Tebow still in limbo for Florida, LSU game
Florida quarterback Tim Tebow hit the practice field on Tuesday for the first time since suffering a concussion at Kentucky two Saturdays ago. Whether or not he'll be cleared to play at LSU this Saturday is still up in the air, though the uncertainty hasn't caused much concern at the books where the Gators are 7½-8½ point favorites. With rain in the Baton Rouge forecast, CBS will broadcast the SEC tilt starting at 8 PM (ET).
This is your brain on college football.
Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow has yet to be medically cleared to face the LSU Tigers this Saturday. The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner suffered a concussion in Week 4 when his head collided with a teammate’s knee after a sack by the Kentucky Wildcats defensive end Taylor Wyndham. The combination hits to the chest and the back of the head appeared to knock Tebow unconscious for a few seconds. He was carted off the field, vomiting at one point, and spent the night in a Lexington hospital undergoing evaluation.
That was the last we saw of Tebow on a football field until Tuesday, when he participated in non-contact drills. The Gators (4-0 SU, 2-1 ATS) had the bye in Week 5, giving team doctors ample time to monitor Tebow’s status. He reportedly suffered headaches for several days after the hit. Back-up John Brantley practiced with the starters during Tebow’s absence, and continued to share first-unit snaps with Tebow on Tuesday. This will likely be a game-time decision for coach Urban Meyer.
There’s enough buzz suggesting Tebow will get the nod for most bookmakers to post betting odds of Florida -7.5, with some books holding the spread at 8.5 points. The Gators have covered each of their last five trips to Baton Rouge, but this is the first time they’ve been road favorites since 2001. Here are the five games in question:
Oct. 10, 1999: Florida 31, LSU 10 (Gators -14)
Oct. 6, 2001: Florida 44, LSU 15 (Gators -14)
Oct. 11, 2003: Florida 19, LSU 7 (Gators +10)
Oct. 15, 2005: LSU 21, Florida 17 (Gators +6)
Oct. 6, 2007: LSU 28, Florida 24 (Gators +8)
The last two games were with Les Miles as the head coach for LSU. He’s taken the Tigers to four straight bowl games, including a Sugar Bowl win in 2006 and a national championship in 2007. And things are off to a rollicking start in 2009 with the Tigers at 5-0 SU and 2-3 ATS, good enough for No. 4 in the polls. Florida remains the No. 1 team with 54 of the 60 AP votes. Those rankings are very forgiving for the Tigers. Brian Fremeau’s efficiency rankings had LSU at No. 36 in the FBS heading into last week’s 20-13 win at Georgia (–3.5). Florida was No. 1.
This hasn’t stopped the early action from coming in on LSU. The consensus reports have 71 percent support coming in on the Tigers, enough for many books to bring the spread down from 8.5 points at the open. Timing your bet is even more important in this game than usual. If the prognosis on Tebow improves during the week, we can expect a rush of public money on Florida on Friday night. If he suffers a setback, or if the public gets spooked about his concussion, the line could drop to the magic number seven.
I’m expecting the former. Tebow is a household name and a beloved personality – and rightly so. LSU’s young quarterback, sophomore Jordan Jefferson (seven TDs, two INTs), is playing behind a sketchy offensive line and hasn’t enjoyed much success in the red zone: eight TDs and six field goals in 18 attempts. Jefferson will be playing against one of the top defenses in the nation. Either Tebow or Brantley would have a much easier time facing an LSU pass rush that has failed to generate much heat on opposing quarterbacks, preferring to play zone defense. But how effective would Tebow be running the ball?
Whichever quarterback takes the field, he’ll get an earful from the home fans at Tiger Stadium. He could also be in for nasty weather; the forecast calls for a 50-percent chance of thunderstorms. Low barometric pressure and post-concussion syndrome don’t mix very well. Let’s hope that our trip to the pay window doesn’t come at the expense of Tebow’s health.
Florida quarterback Tim Tebow hit the practice field on Tuesday for the first time since suffering a concussion at Kentucky two Saturdays ago. Whether or not he'll be cleared to play at LSU this Saturday is still up in the air, though the uncertainty hasn't caused much concern at the books where the Gators are 7½-8½ point favorites. With rain in the Baton Rouge forecast, CBS will broadcast the SEC tilt starting at 8 PM (ET).
This is your brain on college football.
Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow has yet to be medically cleared to face the LSU Tigers this Saturday. The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner suffered a concussion in Week 4 when his head collided with a teammate’s knee after a sack by the Kentucky Wildcats defensive end Taylor Wyndham. The combination hits to the chest and the back of the head appeared to knock Tebow unconscious for a few seconds. He was carted off the field, vomiting at one point, and spent the night in a Lexington hospital undergoing evaluation.
That was the last we saw of Tebow on a football field until Tuesday, when he participated in non-contact drills. The Gators (4-0 SU, 2-1 ATS) had the bye in Week 5, giving team doctors ample time to monitor Tebow’s status. He reportedly suffered headaches for several days after the hit. Back-up John Brantley practiced with the starters during Tebow’s absence, and continued to share first-unit snaps with Tebow on Tuesday. This will likely be a game-time decision for coach Urban Meyer.
There’s enough buzz suggesting Tebow will get the nod for most bookmakers to post betting odds of Florida -7.5, with some books holding the spread at 8.5 points. The Gators have covered each of their last five trips to Baton Rouge, but this is the first time they’ve been road favorites since 2001. Here are the five games in question:
Oct. 10, 1999: Florida 31, LSU 10 (Gators -14)
Oct. 6, 2001: Florida 44, LSU 15 (Gators -14)
Oct. 11, 2003: Florida 19, LSU 7 (Gators +10)
Oct. 15, 2005: LSU 21, Florida 17 (Gators +6)
Oct. 6, 2007: LSU 28, Florida 24 (Gators +8)
The last two games were with Les Miles as the head coach for LSU. He’s taken the Tigers to four straight bowl games, including a Sugar Bowl win in 2006 and a national championship in 2007. And things are off to a rollicking start in 2009 with the Tigers at 5-0 SU and 2-3 ATS, good enough for No. 4 in the polls. Florida remains the No. 1 team with 54 of the 60 AP votes. Those rankings are very forgiving for the Tigers. Brian Fremeau’s efficiency rankings had LSU at No. 36 in the FBS heading into last week’s 20-13 win at Georgia (–3.5). Florida was No. 1.
This hasn’t stopped the early action from coming in on LSU. The consensus reports have 71 percent support coming in on the Tigers, enough for many books to bring the spread down from 8.5 points at the open. Timing your bet is even more important in this game than usual. If the prognosis on Tebow improves during the week, we can expect a rush of public money on Florida on Friday night. If he suffers a setback, or if the public gets spooked about his concussion, the line could drop to the magic number seven.
I’m expecting the former. Tebow is a household name and a beloved personality – and rightly so. LSU’s young quarterback, sophomore Jordan Jefferson (seven TDs, two INTs), is playing behind a sketchy offensive line and hasn’t enjoyed much success in the red zone: eight TDs and six field goals in 18 attempts. Jefferson will be playing against one of the top defenses in the nation. Either Tebow or Brantley would have a much easier time facing an LSU pass rush that has failed to generate much heat on opposing quarterbacks, preferring to play zone defense. But how effective would Tebow be running the ball?
Whichever quarterback takes the field, he’ll get an earful from the home fans at Tiger Stadium. He could also be in for nasty weather; the forecast calls for a 50-percent chance of thunderstorms. Low barometric pressure and post-concussion syndrome don’t mix very well. Let’s hope that our trip to the pay window doesn’t come at the expense of Tebow’s health.