On Friday, SEC Commissioner Mike Slive fined Urban Meyer $30,000 for criticizing the officials in the wake of the Georgia-Florida game. When questioned by the media about a non-call on a late hit against Tim Tebow, Meyer responded, "That should have been a penalty, in my opinion. Obviously, it should have been. You've got to protect quarterbacks. That's the whole purpose. It's right in front of the referee."
In announcing the penalty, Commissioner Slive stated as follows: "Coach Meyer has violated the Southeastern Conference code of ethics. SEC bylaw 10.5.4 clearly states that the coaches, players and support personnel shall refrain from public criticism of officials. The league's athletics directors and presidents and chancellors have made it clear that negative public comments on officiating are not acceptable."
Florida has suspended linebacker Brandon Spikes for the first half of Saturday's game against Vanderbilt for attempting to gouge the eyes of Georgia running back Washaun Ealey in this weekend's game.
Even while UF regained the top spot Sunday in The Associated Press poll from Alabama, which was ranked No. 1 for a week ahead of the Gators, UF coach Urban Meyer appears to be growing weary of critics focusing only on his team's blemishes.
Though the Gators pulled away from Mississippi State in the fourth quarter for a 29-19 victory Saturday night to push their season record to 7-0 for the fifth time in team history and first time since 1996, questions continue to outnumber answers.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- A majority of callers that flooded local radio sports talk shows late Saturday night were not thrilled with their top-ranked Florida Gators. Most complaints focused on the offense. Agitated fans moaned about turnovers, predictable play-calling and porous blocking along the line.
UF had escaped with its life hours earlier over Arkansas, 23-20, but it was obvious not everyone was impressed with the Gators. Include head coach Urban Meyer and Associated Press voters in that mix, too.
Not even a restless night's sleep made it any better for Meyer, who admitted his team -- the defending BCS champion and winners of a nation-best 16 straight -- needs to get its act together. AP voters also noted UF's struggles, dropping the Gators behind Alabama in Sunday's poll.
Quite truthfully, Florida wasn't very impressed when it watched video of Mississippi last season. The Rebels had lost to Wake Forest and Vanderbilt and, let's face it, they weren't expected to give the Gators much of a tussle in The Swamp. Of course, we all know what happened that final Saturday in September:
Ole Miss 31, UF 30.
The top-ranked Gators don't plan to make the same mistake twice against visiting Arkansas on Saturday.
"We would watch Ole Miss on film and our guys would say they're not very good," UF coach Urban Meyer said.
OK, so we know that Tim Tebow has been cleared to act like Tim Tebow. He can go to class, he can watch TV and game tape, he can tolerate bright lights and he doesn't have a headache. That was Florida coach Urban Meyer's latest medical update Monday concerning his recovering quarterback as the top-ranked Gators prepare for Saturday's showdown at No. 4 LSU.
While the big question remains -- when will Tebow be cleared to play football after suffering a concussion late in the third quarter against Kentucky two weekends ago? -- LSU coach Les Miles says the Tigers are prepping to face either Tebow or his backup, John Brantley.
Many are skeptical of Mississippi's No. 4 ranking in the AP Top-25 poll because its wins so far have been against Memphis and Southeastern Louisiana. For trivia buffs, however, the Rebels last reached No. 4 in the rankings on Oct. 12, 1970.
Of course, the country will get a better idea about Ole Miss on Thursday night when it visits the Ol' Ball Coach and South Carolina in its SEC opener on national television.
Hold a cup to your ear and listen. What do you hear? Silence. Not a peep.
That is what's resonating from the University of Florida, at least Sunday. Florida quarterback Tim Tebow says he doesn't think there's going to be any trash talking from the top-ranked Gators this week as they prepare for Saturday's SEC opener against rival Tennessee. It's no secret that first-year Volunteers coach Lane Kiffin's recruiting accusations in February have UF players extremely eager for this game, to say the least.
From the "Totally Freaking Obvious" department: Florida Gators coach Urban Meyer, who has won two national championships in the past three seasons, told golfers at a Gainesville benefit tournament, "I'm not going to Notre Dame. Ever. I'm going to be the coach at Florida for a long time, as long as they want me."
In other news, gravity remains in effect and forks are still useful.
Over the weekend, the Florida Gator brain trust decided one way to respond to the 24 football player arrests in the past four years was to send the football team on ride alongs with the local Gainesville police. The theory, apparently, is that if players can see what police do on a daily basis from the front seat of a police cruiser they'll be more likely to stay out of the back seat.
Of course, it also makes it more likely that the police will know the name of the player they happen to be arresting. So everybody wins.
On Friday, SEC Commissioner Mike Slive fined Urban Meyer $30,000 for criticizing the officials in the wake of the Georgia-Florida game. When questioned by the media about a non-call on a late hit against Tim Tebow, Meyer responded, "That should have been a penalty, in my opinion. Obviously, it should have been. You've got to protect quarterbacks. That's the whole purpose. It's right in front of the referee." .jpg)
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- A majority of callers that flooded local radio sports talk shows late Saturday night were not thrilled with their top-ranked Florida Gators. Most complaints focused on the offense. Agitated fans moaned about turnovers, predictable play-calling and porous blocking along the line.
Quite truthfully, Florida wasn't very impressed when it watched video of Mississippi last season. The 
OK, so we know that 
Hold a cup to your ear and listen. What do you hear? Silence. Not a peep.
From the "Totally Freaking Obvious" department: Florida Gators coach 
Over the weekend, the 
