This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.

EA Sports' NCAA Football 11 is now available in your favorite electronics store. There are a few new improvements to the game, including an online dynasty and upgraded visuals (playing the demo on X-Box 360 in HD was like watching a real game). But there are two especially that stand out for me.

Improved offensive line play means more big runs: As much as I like pitching it around, I always pick teams that can run out of the spread. Playing the demo with Missouri (you can't always play with UF, homer), not only was I able to pass the ball like usual, but could rip off draws and counters without being destroyed in the backfield. That is because, compared to previous editions, NCAA Football 11 does a much better job with offensive line play. You can play action against a five man rush without getting a three-yard loss. Not only that, there is a better relationship (I don't know if that is the word) between where you want the back to go and where the hole is. Any gamer knows the frustration of seeing the hole and running over the back of the pulling guard. Instead, you steer the back towards the hole and he goes through it in NCAA Football 11. In my demo (Mizzou vs. Clemson), I had runs of 60 and 25 yards on a draw and counter.

The premiere of the Sickles Gryphons: One of the best things about the NCAA Football franchise was the ability to create your own school. The problem was if you went to a school with an awful nickname (like the Gryphons), Brad Nessler would have to say, "the Florida Gators versus...the home team!" In NCAA Football 11, more than 4,000 nicknames were added to the game. You can play as the Sickles Gryphons, Trinity Catholic Celtics or River Ridge Royal Knights. Finally, the Gryphons can fully join the SEC after kicking out Vandy. Maybe for NCAA Football 12, EA Sports can get Nessler to record school names, too.

And now, a message from our sponsor.

When you go to a particular school or grow up around college football, you are more than just a fan. It’s who you are. We thought we could leverage this pride in your roots and show that "where you come from" is more than just a statement about geography. By positioning NCAA Football 11 as a game that understands this pride and is authentic to these traditions, the takeaway should be that anything that is in college football is in NCAA Football 11.

And this doesn’t just include game play (though that’s a huge part of it). It’s rivals and mascots; it’s legends and stories. It’s those things that are at the very fabric of the game itself. Of course the game is great this year as well. With authentic entrances, mascots and specific offenses for each team, the term “where I come from” takes on a much larger meaning. While playing NCAA Football 11 is ultimately a great sports sim, it should also give you a sense of the pride and emotion one has for being a fan of a team they will never not be a part of.

This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.

I am on the record for saying that Florida 2010 will not be a fun season. Between John Brantley becoming The Man and working Andre Debose, Ronald Powell and Dominique Easley into the systems, there will be a lot of growing pains. However, it is very realistic to predict a Florida-Alabama SEC Championship Game.

We don't know in July who will be playing for Florida in September, which makes predictions this far out hard. Powell and Easley are great talents, but they don't have the advantage of spring practice. They could show up in training camp like bulls in a china shop; all talent and no intelligence. That's not saying they are dumb kids, just that it make take them more than three weeks to figure out the playbook. Plus, UF will be breaking in a new defensive coordinator.

But Georgia is also breaking in a new defensive coordinator and quarterback. So is Tennessee. With South Carolina moving up simply by not having total chaos on campus, there is a legit four-way race for the SEC East. I have always felt that with Florida's recent dominance of Tennessee, South Carolina and FSU, that eventually, the other guys will win. This might be that season.

The schedule doesn't help UF. The Gators face a frisky USF, who went on the road to defeat FSU last season. Before you say, "We are not FSU," USF has a legit QB in B.J. Daniels and their usual stout defense. That's followed by road games at Tennessee (winnable, but still scary) and at Alabama (this might be like the 2005 Bama game). UF gets LSU and Mississippi State at home in October, both winnable but it will depend on how strong UF is playing by then. 

The games that concern me the most are Georgia and FSU. The Bulldogs always worry me because I think UGA takes the game more seriously than we do. For Florida's current generation, this game is our birthright. For Georgia, it's a total embarrassment. Teams can take wins for granted and lose because of it. 

