GAINESVILLE -- Even here, in the college football capital of America, a tune-up game is never a bad idea.

It could have been considered embarrassing, what happened to those sad Charleston Southern Buccaneers in The Swamp. They were bludgeoned so badly from every angle that Tim Tebow and the rest of the Florida starters didn't even last an entire half.

But as shameful as it is that this no-contest contest counts as an actual win on the Gators' record, this ``game'' was also something else: necessary.

Perhaps no other team in the country appeared ready to hit the ground running as much as these Gators, the defending national champs who return an entire defense and their superhero quarterback. But even this team, the odds-on favorite to win its second consecutive title, has kinks to work out, adjustments to make and theories to test.

And it makes far more sense to tackle those tasks against an inferior opponent rather than an archrival or an out-of-conference powerhouse.

What good did it do a top-15 team like Georgia to schedule an opener at Oklahoma State? Maybe the Bulldogs were never truly national championship contenders, but does it help to know that after Week 1?

What did Oklahoma gain from playing a ranked BYU team to open its season, other than an injured Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, a loss and a handful of question marks for a team that was supposed to be Pasadena-bound.

And what happens if the Hurricanes need at least a game or two to adjust to two new coordinators and, technically, a new starting quarterback? They can't have it. Not when rival Florida State and No. 15 Georgia Tech are the first two opponents to show up.

Think these Gators don't have much to work on after last year's national title trip? Think again.

These are hardly last year's national champs.

Sure, the defense has little to no concerns. Not with all the starters returning.

But the offense -- the one that needed late bursts in both the conference and national title games to clinch those championships -- has its fair share of changes.

Like the Hurricanes, the Gators have switched offensive coordinators. It's the first time Tebow has had to adjust to a new play-caller, having played under Dan Mullen, who took the head coaching job at Mississippi State, for three seasons. And Steve Addazio's offense is not merely a continuation of Mullen's.

Consider that the Gators, having had such a difficult time preparing for Oklahoma's speed offense before the national championship game, have adapted their own hurry-up, no-huddle attack.

That's not an adjustment you'd like to try for the first time against, say, Tennessee.

Personnel-wise, the Gators also have their share of concerns. The wide receiving group that was headed by Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy, both now on NFL rosters, has thinned out to the point where former running back Brandon James is now a receiver, considered the replacement for Harvin in the slot.

Perhaps the most physically gifted receiver on the roster, Deonte Thompson, dropped a sure long touchdown pass and never saw another ball thrown his way, even against an overmatched group of Bucs. And this group could have been considerably thinner if starter Riley Cooper hadn't decided to return to school rather than play professional baseball.

It's that lack of depth at wideout that has the Gators relying so heavily this season on tight end Aaron Hernandez -- a new wrinkle that benefits from a decent warm-up game or two.

UF also starts two new offensive tackles and plans to rely on a talented running attack more than ever since Urban Meyer arrived in 2005.

It didn't look like Jeff Demps or Chris Rainey needed much time to adjust to an increased role in the offense -- not when they combined for 165 yards on six carries.

But it doesn't hurt to know for certain against Charleston Southern and Troy rather than finding out against Georgia or FSU.

Come December, when the national championship participants are decided, the order in which the wins came won't matter. So why not devour the cupcakes first?

Think Oregon doesn't wish that its season had started with a visit from Idaho State instead of a trip to Boise?

These Gators might be similar to last year's champs. But they're certainly not the same. And thanks to Charleston Southern, they'll know just how different before the Vols come to town in a couple of weeks.

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@