The Florida Gators odds to win the 2009 BCS Championship were set at +180 at Sportsbook.com. Essentially, that online sportsbook had the Gators as the favorite to win the BCS Championship. Yet Florida is ranked 4th in the nation behind Alabama, Texas Tech and - depending where you look - the Texas Longhorns.
A week after its emotional win against Georgia, Florida continued its climb in the BCS standings, routing Vanderbilt 42-14 to clinch the SEC East title.
"I was very concerned," Florida coach Urban Meyer said. "There's nothing more emotional than that game in Jacksonville. But this is a mature team."
The win puts the Gators in the SEC title game against Alabama in what could end up as a possible national championship play-in game. Florida closes the regular season with home games against South Carolina and The Citadel and a road game at rival Florida State.
This weekend, Florida hosts the South Carolina Gamecocks as a -23 favorite. It's a team they have beaten 9 out of 10 times since 1998.
The Florida Gators' biggest challenge now is not tripping on their way to their Southeastern Conference championship showdown with No. 1 Alabama.
"It's a great accomplishment for our team, but we still have to play South Carolina next week," Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes said. "We're not going to overlook anybody. We are turning our focus on South Carolina, and that's it."
"I'm awful proud of them," Florida coach Urban Meyer said. "I admire the maturity level and attention to detail. This is a tough place to come play and a quality football team with some very good players that at one point was ranked in the top 15 in the country."
A Florida BCS Championship would currently pay just shy of $200 for every $100 bet at Sportsbook.com.
Mary Montgomery, Gambling911.com
