CFN prediction... wrong again...

Game of the Week

Florida (4-0) at LSU (5-0), 8:00 EST, Saturday, October 10, CBS

Why to watch: Almost no one has questioned whether or not Florida is the No. 1 team in the country ever since almost the entire team decided to come back for one more big push, and now it’s time to prove it and show why. The Gators are 4-0, and they haven’t been threatened, but if it’s possible to be No. 1 in the nation in rushing, No. 2 in scoring, No. 1 in total defense and No. 2 in scoring defense and be underwhelming, they’ve done it. Check that. They haven’t been underwhelming by the ridiculously unfair and unattainable standards they’ve set for themselves. Players like Tim Tebow and Brandon Spikes have publicly and privately stated several times that they want to make an all-timer of a statement this season, but in the one game against a halfway decent team, Tennessee, the Gators struggled a wee bit too much to grind out the win. If the 2009 Florida Gators want to be in the discussion among the best teams to ever play college football, it’s time to flex some muscle and it’s time to do some stomping. Beating LSU at LSU on a Saturday night in the primetime CBS slot would do that. However, if Florida can win big, it might not be as impressive as it appears on paper.

LSU is 5-0 and is 3-0 in SEC play. Ranked No. 4 in the country, it has its national title destination in its own hands. But to make the trip to Pasadena, and to get through this showdown alive, there has to be some improvements. Major improvements. LSU’s win at Washington to start the season, but it took too much work to beat Mississippi State, the wins over Vanderbilt and Louisiana-Lafayette weren’t exactly of national title caliber, and it took a very bad call to bring new life in the comeback win over Georgia. The lines have been mediocre to awful, the offense has been sputtering, and the defense isn’t anywhere near as good as the national title level LSU teams, but 5-0 is 5-0. The Tigers are coming up clutch when they absolutely have to, and they have the talent, speed, and athleticism to hang with Florida stride for stride. Can years of top-shelf recruiting classes, five games of experience, and a night game, with the fans certain to be out of their minds, be enough to beat the best college football team in America? Maybe. This might be a team that does what it has to do to win.

Why Florida might win: The LSU defensive front has been awful. There was a time not that long ago that the Tigers had the best front four in America, and it wasn’t even close. But the days of Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson are long gone, and now there’s no pass rush whatsoever, registering an SEC-worst five sacks in five games, while the stats make the run defense look better than it actually is because there hasn’t been anyone on the schedule so far who can pound it. The last thing the Florida quarterbacks need, whether it’s Tebow or his tremendously talented backup, John Brantley, need is time. Give these two four seconds and they’ll pick apart the New York Giants. Tebow is expected to play, but coming off his bad concussion he’s not likely to be the 25-carry bull in a china shop that he was before; at least not right away. Fortunately for him, he has the speed around him in the backfield to make the nation’s No. 1 running game produce, and he has the line in front of him to dominate the struggling Tiger line.

Why LSU might win: The secondary has been excellent. Yes, the Tigers are giving up 205 passing yards per game, and yes Georgia’s A.J. Green came up clutch last week, but with little to no pass rush to help the cause, the corners have done a nice job and the safeties have been productive. Washington’s Jake Locker was excellent in comeback mode, and it’s not like Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, or Louisiana-Lafayette can throw, but the Tiger defensive backfield should be able to erase the mediocre Florida wideouts for long stretches. If Tennessee can make the Florida offense, with a healthy Tebow, one dimensional, then so can LSU. Troy quarterback Levi Brown has been on a hot streak, but he’s not an elite player. He’s the best quarterback Florida has faced so far, meaning …

Who to watch: … Jordan Jefferson, you’re up. All the focus and all the discussion will be surrounding Tebow’s bruised brain. He was able to practice this week and has been cleared to give it a go, but the game and the focus could quickly shift over to Jefferson, who has quietly had a very nice sophomore season considering the running game isn’t providing much help. Unlike last year when the LSU quarterbacks couldn’t stop throwing the ball to the other team, Jefferson has been stingy throwing just two picks and seven touchdowns. However, one of those interceptions came last week against Georgia, the one true test on the slate so far, and he didn’t throw any touchdown passes. He can’t make mistakes against Florida, he’ll have to spread the ball around, and he’ll have to keep the tempo up to keep the speedy veterans on the Gator D moving. That means the future NFL pass rushing duo of Florida’s Carlos Dunlap and Jermaine Cunningham need to be woken up and told the season has started. Dunlap has been fine, making two sacks and doing a decent job of making things happen in the backfield, while Cunningham is just now getting his legs back after having problems with the flu early on. He’s overdue for a big performance.

What will happen: Florida will be Florida, and it will be because of the defense. Brantley will end up playing a role, but this game is on the shoulders of Brandon Spikes and a lightning-fast Gator D that will keep the inconsistent LSU running game under wraps and will pick off Jefferson three times.
CFN Prediction: Florida 26 … LSU 16 ... Line: Florida -8.5
Must See Rating: (A Serious Man 5 … Couples Retreat 1) … 5
-Free Expert Football Predictions

boohisss hiss... these jokers picked UGa last week bye the way.....