Follow Me

Follow me, brethren. I will not lead you astray.

On Friday, December 1st, 2006, I took part in the weekly picks segment of Rec Warehouse College Kickoff on Sun Sports. Among the three games presented to the panel of myself, Terry Norvelle, and Todd Wright was the SEC Championship tilt between Florida and Arkansas.

Half-jokingly - and may I stress, only half - I said the following on live television: "Florida has been winning ugly games all season long. By a blocked field goal and a fumble return for a touchdown, the Gators will win the SEC Championship."

Reality? By a blocked punt and a fumble recovered in the end zone for a touchdown, Florida won the SEC Championship. And it was ugly.

On Saturday, December 2nd, as our Sun Sports cameras covered the mayhem in Atlanta - including Percy Harvin's heartfelt yet brutal profanity on live television - Terry and I had a few moments on the Geico Gator Postgame before we went off the air at 11pm to discuss Florida's chances of reaching the BCS Championship Game.

"Terry," I said - again, on live TV - "you know what? Florida's gonna make it. Not because we think they should, but because the human element of the BCS process is so terribly predictable."

By Sunday night at 8pm, we all knew the truth: Florida made it. Not because we think they should, but because the voters were predictable. The SEC Championship Game is the most recent, vivid image of the 2006 Gator season, and that game carried the vote. The Gators are playing for your mythical national title, just as we told you they would.

I will not lead you astray.

For that matter, none of us will lead you astray. During the Gator Pregame show on Saturday afternoon, Todd Lewis teed up Chris Doering with this weighty question: "Which Florida player might have a breakout game tonight against Arkansas?"

Kids, I've been doing this a looooong time. Todd and I didn't have the chance to talk before that pregame show, but I know enough to recognize a softball when I see it. Clearly, Doering had received some kind of tipoff from his sources in the Florida football program, and he had asked Todd to give him a green light to go with it.

"Cornelius Ingram," said Doering.

Really?

Ingram? The guy who, entering that contest against Arkansas, had caught 20 passes all year? The guy with one receiving touchdown in all of 2006? THAT is your key guy in Florida's offense for the SEC Freaking Championship Game?

Reality? Ingram was the leading Gator receiver on Saturday night, with 6 catches for 71 yards. Think Doering knew something? Were you watching? Did you hear?

We were all over it. Man, I hope you watched, because we were all over it.

In the month to come, you're going to hear a lot from us at Sun Sports about Florida's chances at a first national championship since the Spurrier era of 1996. You may hear me mention - as I did during that postgame show - that since I moved back home to Florida in 2003, I have hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning's Stanley Cup Championship parade, the Miami Heat's NBA Championship parade, and the Florida Gators' NCAA basketball championship pep rally. All of those teams play on Sun Sports. All of those teams are our home teams.

The Gators are playing for a football title. Whattaya know. All I know is, we're gonna be all over it. I sure hope you watch.