2009 Florida Gators Betting Recap

Online betting specialists know a program is elite when a 13-1 season capped with a blowout win in the Sugar Bowl is viewed as a somewhat run of the mill. Welcome to Florida 2009. For Florida, the odds-on favorite to repeat as conference and national champions, a single uninspired effort left the team shy of those goals.

Florida began the '09 season with the customary cupcake wins (Charleston Southern and Troy by a combined score of 118-9). Then the expectations and constant distractions seemed to weigh on the team and take the fun out of virtually every game. A boring 23-13 win over Tennessee was followed by losing Tim Tebow to a concussion in a win at Kentucky. That contest, in turn, led to a laborious 13-3 win at LSU. The Gators earned close wins over Arkansas and Mississippi State before the annual beat down of Georgia (41-17), but that specific win was marred by linebacker Brandon Spikes' eye-gouging incident. The team sloughed through wins against Vanderbilt and at South Carolina before beating Florida State for the sixth straight time to close out the regular season.

Florida's luck ran out against No. 2 Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. A more focused and physical Crimson Tide squad dominated the Gators who were once again distracted, this time by starting defensive end Carlos Dunlap's arrest for DUI the week of the game. The Gator defense gave up an astounding 251 yards rushing in a 32-13 loss. Florida rebounded in the Sugar Bowl to defeat fourth-ranked Cincinnati, 52-14. The Gators outgained Cincinnati by a whopping 413 yards in the win. The triumph was overshadowed by Urban Meyer's resignation due to health problems. He quickly reconsidered, though, and agreed to stay on as coach while making life adjustments to accommodate his health.

2010 Preview To Bet Florida Gators

NCAA football betting experts will get to know a whole new cast of Gators. The defense loses a host of stars such as Spikes, Dunlap, defensive end Jermaine Cunningham, first-round NFL draft pick (cornerback) Joe Haden, and safety Major Wright. Adding to the turnover, the Gators lost defensive coordinator Charlie Strong who left to become the head coach at Louisville.

Still, Florida is one of the few programs that truly reloads. Gone is the power running of Tebow, but in steps an NFL caliber passer in John Brantley. He'll be protected by four returning starters on the line and a bevy of backs lead by speedburner Jeff Demps. Highly-touted Andre Dubose is finally healthy and joins Deonte Thompson and Carl Moore at wideout. Six starters return on defense. Will Hill, Ahmad Black and Janoris Jenkins anchor the secondary, while replacements are sought up front. Several highly touted freshmen will see playing time, especially along the defensive line.

The schedule is a mixed bag for sports betting analysts. Florida avoids Auburn and Arkansas, but has road games at Tennessee, Florida State, and Alabama as well as the Georgia game in Jacksonville. But, Florida will be favorites in three of those four games and manages to get LSU and South Carolina at home. Even with the turnover in personnel, Urban Meyer has this team loaded with talented but unproven players looking to step up. The Gators should still be capable of both a double-digit win season and winning the SEC East.