it may not be much comfort now, and yes, we've heard "wait till next year" before, but I do think we have reason to be excited for the future, maybe more than ever. Last year's class was probably the best we've ever had. Several young players played well down the stretch this year. And you've gotta believe that once they mature, Smelley and Garcia will be a step up from Blake. I'm wondering if we might see Spurrier try something with Smelley and Garcia like what Urban Meyer did with Leak and Tebow. Of course, Garcia may at some point win the starting job outright.

And, while this is not a great analogy, I remember in 1995 when Spurrier's Gators had a crappy defense but managed to get to the title game vs. Nebraska, only to be totally exposed after giving up 60 or so points. Spurrier, who never handled the defense, went out and hired Bob Stoops. The next year, with a great offense AND defense, they won the national title. We'll likely have a new d coordinator next year, and you'd better believe that Spurrier will be on the lookout for a good one. Will we get someone like Stoops, an up-and-coming defensive mastermind? Probably not; I don't know how much Florida payed Stoops during his tenure, but I'll bet it was good pay and I'll bet USC won't pony up the modern-day equivalent, especially considering that at that time, Spurrier probably had license to get whoever he wanted for whatever pay, being that it was generally thought that if Florida could field anything resembling a good defense, they'd win the national title. Obviously, we're a long way from there. But still, let's hope we get someone good. I think the offense will be much better next year, with an improved o-line, a more mature Smelley (or Garcia), and two good receivers, McKinley and LeCorn (and maybe Culliver). With a top defense, we can make a run.