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PG Erving Walker leads the Gators with 13.3 points per game. (Photo by Maxwell Kruger, US Presswire)

A three-point loss to UCF on Wednesday pushed Florida further down the polls, and right out of the AP Poll.

The Gators started the year ranked No. 9 in the preseason AP Poll, but a loss to Ohio State and close wins to lesser opponents dropped them to No. 18. Falling to the Knights dropped them out of the poll, and Florida is first on the list of teams receiving votes. So, technically, 26th.

They also slid in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, falling from 16th to 24th.

Florida (6-2, 0-0 SEC) faces Kent State in the O’Connell Center Thursday night before taking a nine days off for final exams.

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SS Ahmad Black (35) and CB Janoris Jenkins (1) were named to the AP All-SEC First Team. (AP photo)

Three Gators were named to the AP All-SEC First Team, and Florida placed one on the second team when the list was released Monday.

Strong safety Ahmad Black, cornerback Janoris Jenkins and punter Chas Henry were named to the first team.

Last year as a junior, Black was an honorable mention pick by the AP. He was Florida’s best defensive player this season, leading the team with 102 tackles while also recording three interceptions, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He was also chosen as a first-team All-SEC pick by Phil Steele.

Jenkins, a projected first-round draft pick he should he choose to leave school early, has covered some of the best receivers in the SEC. He held Alabama’s Julio Jones, Georgia’s A.J. Green and South Carolina’s Alshon Jeffery – all first- or second-team selections by the AP – to a combined 114 yards.

Henry, a finalist for the Ray Guy Award, leads the nation in punting with a 46.41 average. He earned first-team honors a year after he was a second-team pick by the AP and third-team selection by Phil Steele.

Center Mike Pouncey was named to the second team. Last year, he was named first-team All-SEC by the AP and Phil Steele while playing at guard. He was on Phil Steele’s fourth team this year.

Here’s a look at the entire AP list. U indicates a unanimous selection.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Cam Newton, Auburn
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Nick Fairley, Auburn
COACH OF THE YEAR: Gene Chizik, Auburn
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina

FIRST TEAM
Offense
WR — Alshon Jeffery, South Carolina, 6-4, 233, So.
WR — Julio Jones, Alabama, 6-4, 220, Jr.
L — u-Lee Ziemba, Auburn, 6-8, 319, Sr.
L — Derek Sherrod, Mississippi St., 6-6, 305, Sr.
L — Barrett Jones, Alabama, 6-4, 301, So.
L — DeMarcus Love, Arkansas, 6-5, 315, Sr.
C — Ryan Pugh, Auburn, 6-4, 297, Sr.
TE — u-D.J. Williams, Arkansas, 6-2, 251, Sr.
QB — u-Cam Newton, Auburn, 6-6, 250, Jr.
RB — u-Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina, 6-0, 218, Fr.
RB — Knile Davis, Arkansas, 6-0, 220, So.
K — u-Josh Jasper, LSU, 5-11, 171, Sr.
All-Purpose — Randall Cobb, Kentucky, 5-11, 186, Jr.

Defense
T — u-Nick Fairley, Auburn, 6-5, 298, Jr.
T — u-Drake Nevis, LSU, 6-2, 285, Sr.
E — Devin Taylor, South Carolina, 6-7, 249, So.
E/OLB — Justin Houston, Georgia, 6-3, 258, Jr.
LB — Kelvin Sheppard, LSU, 6-3, 240, Sr.
LB — Chris White, Mississippi St., 6-4, 245, Sr.
LB — Danny Trevathan, Kentucky, 6-1, 223, Jr.
CB — u-Patrick Peterson, LSU, 6-1, 222, Jr.
CB — Janoris Jenkins, Florida, 5-11, 184, Jr.
S — Ahmad Black, Florida, 5-9, 190, Sr.
S — Mark Barron, Alabama, 6-2, 210, Jr.
P — Chas Henry, Florida, 6-3, 215, Sr.

