But don’t expect Atlanta this fall. Given everyone that Florida has coming back, it’s going to take a seriously improbable turn of events for anyone to pass up UF in the East. And that doesn’t even take into account everyone that UGA is losing. An expectation of winning the division is setting yourself up for disappointment. 2009 should be a year of growth and building for the future, with an eye at 9 or so wins, a hot finish, and a January bowl.

2010 is another matter. Florida will be losing a boatload of players on both sides of the ball and will be breaking in a new quarterback, and it’s likely that more assistant coaches will leave for promotions elsewhere (happens to nearly every national title contender). If Joe Cox’s successor can nail down the job decisively, a trip to Atlanta is most definitely not out of the question, especially since A.J. Green will still be around and Tennessee will still be at least a year off from contending.