COLUMBIA - Tim Tebow will get an invite to New York.

He always will. The Florida quarterback is already in the Heisman fraternity.

But, trust me, Tebow doesn’t deserve your first-place vote this year.

Like the rest of Florida’s offense, he’s competing against himself.

But it’s not just that; Tebow is nowhere near his Heisman standard in 2007.

This year, he’ll probably finish right around 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns. Total. Not passing.

Tebow threw for 3,286 yards and 32 touchdowns in ‘07, adding in another 895 yards and 23 TDs on the ground.

More than numbers, he just doesn’t look the same. Really hasn’t since that concussion.

Tebow doesn’t command games the way he has in the past. He’s playing well, but not great.

Without question, he’ll go down as one of the best to ever play college football. But that doesn’t mean he’s the best player in this particular season. This isn’t a body-of-work award.

Who has been? Stay tuned.

Thumbs up

Dexter McCluster

Wow. Maybe the single-game performance of the year in the league. His 282 rushing yards (324 all-purpose) and four scores would be impressive against anyone. Against Monte Kiffin’s stingy Tennessee defense? Stunning.

Florida’s D

The Gators looked vulnerable early against the Gamecocks, but really tightened up in second half. South Carolina had 41 total yards in the second half, including minus-16 in the fourth quarter. Even the game-turning interception came as the result of a deflection by Gators DB Markihe Anderson.

Stephen Garcia

His touchdown pass, beginning with a juke of Brandon Spikes and ending with a great throw across his body, was outstanding. His 4th-and-2 scramble for a first down was otherworldly. He’s been sacked a lot, but how many has he saved? One SEC coach told me he really does have a chance to be very good.

Thumbs down

Tennessee extracurriculars

Lane Kiffin bragged on his team last week for staying out of trouble. Four freshmen have been in it with the law since then, and two (Nu’Keese Richardson, Mike Edwards) are already gone. It’s even worse that they’re freshmen, in a way. Kiffin brought them in.

Vandy offense

Still looking for first conference win - and only one chance, against Tennessee, in which to get it. ‘Dores are 0-7, averaging 7.9 points a game in those losses.

Houston Nutt

Know of at least one game the Rebels would’ve won if Nutt had gone to McCluster earlier than the fourth quarter. Even Steve Spurrier has said so. His Ole Miss teams have started slowly.

By the numbers

5 - Number of Gamecocks interceptions all season. Clemson, comparatively, has 20.

4 - Number of games without South Carolina forcing a turnover.

752 - Number of Mark Ingram yards after contact (55.1 percent of his yards) going into last week’s game against Mississippi State.

He said it:

“Yeah, I’d be upset,” Florida Urban Meyer, if Tebow were excluded from list of Heisman finalists.

Trav’s take:

* Florida International and Chattanooga in late November? C’mon Florida and Alabama, you can do better than that.

* Mark Ingram is fifth in the country in rushing in a league that has six defenses in the FBS’ top 25. Just sayin’.

* Not afraid to say told ya so about La Tech and LSU. Not afraid to say I was wrong about Troy and Arkansas.

* After big Auburn win, this one has letdown written all over it for Georgia. Kentucky is better than you think. And it doesn’t have to defend A.J. Green.

High Five

Ranking the SEC’s five coaching bargains

1. Bobby Johnson, Vanderbilt: Those darned privacy laws prevent us from knowing actual figure, but we’ll step out on limb and say school is getting a deal. Even in a crappy season.

2. Rich Brooks, Kentucky: All the Cats will do is go for their fourth bowl win in four tries. That’s impressive for any school, much less a basketball school.

3. Steve Spurrier, South Carolina: Not impressed with the Ball Coach at USC? He’s making a modest $1.8 million, and he’ll leave here as all-time winningest coach.

4. Mark Richt, Georgia: Team’s having a sub-par season, by the standards he set. But he’s lifted image of program.

5. Urban Meyer, Florida: Makes almost $4 mill? Psh, pay him whatever. Guy’s won two titles in past three seasons, with a chance for another this year.

 

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