SECOND TEAM
Offense
WR — Randall Cobb, Kentucky, 5-11, 186, Jr.
WR — A.J. Green, Georgia, 6-4, 212, Jr.
L — Byron Isom, Auburn, 6-3, 302, Sr.
L — Larry Warford, Kentucky, 6-3, 329, So.
L — Joseph Barksdale, LSU, 6-6, 318, Sr.
L — Clint Boling, Georgia, 6-5, 315, Sr.
L — James Carpenter, Alabama, 6-5, 300, Sr.
L — Bradley Sowell, Mississippi, 6-7, 315, Jr.
C — Mike Pouncey, Florida, 6-4, 310, Sr.
TE — Brandon Barden, Vanderbilt, 6-5, 245, Jr.
QB — Ryan Mallett, Arkansas, 6-6, 238, Jr.
RB — Stevan Ridley, LSU, 6-0, 226, Jr.
RB — Mark Ingram, Alabama, 5-10, 215, Jr.
K — Blair Walsh, Georgia, 5-10, 183, Jr.
All-Purpose — Patrick Peterson, LSU, 6-1, 222, Jr.

Defense
T — Marcell Dareus, Alabama, 6-4, 306, Jr.
T — Malik Jackson, Tennessee, 6-5, 265, Jr.
E — Jake Bequette, Arkansas, 6-5, 271, Jr.
E — Antoine Carter, Auburn, 6-4, 256, Sr.
LB — Josh Bynes, Auburn, 6-2, 235, Sr.
LB — Akeem Dent, Georgia, 6-2, 233, Sr.
LB — Dont’a Hightower, Alabama, 6-4, 260, So.
CB — Morris Claiborne, LSU, 6-0, 177, So.
CB — Stephon Gilmore, South Carolina, 6-1, 189, So.
CB — Casey Hayward, Vanderbilt, 5-11, 188, Jr.
CB — Prentiss Waggner, Tennessee, 6-1, 181, So.
S — Robert Lester, Alabama, 6-2, 206, So.
S — Tramain Thomas, Arkansas, 6-0, 198, Jr.
P — Tyler Campbell, Mississippi, 6-2, 210, So.

HONORABLE MENTION
Vick Ballard, RB, Mississippi St., 5-11, 215, Jr.; Brandon Bolden, RB, Mississippi, 5-11, 215, Jr.; Greg McElroy, QB, Alabama, 6-3, 225, Sr.; Tauren Poole, RB, Tennessee, 5-11, 213, Jr.; William Vlachos, C, Alabama, 6-1, 289, Jr.; Jonathan Cornell, LB, Mississippi, 6-1, 235, Sr.; Zac Etheridge, S, Auburn, 6-0, 213, Sr.

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For the past week or two, Florida had been projected to go to the Gator Bowl by yours truly and many other professional guessers (i.e. sportswriters). So how did the Gators wind up in the Outback Bowl? A few reasons:

1. South Carolina lost. Badly. Had the Gamecocks beaten Auburn in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday, they and the Tigers would be in BCS bowls and would have bumped the other teams down. That would have put Florida in the Gator Bowl. But the Tigers routed South Carolina, making the Gamecocks a less attractive bowl pick to the Gator bowl.

2. Florida doesn’t often drop this low. The selection order for the SEC bowl contracts goes Sugar, Capital One, Cotton, Outback, Chick-Fil-A, Gator, Music City, Liberty and BBVA Compass. Those do not have to pick teams in order of finish. So, 9-4 South Carolina and 8-4 Mississippi State were bypassed so the Outback could take the Gators. The Gamecocks are headed to the Chick-Fil-A and the Bulldogs to the Gator. Quite simply, the Outback has few cracks at Florida. Since the Gators went in the 2005 season, Urban Meyer’s first year, Florida has played in the BCS National Championship in 2006 and 2008, the Capital One in 2007 and the Sugar last season.

3. The Gamecocks were just there. South Carolina played Iowa in the Outback Bowl in 2008. Getting the Gamecocks best in Tampa wasn’t the most attractive option to the selection committee.

“It really is a good thing to circulate the inventory when possible,” said Outback Bowl president Jim McVay.

