No the matter the outcome of LSU's tilt with UGA this weekend, the trip to Death Valley next Saturday will be uber-hyped, and it has all the makings of a season-defining game for the Gators. The Tebow injury story alone will drive massive interest, and if LSU beats UGA, it will be at least a match up of top-5 teams. Add in the usual ingredients of Death Valley at night, Lesticles, and the past three crystal ball winners, and you've got the makings of a vintage SEC game. 

Of course, the story everyone wants to talk about, and will be discussed to the point of inducing gag reflexes by next Saturday, is our Baby Rhino and his bruised brain. I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, and I've never stayed in a Holiday Inn Express, so I won't comment on what "grade 3" means, or any other medical jargon. Frankly, I don't see what's so interesting about it. If he's ready and able to safely play, then great. If not, I don't think Brandon Spikes, Major Wright, Carlos Dunlap, Brandon James, Jeffery Demps etc are going to throw their hands up in defeat. This team has more than enough talent to go to LSU and win convincingly, with or without Tebow. A lot of that has to do with this being a fairly weak LSU team, but that's for next week.

As the days roll on and Tebow continues having symptoms, it's becoming increasingly likely he will not be 100% come the 10th. By the same token, it's also very hard to see him not suiting up, assuming he's symptom free by Monday or so. The whispers out of Fortress Gainesville suggest they are confident he will play, but I have sincere doubts anyone believes he will be operating at full capacity.

This poses a situation that, if gameplanned properly, could actually be a positive for the Gators. I know that sounds crazy, but stick with me. I'm not a huge X's and O's guy, but it's pretty clear to see that UF must be a nightmare to prepare for defensively. Speed everywhere, a great OL, and some running backs who must scare DCs out of their wits. The big play potential is off the charts, as evidenced by Tebow's 4.9 YPC, Rainey's 8.4 YPC, Moody's 10.4 YPC, and Demps' 10.9 YPC (!). Those are mind-boggling numbers 4 games into the season. I don't average 10.9 YPC on NCAA10. Throw in LSU's less-than-stellar defensive stats (ignoring their atrocious offensive numbers for a moment -- last in the SEC in total offense) at 65th in the nation at rushing defense, and our gameplan for LSU suddenly appears: Demps left, Rainey right, Moody up the middle. Repeat as necessary. 

However, another option occurred to me recently. One that looked awfully familiar. If Tebow is less than 100%, but not putting himself at undue risk by playing, then the choice is presented to Meyer of running out Brantley, who might be one of the best pure passers in the country, and using Tebow as a sort of super-duper-mega-WTF-decoy. Keep him out the first few series, then send him out on 2nd down, calling some play action/rollout/option hybrid bastard of a play that Meyer dreams up for fun, and see what happens. 

Now, the above might sound familiar. That's because...well...that's exactly how we beat LSU three years ago. If you'll recall, Tebow the frosh up until the LSU game had been used exclusively as a battering ram. I'm not sure he had even attempted a pass yet. Then came two of my favorite moments from that National Championship winning season, the first jump pass, and the first Tebow solo play action pass touchdown. Two remarkable, and ridiculous plays. A harbinger of the silly numbers and larger than life stories to come. Try to remember Uncle Verne's flabbergasted stammer at the sight of the jump pass, something he last saw during the Eisenhower administration. Remember the first time you tried to comprehend the idea of a one man play action pass. 

That sort of electrifying, pants-crapping surprise is on the table again, except there'll be a white dude wearing #12 and throwing all the pretty spirals this time. 

As a life long Gator fan, I've heard the name "Tebow" a lot over the past few years. Perhaps some of you, even more so for the non-Gators, have a little "Tebow Fatigue." There's only so much you can hear about one topic or person before you start to resent the word itself. 

I feel ashamed to admit it, but I'm a Tebow Fatigue sufferer. I love what he's done for my University, but I can't take much more of that name. So many articles. So many Lundquist-Daniels love-ins. 

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Yes, you too may suffer from Tebow Fatigue, but not like I do. You see, the name Tim Tebow did not enter my lexicon in 2006, when he was Florida's choice battering ram. That name has been jammed down my throat since 2003. 

I grew up in St. Augustine, Florida. You may recognize that as either the nation's oldest city, Brandon James' hometown, or Tim Tebow's hometown. It is only listed as Tebow's hometown occasionally, and that fact is accompanied by a fairly legitimate local scandal, the result of which casts the Tebows as cutthroat moneybags who would pay for anything to get Tim a better situation. By anything, I mean a condo in a different county just so Tebow could change his legal address (without actually moving) and play for a school where he would start at QB. Yeah. 

Back to the point, Tebow "attended" Nease High School, my high school's arch rival. 

Nease and St. Augustine High are a mere ten miles apart, and the battles between the two schools are legendary in this area. From the time he transferred to Nease in 2002/3, I have been relentlessly inundated with Tebow articles, Tebow radio topics, Tebow shirts, Tebow jokes, Tebow anger, Tebow hate, Tebow love, Tebow, Tebow, TEBOW! 

Six years ago, I helped make shirts that spelled out "TBLOWS." His named reigned supreme over my high school football watching life. Our class skits always included at least one Tebow impersonator, and we were merciless. I hated him with as much vigor and bloodlust as any UGA fan does now, if not more.

So, when Tebow made the inevitable decision to play for the Gators, I knew I was going to have an awkward four years on my hands. How do you cheer for someone you've hated for three years? Can you put away all the "GOT RECRUITS?" (referencing the condo situation) t-shirts, and put on a "HE15MAN" t-shirt?

The answer is no. I have never accepted Tebow as every other Gator has. I no longer hate him, but I will never use him in an avatar or signature. Never buy a poster. Never seek his autograph. I've come to terms with this, and mainly I stay quiet about it, but I can't take much more of that name. 

One person, one man-child turned grown ass man, one amateur football player has lorded over my sporting obsession for nearly a decade. How the hell is he not in the NFL yet? This weekend is my 21st birthday, and this guy who still isn't a professional first started invading my consciousness when I was 13. I've got the Tebow Fatigue, no doubt about it. All that's left to say is thank the Lord for eligibility limits. 

....

Oh, look, my Jacksonville Jaguars are talking about drafting him. I attended the very first Jags game (yes, I was 7), and had season tickets for 10 years. Tebow. Jags. Nease. Gators. Another decade.

*Reaches for gun*