Such is the case with FSU. I absolutely hate FSU. More than I hate anything else in my life. But I have to give credit for Jimbo Fisher's coup finally putting a charge into a dying program. The Christian Ponder Heisman campaign may seem like bull, but he was going good until an injury last season. Their defense isn't a world beater, but good enough to win the ACC. With this year's game at Tallahassee, and UF in rebuilding mode, this might be the time for FSU to catch us and snap our winning streak in the series.

I think Florida will lose to Alabama. I could also see a loss at home to LSU, similar to Auburn in 2007. UF could still run the table and win the SEC East, setting up the Alabama rematch. 

I think the most important thing for Florida is to win, but to also constantly improve this season. It is one thing to lose by 21 at Alabama, but it is much worse when the mistakes made in that game are made against Georgia three weeks later. If the annual goal is to win the SEC, maybe the Gators should focus on winning the SEC East. I understand that this is counter to common thinking, but look at the big picture. Only delusional people think UF should be National Championship contender. I'm willing to just be a division contender, to set up our 2011 run for a National Championship.

This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.

Following Thursday's entry of our favorite players, here are our most memorable Florida Gators moments. We prefer to call them Classic Moments In Championship Mode. Youtube videos are used when available and we invite you to drop your moments in the comments. Follow us after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.

We continue our series celebrating the start of college football season with EA Sports' NCAA Football 2011. Today, we want to hear about your favorite Gators. It is easy to say, "Tim Tebow, because he was awesome!" No, you have to be a bit more creative than that. Was there a funny story about the player that made you like him? Maybe there was a volleyball player who became a favorite of yours because she looked good in those blue shorts? Here are mine. Drop yours in the comments.

Lee Humphrey, Basketball: He was the first guy at pre-game shootaround and would throw the ball into the student section for someone to make a three-pointer from the bleachers. And he started doing that as a freshman. 

Joakim Noah, Basketball: The personification of the New Generation of Florida Students; Northerner, mixed heritage, has smoked weed, upper to middle class, everyone outside Gainesville hates him but he wants to destroy anyone who challenges him. 

Brian Jeroloman, Baseball: I have a soft spot in my heart for catchers who work counts and hit line drives.

Brandon McArthur, Baseball: He nearly died after being sucker punched on University Avenue as a freshman. A few brain surgeries later, McArthur came back and played on the 2005 College World Series team. McArthur also had other serious injuries, but never quit. He might not have been a star, but he was an example of someone who wouldn't let outside forces determine his fate.

Tate Casey, Football: He always has two-beers with him, even when catching a jump pass.

Percy Harvin, Football: He played a National Championship game with a broken leg and was the reason why we won.

Cornelius Ingram, Basketball/Football; Gavin Dickey, Baseball/Football: The two best athletes I saw at UF. Ingram was built like a G.I. Joe man and I saw Dickey break an aluminum bat.

Drew Miller, Football: We are playing a summer 2006 intramural softball game, with Miller playing catcher on a team that includes several football players. I am on 2nd base when there is a base hit into right field. I come around 3rd thinking I can beat the throw or the throw would be wide. Instead, it was on the money and beats me by about four steps. I can't run over Miller (he has about 150 pounds and six inches on me; also I'd get ejected), so I decide to slide feet first to get under him. I also throw up my arms to hit his glove as I slide in. The ball lands on my leg, making me safe. Miller is convinced I'm out for hitting him and I keep yelling he dropped the ball, I can't be out. The ump is right and calls me safe. Miller is now pissed. The next batter also gets a base hit, easily scoring our runner from 3rd. But as the runner comes to the plate, Miller trips him, sending him sprawling into the dirt. A few of our players leave the dugout to go after Miller and the other team responds to defend Miller. The ump does not eject anyone, but our player leaves the game with a sprained wrist. Miller ends up writing an apology email to the kid for tripping him. So, why would Miller be a favorite all-time Gator after that? Because he is exactly what an offensive lineman should be; a mean SOB.

Jarvis Moss, Football: This.

Tim Tebow, Football: I think he likes being Evil.

Francesca Enea, Softball: She played through injuries and is engaged to a guy who once said on live radio, "The speed limit at UF is 20 because it's the perfect speed to check out girls."