4. Ticket sales and TV viewers are factors. Like it or not, the Outback Bowl is a business. It needs to sell tickets and get good ratings. With the national profile of both programs, even in a down year, the selection committee is banking on that.

“What are the components of making that team attractive?,” said McVay. “Coaches, team, excitement, enthusiasm, desire to be here.”

Translation: fans who will travel or watch on TV.

Yes, South Carolina (9-4) and Mississippi State (8-4) had better years – and beat Florida in The Swamp – but the committee considered more than just on-field success.

Is it fair? You tell me.

Was it fair for the Outback Bowl to pick Florida (7-5) over South Carolina (9-4) and Mississippi State (8-4)?Market Research

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Headed to Tampa for the Outback Bowl? From UF, here’s how to get tickets to see the Gators play Penn State on New Year’s Day:

1.    Visit www.GatorZone.com/tickets and click on “Manage My Account.”
2.    Call 800-344-2867, ext. 6800 (Nationwide), Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and place an order with a Gator Ticket Office Specialist.
3.    Come to the Gator Ticket Office and place an order with a ticket office specialist. The ticket office is located on the west side of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The deadline for ordering tickets is 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 10. Tickets are $70 for stadium seats and $150 for club seats. There is no limit on how many you can purchase, but if the ticket office oversells before the deadline, tickets may be reduced or refunded using the Gator Booster Priority Point system.

For students, you can order tickets on Monday at 6 p.m. Tickets are $70 each and are limited to one (1) per full-time, UF student. To purchase, students must visit GatorZone.com/tickets/students.

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Despite its 7-5 record, offensive struggles and injuries, Florida is headed to the Outback Bowl. The Gators were chosen to face Penn State (7-5) out of the Big Ten, matching Urban Meyer up against coaching legend Joe Paterno.

It’s Florida’s first trip to the game since the 2005 season, when it beat Iowa 31-24.

The Gators, who had been projected to go to the Gator Bowl for the past couple weeks, were picked ahead of South Carolina (9-4) and Mississippi State (8-4), two teams that beat Florida in The Swamp this season.

The game is Jan. 1 at 1 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. For tickets, go to Ticketmaster.com or call (813)874-2695.

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Auburn QB Cam Newton's long road from Florida ended with an MVP trophy and SEC title on Saturday. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images)

Auburn quarterback Cam Newton dominated the SEC Championship Game on Saturday, winning MVP honors on the way to the title. In the process, he broke or helped Auburn break several title game records.

Of course, the ones he broke belonged to Florida, the school he left in late 2008 after charges of possessing a stolen laptop as well as alleged academic cheating.

What does that have to do with Florida now? Apparently, now that Newton has had himself a Heisman season, Florida should openly admit regret for losing him, at least according to one columnist.

Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News writes:

“Maybe it was a good thing the Gators lost to (Steve) Spurrier and South Carolina in November in the game that decided the SEC East title. Otherwise, they would’ve had to watch Newton go wild in person Saturday and face the truth.

“They were a shadow of their championship selves without him this season. Anything that anyone connected to that program has said or will say about not missing him is a big, heaping pile of sour grapes.”

Florida coach Urban Meyer has said several times this season that he does not regret how the situation was handled and he wishes Newton well. Yes, he saw flashes of Newton’s potential when he was at Florida.

But what else should Florida say? Yeah, we should have benched Tim Tebow for his senior season so Newton could play? Oh, we could have looked past all of Newton’s issues if we knew he would be this good?

Come on.

Would Florida have been better on the field than its 7-5 season this year with Newton? Yeah. Could they have known he would be as dominant as he has been and accepted him despite his numerous problems? Probably not.

If the Gators had seen this coming in their crystal ball, would they have done things differently? Who knows, but don’t expect them to gripe about it now.

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With the SEC Championship Game complete, the bowl picture should be clearer for Florida. It isn’t.

The buzz in Atlanta this week is that the Outback Bowl could reach for the Gators, passing up on South Carolina and Mississippi State – two teams that beat Florida in The Swamp this year and finished with better records. Quite simply, the Gators are a better draw that the Outback Bowl doesn’t get a chance to get.

