of their immediate competitors to lose.

4) Frankly, it doesn’t really matter whether Texas or Oklahoma win the Big 12. In fact, it doesn’t matter if either of them win — don’t forget about 2-loss Missouri, who would love to win the conference and spin up a massive BCS headache for the rest of the nation. Florida will hold onto its berth and the only question is, who will they play? If Missouri wins the Big 12, Penn State and USC re-enter the conversation, but USC has to hope that Oregon State doesn’t win the Pac-10.

5) Bottom line? All Florida has to do is win their next two games, and the Gators can book their trip to Miami. It’s simple, cut, and dried. It would take some crazy scenarios to keep a one-loss Florida squad out of the title game; those involve the Gators winning, but playing poorly against FSU and Bama. But even that is unlikely to be enough considering that both are quality opponents.