If you go by point spreads, the Gators don?t have much of a chance.
Needless to say, UF is the underdog for Saturday?s contest at No. 1 LSU, the biggest college football game of the season thus far.
But don?t believe everything the Las Vegas oddsmakers put out.
The unranked Illinois Fighting Ron Zooks are favored to beat No. 5 Wisconsin, according to Yahoo! odds.
The UF-LSU spread opened with the Tigers as 8-point favorites, which is very fair.
If I were a betting man, I?d give the Gators the points and take my chances.
But it?s not out of the question that UF can win this game.
To erase the 8-point advantage, I compiled eight ways the Gators can win this game.
They don?t have to check off every point, but a majority would go a long way in keeping the team?s national championship hopes alive.
1. Restrain Tim Tebow
I?ve praised Tebow since his high school days, but even I have to say the Gators are suffering from Tebow overload right now. A quarterback taking 25 carries per game? That?s not going to work against LSU. Tebow cannot single-handedly beat the Tigers, but the UF team can do it.
2. Get a running back involved
It doesn?t have to be Kestahn Moore. It could be Jarred Fayson or Brandon James. Somebody other than Tebow has to be carrying the ball out of the backfield. Put Percy Harvin back there. Put Andre Caldwell back there. Put the Roadrunner back there. I don?t care.
3. Find another receiver
Harvin has been great, but the offense needs more balance. Maybe the return of Caldwell helps. But the real guys who need to step up are Louis Murphy and Cornelius Ingram, UF?s other primary receivers. Remember them?
4. Convert a trick play
Urban Meyer does not like to call them trick plays, but his fake punts and end-around passes are the definition of chicanery. A trick play - the jump pass - helped score a win against LSU last year.
5. Shore up the special teams
This may be the toughest bullet point to check off. Joey Ijjas can?t miss field goals. Chas Henry can?t shank punts. Jamar Hornsby can?t run into the kicker. And when Brandon James has the ball, don?t block anybody in the back.
6. Create turnovers on defense
While LSU?s defense is impregnable, the offense certainly has its faults. Matt Flynn is not an all-world quarterback and neither is Ryan Perrilloux. The Tigers? receivers are banged up. It might take a youngster to do it - Joe Haden, Major Wright maybe? But the UF defense is going to have to help out the offense.
7. Make Matt Flynn beat you
The Gators have done a good job in stopping the run. Ole Miss running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis was stuffed. Auburn averaged fewer than 3 yards per carry. On the year, no team has rushed for 100 yards against UF. If the defense can force LSU to pass, we will see if Flynn can really play.
8. Bring a pass rush
If Matt Flynn is forced to beat the Gators, it would certainly help UF?s cause if Derrick Harvey and Jermaine Cunningham make some noise. Get Flynn running and make him force throws into difficult spots. That will give UF?s young, fast secondary a chance to turn the game around.