President Jim McVay said Florida is still in consideration, and the Gamecocks 56-17 loss in the title game here in Atlanta certainly won’t endear them to the selection committee. The current projection of South Carolina vs. Iowa would be a rematch of the game two years ago, something else that the Outback might want to avoid.

With the Outback Bowl still in play, that leaves the Gators with two possible destinations. They will likely end up in the Gator Bowl should the Outback pass.

It’s unclear now if that will happen. Florida has only played in that game twice – in 2003 and 2004. A matchup with Penn State would be a big TV draw. Obviously, that changes things in the middle of the SEC bowl lineup and could affect bids for South Carolina, Mississippi State and Tennessee.

So, there are two scenarios laid out. The first is the original one that was expected after the loss to FSU to end the regular season. The second is the revised one.

BOWL GAME	WHERE AND WHEN	SCENARIO ONE	SCENARIO TWO
	Jan. 10, 8:30 p.m.at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.	Auburn vs. Oregon	Auburn vs. Oregon
	Jan. 4, 8 p.m. at Superdome in New Orleans	Arkansas vs. Ohio State	Arkansas vs. Ohio State
	Jan. 1, 1 p.m. at Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando	Alabama vs. Michigan State	Alabama vs. Michigan State
	Jan. 7, 8 p.m. at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas	LSU vs. Texas A&M	LSU vs. Texas A&M
	Jan. 1, 1 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa	South Carolina vs. Iowa	Florida vs. Penn State
	Dec. 31, TBA, at Georgia Dome in Atlanta	Mississippi State vs. Florida State	South Carolina vs. Florida State
	Jan. 1, 1:30 p.m., at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium	Florida vs. Penn State	Tennessee vs. Michigan
	Dec. 30, 6:40 p.m. at LP Field in Nashville, Tenn.	Tennessee vs. North Carolina	Mississippi State vs. North Carolina
	Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m. at Liberty Bowl Stadium in Memphis, Tenn.	Georgia vs. UCF	Georgia vs. UCF
	Jan. 8, Noon at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala.	Kentucky vs. Pittsburgh	Kentucky vs. Pittsburgh

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With the SEC Championship Game complete, the bowl picture should be clearer for Florida. It isn’t.

The buzz in Atlanta this week is that the Outback Bowl could reach for the Gators, passing up on South Carolina and Mississippi State – two teams that beat Florida in The Swamp this year and finished with better records. Quite simply, the Gators are a better draw that the Outback Bowl doesn’t get a chance to get.

President Jim McVay said Florida is still in consideration, and the Gamecocks 56-17 loss in the title game here in Atlanta certainly won’t endear them to the selection committee. The current projection of South Carolina vs. Iowa would be a rematch of the game two years ago, something else that the Outback might want to avoid.

With the Outback Bowl still in play, that leaves the Gators with two possible destinations. They will likely end up in the Gator Bowl should the Outback pass.

It’s unclear now if that will happen. Florida has only played in that game twice – in 2003 and 2004. A matchup with Penn State would be a big TV draw. Obviously, that changes things in the middle of the SEC bowl lineup and could affect bids for South Carolina, Mississippi State and Tennessee.

So, there are two scenarios laid out. The first is the original one that was expected after the loss to FSU to end the regular season. The second is the revised one.

BOWL GAME	WHERE AND WHEN	SCENARIO ONE	SCENARIO TWO
	Jan. 10, 8:30 p.m.at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.	Auburn vs. Oregon	Auburn vs. Oregon
	Jan. 4, 8 p.m. at Superdome in New Orleans	Arkansas vs. Ohio State	Arkansas vs. Ohio State
	Jan. 1, 1 p.m. at Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando	Alabama vs. Michigan State	Alabama vs. Michigan State
	Jan. 7, 8 p.m. at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas	LSU vs. Texas A&M	LSU vs. Texas A&M
	Jan. 1, 1 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa	South Carolina vs. Iowa	Florida vs. Penn State
	Dec. 31, TBA, at Georgia Dome in Atlanta	Mississippi State vs. Florida State	South Carolina vs. Florida State
	Jan. 1, 1:30 p.m., at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium	Florida vs. Penn State	Tennessee vs. Michigan
	Dec. 30, 6:40 p.m. at LP Field in Nashville, Tenn.	Tennessee vs. North Carolina	Mississippi State vs. North Carolina
	Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m. at Liberty Bowl Stadium in Memphis, Tenn.	Georgia vs. UCF	Georgia vs. UCF
	Jan. 8, Noon at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala.	Kentucky vs. Pittsburgh	Kentucky vs. Pittsburgh

