The Gators kick off the 2009 college football season on August 31st against the Hawaii Warriors at home, but we have now learned that the number 5 will stand beside of the University Of Florida’s name on the television scoreboard.

That’s right, out Florida Gators will begin the 2009 campaign with the fifth ranked team in college football. We have some obvious defensive concerns at defensive line and safety, but that’s been been overlooked and our offense has been the concern to USA Today, or so it seems. Ranked just behind Oklahoma , Ohio State , Southern California and SEC rival Georgia , the Gators hope to climb the rankings throughout the season and become a top team.

Title contenders on the prowl once more? The Gators sure ended last season on a bitter note, losing to Michigan in the Capitol One Bowl and finishing 9-4, but last year they made mistakes that shouldn’t have been made. So often we lost games because of inexperience at the defensive back position, or because of critical turnovers. I expect the team to be much more aware of what’s going on around them, as they have gotten some crucial experience.

Overall, we did lose Andre Caldwell at wide receiver, Kyle Jackson and Tony Joiner and safety and Derrick Harvey at defensive end, but we’re Florida . We can certainly find a way to win, and the pre-season polls indicate the wild ride that’s up ahead for us at the number five ranked team in the nation. It will be interesting to see how high the University of Florida climbs on their way to a possible National Championship.