Editor's Note: Beginning with No. 25 TCU and counting toward the release of the 2007 College Football Annuals, Athlon will release one spot in its Top 25 every weekday for five weeks. The No. 1 team will be revealed June 1. Check AthlonSports.com every day to see who’s next in the countdown as Athlon Sports celebrates its 40th anniversary. The 2007 versions of Athlon’s College Football Annuals hit newsstands June 5th.

No. 6: Florida

Repeating as national champions could be a tall order for the Gators if the coaching staff can’t shore up a defense that has been depleted by graduation and early defections to the NFL. Among those who need to be replaced are the top two tacklers — linebackers Brandon Siler and Earl Everett — along with backs Ryan Smith and Reggie Nelson, who combined for 14 interceptions in 2006, and big-play end Jarvis Moss.

Only end Derrick Harvey and safety Tony Joiner return from last year’s playing group. Joiner collected the third-most tackles on the team and picked off a pair of passes from his safety position last fall. Harvey paced the unit in tackles behind the line and sacks, and last we saw him, he was making Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith’s life miserable in the BCS Title Game. But after these two, there is not one recognizable name.

The Gator offense will have to carry most of the load, at least early on, until the defense establishes some cohesion. Chris Leak was a superb college quarterback, though he never pretended to be a perfect fit for the spread option. Sophomore Tim Tebow, who saw significant game action off the bench, completing 22-of-33 and averaging more than 10 yards per attempt, takes over full-time now and will venture far deeper into the playbook than he did last season. He is faster and more athletic than Leak, finishing second on the team in rushing last fall, and has a stronger arm. With Tebow running the attack, it should more closely resemble the familiar Urban Meyer brainchild. Meyer added to his stable of offensive weapons by bringing quarterback John Brantley, the 2006 Gatorade National Player of the Year, into the fold.

As a true freshman wide receiver in 2006, Percy Harvin was the Gators’ third-leading rusher. He averaged over 10 yards per carry, ran for three scores and caught two TD passes. And with leading rusher DeShawn Wynn and leading receiver Dallas Baker both gone to the pros, Harvin’s role in the offense will expand dramatically. Tebow and Harvin will work behind a veteran offensive line, led by 2006 All-SEC performers Phil Trautwein and Drew Miller.

After a couple of juicy appetizers to start the 2007 schedule, the Gators jump into the SEC slate at home vs. Tennessee in Game 3, then two weeks later they host Auburn. The month of October consists of road games at LSU and Kentucky and against Georgia in Jacksonville.

Notes:
» Florida finished fifth nationally in rushing defense and sixth in both total defense and scoring defense in 2006.

» The Gators took the hard way to the national title, playing more teams that ended up in bowls (11) than anybody else.

» The Gainesville campus is home to the last two Florida high school record-holders for career touchdown passes — Tim Tebow and John Brantley.

2007 Schedule
S.       1    Western Kentucky
S.       8    Troy
S.     15    Tennessee
S.     22    at Ole Miss
S.     29    Auburn
O.       6    at LSU
O.     20    at Kentucky
O.     27    #Georgia
N.       3    Vanderbilt
N.     10    at South Carolina
N.     17    Florida Atlantic
N.     24    Florida State
                 #Jacksonville, FL

Read the entire Florida preview by ordering your Athlon Sports 2007 College Football Regional and National magazines today!

Also coming to AthlonSports.com this summer:
– Top 25 Heisman Hopefuls
– Live chats with Athlon editors
– Conference-preview videocasts.

Follow the entire 2007 football season on AthlonSports.com where we preview every game from every conference in Division I-A and recap the weekend’s BCS action in conference notebooks.

Other in-season offerings:
– Fantasy Games
– Sideline Spirit Voting
– Scenes From Saturday
– Updated Athlon 119
– Much more

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