Ali Gardiner, Softball: Talked with my friends for almost an hour at a bar after the 2009 Tennessee game. Not only was she a great girl to talk to (about sports, her game winning homer against Alabama, going to school at UF), she was wearing a t-shirt she made specifically for the game and had blue spray paint in her hair. You have to love any girl who chooses fandom over getting dolled up. (For the record, Gardiner was still very cute.)

Ryan Lochte, Swimming: Olympic Champion and Grog House bartender. Men want to be him and women want to be with him.

Jennifer Magley, Tennis: Magley was about 6-foot-1 and five of that was legs. She wasn't just looks. She was tough as nails. Her doubles partner for most of her career was Zerene Reyes, who was more than a foot shorter. Opposing doubles teams would target Reyes, who was a good player but limited in power. Magley would retaliate by slamming returns at the opposing net player. 

Jane Collymore, Volleyball: Collymore was a very good player and easy on the eyes. (I don't think UF has ever had an unattractive volleyball player.) My friend and I were out at Grog one night when Collymore was there. Then this happens;

Friend: starts buzzed white person dance

Collymore: Hey! leans towards friend, about three feet away

Friend: continues dancing, sips beer

Collymore: You wanna dance?

Friend: has no idea someone is talking to him, sips beer

Collymore: Hey!

Friend: finally realizes a good looking girl is yelling at him

Collymore: Are you gay?

I started laughing so hard, I had to lean on my ex-girlfriend for support. My friend is still confused, but manages to defend his heterosexuality. They did not dance, which was for the best, because my friend is intimidated by tall girls.

That's my list. Leave yours below.

This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.

You should take Florida Gators games seriously. Especially big games. On Alligator Army, we call those Championship Mode games.

Championship Mode is not something you fool around with. This isn't for the frat boys who wake up at 11am on gameday and get to the stadium during introductions. And it sure as hell isn't for the South Florida kids who show up in the second quarter and tell you to stop standing on their seat. Championship Mode is for the real fans. Only the real fans are crazy enough to treat big games like a battle of life and death. Only the real fans are crazy enough to lift their team to victory, either in the stadium or in a bar, 2000 miles away.

Championship Mode is part superstition, part fandom. My friends and I drink Michelob Light because Gator's Dockside had it on special during the 2006 SEC Basketball Tournament, so it became The Official Beer Of Championship Mode. I wear the same shorts I wore for the Tampa Bay Lightning's win in Game 7 of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals, so those are lucky too. Being in Championship Mode also means making sacrifices for the team. You don't get plastered Friday night at Grog because you have to eat breakfast and be at the tailgate by 9am. You don't care if that hot chick from Geology lab is in the row ahead of you BECAUSE ADDAZIO WON'T THROW THE BALL DOWNFIELD AND YOU HAVE TO YELL LOUDER, BECAUSE HE CAN'T HEAR YOU WITH HIS HEAD UP HIS ASS. (There might be a lack of decorum with Championship Mode, but never a lack of focus.)

Of course, Championship Mode means different things to different people. All of us know someone who has been tailgating in the same spot for years and wears the same clothes for the Tennessee, Georgia, LSU and FSU games. They're in Championship Mode. Those guys with the radio headsets and Spurrier visors? Old school Championship Mode. It's the idea that you can impact the game, even if you're not there or on the field.

The biggest point of controversy surrounding Championship Mode has been the use of alcohol. Since I invented Championship Mode, whatever I say is correct. However, friends have made the point that they need to drink pregame so they can be in Championship Mode. (Sort of like a few beers to get the courage to hit on chicks at a bar.) I have softened on this point since I enjoy a pregame Bombay & Tonic and my Mich Light. I also cannot refuse a free drink, since that is bad karma and you don't need bad karma pre-game. The rule remains that you can't be drunk and in Championship Mode. A few drinks along with some Gatorade and a designated driver still fits within the range of Championship Mode.

My favorite Championship Mode memory is the 2006 BCS Championship Game against Ohio State. My friends and I watched the game at Gator City, since that was where we watched the 2006 George Mason and UCLA games. After Ted Ginn scored to give OSU a 7-0 lead, people in the bar started clapping, as if we were willing the team back in the game. Of course, the Gators rolled down the field and scored to tie the game, which prompted my friend Hanson to grab my shoulders and say, "THEY CAN'T STOP US!" Sure enough, UF could not be stopped. 

