In the first College Gameday of the season today, ESPN analyst and former football player, Robert Smith, gives his take on Florida’s Achilles heel:

“…they can be victim’s of their own success. They get out there, start dominating teams, and they settle down, take it a little easy, and you can’t do that in the SEC. ”

Do I agree with Smith’s argument? I actually do, just because it has been done in the past. Take the Texas Longhorns of 2005, they came into the next season with all the attention, and didn’t live up to the hype. But I don’t think this should be as big an issue for the Gators because of all the leadership from Tim Tebow, Brandon Spikes, and Urban Meyer.

Next up, the former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz gave his take on Florida’s Achilles heel:

” Yeah they have an achilles heel, let me tell you what I think it is. They have problem receivers, and if Tebow gets hurt, and the receivers don’t come through, there going to be forced to be one-dimensional, and then they will have to rely on their defense and Brandon James to win.”

Now this argument is quite reasonable, since the Gators’ receivers are their weakest group. But do I really think Tebow will get hurt? No, but it could happen due to the way he puts his body out there, but he is the toughest competitor in the nation, and will do his best to avoid any big hits.

Following Dr. Lou was Kirk Herbstreit:

“…it’s just human nature, anytime you win a championship of any kind, you lose the edge potentially. Only twice in college football in the last 30 years have we seen a team be able to repeat and win a National Championship. So the odds are against them…and watching Tim Tebow’s determination, and seeing Urban Meyer, and Brandon Spikes, and the leadership of this team, and the intangibles of this team could overcome what all of us think is just natural for any team.”

Now I am not the biggest fan of Herbstreit, but he does make a good point of mentioning how it is rare to go back-to-back, but he also says that Florida’s leadership can overcome the odds.

Robert Smith added another note:

“… the schedule makers certainly didn’t hurt them much, and who they draw out of the (SEC) West. I mean they’re not gonna have to play Mississippi, Alabama out of the West, certainly that helps them out.”

So Smith is arguing that Florida’s schedule is soft….well I understand where he’s coming from, but it still is the SEC. I mean they aren’t playing powerhouses in Alabama or Ole Miss, but they still have road matchups against LSU and South Carolina, and a neutral game against Georgia. But if Smith is talking about their non-conference schedule, then I can understand what he is saying.  

Following Smith’s antics on Florida’s schedule, Herbstreit makes another valid case to why Florida may look past the season:

” Imagine being a Gator player, every show they watch locally and nationally, every newspaper they pick up, going to class, everywhere except the facility working, they’re gonna hear how it’s already done, you’re already in the championship game.”

Once again, Herbstreit is making good points, and this reason could be a downfall for the Gators. Hopefully the players, especially the underclassmen do not fall for this trap.

The College Gameday show was a good watch today, and it gave me and other Gator fans a good look at the upcoming season, and what Florida needs to do to avoid the hype.