(courtesy of newsday.com)
A few weeks ago, many college football fans around the country would have never believed the Florida Gators could be left out of the National Championship game, but as the first day of the new year quickly approaches, Urban Meyer's (well, sorta) Gator squad is prepping for the Cincinnatti Bearcats and the Sugar Bowl, not the National Championship. Although Cincy is undefeated, the Gators are heavily favored (by 13 points) coming in to this one and may now have some extra motivation. In the midst of all the prepration and the pre-game hype about the two teams, attention shifted from the matchup to Florida's head coach, Urban Meyer (who ironically enough is an alum of Cincinnati).
On Saturday, Meyer shocked the football world by announcing he would be leaving the Gators after the Sugar Bowl due to health reasons. A day later, he retracted his statment and said he would, instead, take an indefinite leave of absence. Now, with the game only 3 days away, the Gators are faced with losing not only their beloved seniors (and our beloved Tebow), but also their coach. It is unlikely (in our minds) that Meyer will be able to coach the team next season, and there is no estimate on when he could return. ESPN has noted that the coach spent time in the hospital following the Gators' loss in the SEC title game due to chest pains, and Sports Illustrated reported that Meyer has suffered from persistent headaches believed to be caused by a cyst, which becomes inflamed by stress, rage and excitement (hmm, I wonder if standing on the sidelines for a game would qualify?).