After the 2006 win over UCLA, everyone knew University Avenue would be swarming with kids if we beat Ohio State. But no one left the bars until Urban Meyer got the Gatorade bath. Then we sprinted out the doors and on to University. There were twice the number of people as there were nine months earlier. Unlike the UCLA game, which was fun but we didn't understand the magnitude of the win, this was a sense of disbelief. Finally, finally, we won. The football team will always be The Team in Gainesville and that night was an example of that feeling. Beating the supposedly unbeatable Ohio State, in Urban's second year, was nearly unthinkable. We all came back in April of 2007 to see the Gators beat Ohio State again. Well, not all of us. Rest in peace, UF Plaza tree.

This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.

Your all-time favorite team should mean something beyond wins and losses. More often than not, your favorite team will be successful, but there is honor in falling short after giving everything you had. I know this is supposed to be a series of posts about college football, but my all-time favorite Florida team was the 2005 Gators baseball team. 

I saw Matt LaPorta, Alan Horne, Brian Jeroloman, closer Connor Falkenbach and Gavin Dickey in his final chance at two-sport stardom. Of those guys, maybe LaPorta means something to you because he is raking for the Cleveland Indians. Dickey was a third-string quarterback who never got past Ingle Martin or Chris Leak. I was a junior in the spring of 2005, writing for The Alligator, working at WRUF and failing to get over an ex-girlfriend. When you don't have a lady friend, weekends at McKethan Stadium with a good ballclub and sorority girls hanging over the rail above the first base dugout can be good medicine. 

UF started the season by losing the opener to Charleston Southern in 11 innings. When Miami came into Gainesville a week later, Falkenbach blew the opener, allowing three 9th inning runs to lose 9-7. In game two, UM again struck in the 9th, tying the game 1-1. In the 11th, Jeroloman hit a fly ball to left fielder Jon Jay. Dealing with the sun and the most abusive student section in the SEC, Jay lost the ball and by the time the ball hit the turf, Adam Davis scored to win the game. On Sunday, UF won 14-11 and the season had a much different complexion. 

UF won the SEC Pennant with a season ending sweep at Vanderbilt. LaPorta, in his sophomore season, hit 26 homers and had 79 RBI. Jeroloman was a catcher who could hit, batting .298 with 49 RBI. Horne led the Gators with 10 wins and Falkenbach's submarine delivery got a 3.15 ERA and nine saves in 51 appearances.

As is typical of UF, they quickly left the SEC Tournament but swept through the Regionals. That set up a Super Regionals series against FSU, who won the season series. You cannot imagine the hatred that came out of the left field bleachers. Not only was left field all students, but about 75 percent were tanked. (The renovations and "family friendly atmosphere" neutralized this.) In Game One, UF won 8-1 thanks to back-to-back-to-back homers in the 5th by Jeroloman, Brandon McArthur and Brian Leclerc. The last homer had the added bonus of FSU's Jack Rye running full speed into the right field fence, thinking he had a step on the ball. 

For Game Two, the stadium was jumping and the students wanted blood. Another Leclerc homer started the Gators with a four-run 1st inning. The Gators led 8-3 in the 9th, but FSU would not die easily. They started the inning with a homer and walk. Horne was removed from the game, but decided to walk off in style, only getting the crowd more excited. One more run would score, but it didn't matter as UF won 8-5. Florida would make their first trip to the College World Series since 1998. 

Florida would lose in the Championship Series to a Texas team stacked with top prospects. But the 2005 team remains the best in UF history. In 2006, when I got to cover the team for WRUF, the Gators struggled with injuries and bad breaks, missing the NCAA Tournament. The team still meant a lot to me, but a new girlfriend and the stunning success of the basketball team was taking more of my time. I'm still pretty attached to the team and got to see Jeroloman and Falkenbach when I worked for the Toronto Blue Jays and both were in minor league spring training. On Alligator Army, I make a point of covering baseball because I always thought it never got the attention it deserved.