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Kickoff for the SEC Championship Game is only minutes away here in Atlanta, and the matchup of No. 1 Auburn and No. 19 South Carolina will have implications on the Gators’ bowl future.

As I wrote in the projections last week, a Tigers win likely sends Florida to the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville. But, the buzz has been that the Outback Bowl could throw a wrench in things and try for a Florida vs. Penn State matchup, passing on two better teams – South Carolina and Mississippi State – because the Gators can offer more in terms of fans and TV ratings.

For now, it seems more likely that Florida will play in Jacksonville.

Should South Carolina win today, that changes the order of the bowls ahead of the Gator Bowl but likely wouldn’t change Florida’s destination. In that scenario,  South Carolina and Auburn would go to BCS bowls, sending Arkansas to the Capital One Bowl, LSU would likely stay in the Cotton Bowl and Alabama would drop to the Outback Bowl.

The Outback is the wild card, here. It could pick Florida if South Carolina loses. If the Gamecocks win, that would leave a 9-3 Alabama team  for the Outback Bowl, which it would not pass out on.

So an Auburn win means the possibility, however small, that the Gators to to Tampa. An Auburn loss and Florida is likely Jacksonville bound.

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Former Gator Steve Spurrier coached South Carolina to its first SEC Championship Game berth by beating Florida in The Swamp last month. (Orlando Sentinel photo)

When Steve Spurrier took the job at South Carolina six years ago, many questioned what effect it would have on the legacy of the former Gator great. His success at Florida was followed by two miserable years with the Washington Redskins. What could, or did, Spurrier need to prove by taking a job with few resources, little history and little hope of success?

A challenge, it turns out.

It took him six years, but Spurrier has helped create history where there was none. The Gamecocks play in their first ever SEC Championship Game on Saturday, giving them a chance to compete for only the second conference title for the school.

The last was in 1969, an ACC title that came only three years after Spurrier won the Heisman Trophy at Florida.

This game is familiar to Spurrier, who has coached in it more than any other SEC coach. He won it five times and has another SEC title, from 1991, that predates the game.

That level of success is expected at Florida. At South Carolina, getting here is remarkable.

“He’s got a few things working in his favor this year, I will say that. I’m not taking anything away from what Steve’s done. It’s a tough job. They don’t have the kind of history that some of these other teams do. Florida’s down. Georgia had the unfortunate thing with their best player being suspended. Tennessee is down, but you still gotta take advantage of it, and he did,” said CBS analyst Gary Danielson, who will call the game. “

“There were a lot of people telling him not to take that job and he would only embarrass himself again. I give a guy like that credit. He could have rode off into the sunset and play golf the rest of his life.”

Instead, he slowly built the Gamecocks up. This year was the culmination of his work. With improved facilities, he was able to recruit some of the best in-state talent. He made his players believe.

This year, they beat top-ranked Alabama. They won at Florida. They made it to Atlanta.

Chicken curse?

If the Gamecocks can win Saturday, South Carolina fans can forget it and their history.

“Yes, it’s a challenge to try to do some things that have never done before. I do like that,” said Spurrier on Friday. “When I was coming back from that two-year NFL stint, I really want to go somewhere that maybe had not won very much and had a chance to.

“It’s just to try to do some things that have never been done before. So got an opportunity again tomorrow. See if we can make something happen.”

Which is more impressive – Steve Spurrier’s success at Florida or the Old Ball Coach getting South Carolina to the SEC Championship Game?online survey