The Sunshine Empire

The game in college football this weekend is the match up between undefeated #1 ranked Florida and undefeated and #4 ranked LSU. Playing at another team’s stadium in the SEC is hard enough, but playing at Tiger stadium without Tim Tebow will be a difficult test for my Florida Gators, but the swooning that the national sporting press suddenly has for LSU is hilarious. The lockstep belief that Florida was all but assured a return trip to the national title game was always foolish, but the fawning over Tebow has come full circle. But the answer for all who now say that Florida will win is two words, Tiger Stadium.

Tiger Stadium is a fantastic venue for college football, but it can’t be the only answer as to why everyone thinks now LSU is the favorite. Reading Dennis Dodd you would think that LSU’s game against Georgia last week had never occurred. His answer to LSU not being able to score more than 6 points for three quarters against a poor Georgia defense seems to be simply, Tiger Stadium. Tiger Stadium is not going to score touchdowns against the defense that limited Oklahoma’s record breaking offense to 14 points last year. Tiger Stadium isn’t going to have to defend against Florida’s stable of running backs. Then you hear that Superman will not play. Well nobody seemed to have issue with USC playing a true freshman at Ohio State?

Two years ago a more inferior Florida team was only beaten by four points and with 69 seconds left after LSU had to go for it on 4th down a staggering 5 times. Last year in Gainesville Florida destroyed LSU and they did not recover until the last game of the season. But LSU could still win. Let them be the favorite against the defending national champions. But again it’s Tiger Stadium at night, yet again it’s the night thing. In 2004 LSU lost once that year at home, to Florida during the day. Your stadium should not be taken seriously if like a vampire it loses it’s powers during the daytime.

This will be a very close game, day or night. But all the sporting press jumping off the Florida bandwagon better explain themselves if they all try to hop back aboard if Florida wins.