The 2006 football and basketball teams are also favorites of mine. My friends and I can still remember details of each championship game and following celebration on University Avenue. I expect some of you look fondly on the 1996 football team, but I hope there is some love for the sports that are under the radar.

This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.

My family was one of the millions who came to Florida from "The North" in the 1980s and 1990s. My father's company was opening a new office in Tampa and my Dad couldn't pass up the weather, the salary and lack of a state income tax. We left Rockville Centre, New York, the same place the Donovans would leave seven years after we did.

I picked the Gators when I was five. One of our new neighbors gave me an Albert The Alligator sticker, so I decided to root for UF. In elementary school, I stuck with the Gators in part because it seemed like all the jackasses at Claywell Elementary were FSU fans. Years later, I remain immature and still think FSU people suck. 

But, when you are a kid, with no real connection to a school, you jump on and off bandwagons. I also rooted for Notre Dame just as much as UF. My younger brother who graduated from UF in 2008 was a FSU and Michigan fan. Playing youth football in Tampa, we were both bigger NFL than college football fans. 

In high school, you become more sophisticated about colleges, specifically which you can be accepted to. In my case, I dialed back my UF and Notre Dame fandom. I knew I wouldn't get into Notre Dame (you need straight-A's and I was terrible in Spanish) and I worried about getting into UF (who is very inconsistent in applying their admissions standards). I visited Miami, Georgia, North Carolina, William & Mary and Duke. I ended up applying to four schools in 2001; UF, UNC, Virginia and Rutgers. UNC was the first school to respond, telling me I was deferred and could choose to appeal. That was as good as a rejection. Virginia would reject me too, but applying there was probably a waste of time.

The letter from UF came the day of Gasparilla in 2002. I will forever remember that because my entire family knew I got into UF before I did. I was at the parade and did not have a cell phone. My Mom made my brother open the letter because she was worried it was a rejection letter and did not want me to see it. I can still remember how happy my parents were and the next week at school, which was spent congratulating other Gators. I was accepted to Rutgers a few days later, but New Jersey did not sound as good as Gainesville.

If you have read this website since August of 2007, you might have noticed that I can be critical of the Gators but over the top in my love for the University of Florida. As much fun as it was winning national championships and having the opportunity to cover those teams for The Independent Florida Alligator and WRUF, I would still love the Gators because I love my school. Even if Billy Donovan coached in the Big East or Tim Tebow went to Alabama, I'd still love Florida because my school and Gainesville took care of me for four years of my life.

My story is not unique. Of my group of friends, we all want to be wealthy enough to become Bull Gators. The fandom of my age group is based on athletic success. But it is also based in part on the University's status during our academic careers. UF is constantly expanding, despite a state government hellbent on controlling the school's power. UF President Bernie Machen has the personality of the Turlington rock, but he is just as hellbent on making UF a top-10 public school. Attending Florida in the 2000s is to attend a school that is fighting the world. 

That is why we love the Gators as much as the University of Florida. "The Gator Nation is everywhere" might have started as a lame advertising campaign, but it became a rallying cry for our age group. Here it is, in all of it's glory.

This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011.

I graduated from the University of Florida in 2006, but my body clock is still set to the rhythms of Gainesville. That means July is summer B, fall practice is in a few weeks, Butler Plaza will be swarming with people buying EA Sports NCAA Football and the opening of College Football will be here sooner than you think.

To celebrate the return of college football and the release of EA Sports' NCAA Football 2011 on Tuesday, July 13, EA Sports is sponsoring a week of posts on Alligator Army and dozens of SBNation websites. The posts are to honor you; the fans of College Football.

Starting today and through the release of NCAA Football 2011 on Tuesday, July 13 we will have posts every day about what it means to be a Gators fan. The first will be "How I Became A Florida Gators Fan" and will follow with these posts;

Tuesday, July 6: All-Time Favorite Gators Team

Wednesday, July 7: Tailgating Traditions

Thursday, July 8: All-Time Favorite Florida Gators

Friday, July 9: Most Memorable Moments

Monday, July 12: Expectations For 2010 Season

Tuesday, July 13: Release Of EA Sports NCAA Football 2011. 

For each post, tell us your thoughts in the comments and let us know how you became a Florida Gators fan.