Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators sent a resounding message to the world of college football: the night of December 5th was a mere speed bump for this juggernaut of a program.  This would be no letdown game.  The coaching situation would prove to be no distraction.  The defense largely shut down the most prolific offensive opponent they faced this season.  Tebow himself showed passing accuracy enough to surely tempt some NFL coaches into honing his skills for Sundays.  As Timmy ran off the field for the last time, to an extended ovation, the torch was passed to John Brantley and Co.

The blowout was a great end to an era- the Tebow Era, and possibly the Meyer Era.  Due to an expected change in the NFL rookie pay scale, college football as a whole should see an exodus of juniors to the draft, and the Gators have many players expected to make that leap.

This is a look not only at last night's game, but a look ahead to the future of this great program.

While the game was not without its blemishes (a blocked extra point, a missed field goal, some easy scores by the Bearcats once the game was well in hand), it was hard to find fault with the way the game played out.  For the past- it was a wide-open offense, a departure from the usual conservative efforts of the Meyer Era, and a great nod to seniors such as Tim Tebow and Riley Cooper.  For the future, we saw the emergence of Deonte Thompson (he actually caught the ball!) as a playmaking threat, a couple of touchdowns by the enigmatic Manny Moody, and some great mop-up running by Mike Gillislee.

The status of some injuries if up in the air.  RB Jeff Demps- he with &explosives&, to quote our interim head coach- injured his elbow, but I would expect him to be back in August, and we seem to have accumulated running back depth anyway.  Carl Johnson hurt his shoulder, but again I would expect him to be perfectly healthy 8 months from now when the next season begins.

Many today will begin talking of the NFL futures of the Florida Juniors as well as The Chosen One.  While I have been very vocal that Tebow will get his shot- and that his faults as a pro-style QB ought to be correctable, while his unique skill set is un-coachable- that argument will not be resolved for several years.  The more immediate concern is how many of his teammates follow him out of Gainesville.  I believe Joe Haden, Aaron Hernandez, and Carlos Dunlap are all no-brainers to leave.  Hernandez could get the hard sell from the coaching staff to stay in Gainesville, due to the lack of TEs on this roster, but his celebration penalty againstt FSU was a goodbye to the Swamp.  Dunlap could choose to play another year to erase the memory of his DUI.  But in the end, these three will probably all be picked in the top 15 or 20 choices of the first round, and they should go.

The others who could go include former Lakeland Dreadnaughts Mike and Maurkice Pouncey, Ahmad Black, and Chris Rainey.  Major Wright, Carl Johnson, and Marcus Gilbert are other juniors who have submitted paperwork to the NFL concerning their likely draft stock.  Johnson has already announced he will return, and Black and Rainey have no business leaving- it is my opinion they'd likely go undrafted.  Major Wright should be an interesting case- but I think with another big year he could really improve his position.  The Pounceys are the most likely to leave- if their response from the NFL includes the words &second round&.  They've even stated if one is projected higher than the other, they are not a package deal.  Their return would be huge for the Gators, as it would basically ensure a full starting offensive line returns to protect the new quarterback.

So what of the future of this program?  While the Urban Meyer situation is a huge concern; Tebow's departure is not.  His impact on this team, school, and community cannot be understated- but if Meyer returns, this program isn't going anywhere.  Urban Meyer has shown the ability to win with any level of athlete (he never really brought in &his guys& at Bowling Green or Utah), he has spent half of a decade stockpiling blue-chippers in Gainesville.  Our recruiting class is projected to be the top-ranked in the nation, and appears to be holding together despite the turmoil on the coaching staff (the two recent high profile commits being one example).

The Urban Meyer situation has more bearing on the 2011 team than the 2010 team.  Larry Coker successfully drove the Miami bus for one year before the wheels came off.  I believe he'll be back next August- I like the conspiracy theory that his 'leave of absence' is to have some sort of heart valve injury.  But there's also the conspiracy theory that his reversal is just to keep that great recruiting class together through National Signing Day in February.

At any rate, if he doesn't come back, without knowing his replacement, you'd have to say the future is more bleak.  While there are many great coaching candidates (Chris gave you a few here) who could lead this program at a high level, Urban Meyer has taken this program to the highest of levels, and it would be folly to assume anyone else could do so.

No matter what tomorrow brings these Gators, the Sugar Bowl was the ideal way for fans to celebrate the end of this hectic season.