Every athlete has something that drives him. Michael Jordan had his desire to prove he was the best. He was cut in high school, which drove him as a young man. In the NBA Finals, Jordan famously destroyed Charles Barkley and Karl Malone, who won MVPs over Jordan. Every athlete is competitive. But few showed contempt and hate and anger like Jordan would.

I mention this because Tim Tebow turned it on Saturday because of his love for his team and his hate for his opponents.

The Seminoles fired up Tebow before last year's game when linebacker Geno Hayes vowed to "take him down." This time, the FSU fans offered Tebow a little extra motivation.

They cheered wildly when Harvin, the team's leading receiver, left the game in the second quarter with a sprained right ankle. He limped off the field with the help of trainers and didn't return.

Tebow was incensed by the reaction.

"That kind of irritated me," Tebow said. "I told the coach to give me the ball because I really wanted to hit somebody."

Meyer obliged, and Tebow carried several defenders into the end zone from 4 yards out two plays after Harvin's injury.

For a kid like Tebow, this just turned his knob to 11. It's also another look into Tebow's psyche. This was Jordan sticking it to Malone in 1997. For the elite, one loss or one slight will ignite them. That is why Alabama should fear Tebow Saturday.

Forget his stats. An angry Tebow is the most destructive force in college football. Florida has played very well since the Ole Miss loss, but watch how Tebow carries himself. He is not looking to advance the ball, he is looking to score. He is not looking to win, he is looking to destroy you. Tebow is Paul Bunyan and Danny Wuerffel rolled into one man, but as he is beloved he is hated outside the confines of the Gator Nation. He has been called stupid, slow, and not a real quarterback. Tebow has heard these insults since he was in middle school. Tebow is one of the few people who can be attacked for charity work, too. We all assumed that he would just brush it off; the good Christian turning the other cheek. Not any more.

This is Tebow's personal destruction tour now. He will say how Alabama has a great defense and that they are a great opponent, all true. But he has hate in his heart. There is an Old Testament beat down on the other end of Tebow's fist for Alabama. In a game of equal teams, the team with the best player usually wins. Guess who has that.

Tim Tebow knows his Bible and he knows his Gator history. He knows Danny Wuerffel led the Gators to a 45-30 win over Alabama in the 1996 SEC Championship Game. He may even know Wuerffel threw for 401 yards and six touchdowns against the Tide's 6th ranked defense. Tebow will try to cement his legacy Saturday and he is bring his hate to do it.

1. Alabama is 3rd nationally in total and scoring defense. Allowing only 11.5 ppg, Bama has pitched two shutouts and held four other opponents to single digits. They shutout Auburn Saturday, and while Auburn sucks, it's impressive when you shutout your rival.

2. The Tide averages about 200 ypg on the ground behind RBs Glen Coffee and Mark Ingram. They have 20 of Bama's 30 rushing touchdowns. In comparison, John Parker Wilson and his bangs only have nine touchdown passes.

3. Urban Meyer says Percy Harvin is questionable and game planning without him.

“It’s day-to-day,” Meyer said. “He certainly won’t practice the first couple of days. He’s here and moving around a little bit. We’ll see what happens...

“Obviously, we’ve thought about it because we’ve had to play through it (not having Harvin) a couple of times before. We have a plan. I just hope he’s ready.”

4. This ESPN article; "Polls show disturbing trend."

Thanks in part to SEC opponents Georgia, South Carolina and Vanderbilt all losing nonconference games Saturday, No. 4 Florida lost some schedule strength in the BCS computers and still trails the No. 3 position in the BCS standings by a decent margin.

That raises the question: Is it still certain that Florida reaches the BCS National Championship Game by simply beating No. 1 Alabama on Saturday?

The article goes on to state that if Florida wins Saturday, it is highly unlikely they would miss out. Plus, winning the game is a lot more important than hoping a few laptops break your way. But it is a sad state of affairs when the winner of a conference (include a one loss Oklahoma too since the pollsters have shown a willingness to move them around) is left behind for no apparent reason. The argument here is not that Florida should be in the title game (because I'm not being a jinx). The argument is that we should know what it takes to get to that game. All we have are assumptions. And at this point, a Florida-Texas BCS title game is as possible as a Alabama-Oklahoma game.

Florida Gators defeat Florida State Seminoles 45-15.

Let's take a look at Florida's most significant games this season, shall we?

That's right folks. In Florida's most significant games (five against rivals, one against Spurrier), the Gators were 6-0 and outscored their opponents 257-42. Oh. My. God. That is ruthless, that is incredible, but that is also pure Hate. The Gators could have let off easy and not kicked a late field goal against Miami or not called time outs against Georgia. They also could have pulled their first team earlier against South Carolina and Florida State. But Urban Meyer and the Gators chose not to because they Hate their biggest opponents. "Hate Tour: 2008" travels up Interstate 75 to a city crawling with Gator grads, but about to be invaded by houndstooth and Bama bangs. I hope UF continues bringing the Hate.

Speaking of Hate, I present Tim Tebow;

The Seminoles fired up Tebow before last year's game when linebacker Geno Hayes vowed to "take him down." This time, the FSU fans offered Tebow a little extra motivation.

They cheered wildly when Harvin, the team's leading receiver, left the game in the second quarter with a sprained right ankle. He limped off the field with the help of trainers and didn't return.

Tebow was incensed by the reaction.

"That kind of irritated me," Tebow said. "I told the coach to give me the ball because I really wanted to hit somebody."

Meyer obliged, and Tebow carried several defenders into the end zone from 4 yards out two plays after Harvin's injury.

I had already decided to name one of my future children Timothy Joakim, but this makes it even better. I'll have more on this quote Monday.

The thing I heard over and over again like it was a 'talking point' was how FSU was a second class/second rate university. In all fairness, it's not true. Good people go to FSU or have attended there (one of my good friends, who is now studying to become a priest). But their stadium sucks. It's a taxpayer financed Erector set with a crappy sound system, ridiculous scoreboard, and the worst turf south of Heinz Field.

As for FSU grads and students, with the exception of my high school friends who went there, I feel no kinship towards FSU people. None. And this isn't a rivalry thing. I always root for Tennessee or Georgia when they play out of conference. I've also enjoyed the company of LSU fans. Friday before the South Carolina game, I caught a drunk girl at Grog House who happened to be a SC student. Her friend apologized and I said, "No problem. Besides, you're an SEC cousin." She hugged me and said, "That's right baby! SEC!" Meanwhile, a FSU fan was trying to make conversation with me at Bullwinkle's on Friday and all I wanted to do was walk away. 

This was one of my favorite games ever because I was sitting in FSU's student section (because their students were too stupid to pick up their free tickets). After every Gator score, I would scream, "I'M IN YOUR STUDENT SECTION FSU! I'M! IN! YOUR! STUDENT SECTION!" As for other things screamed in Tallahassee, some of my favorite quotes from various sources (but Miss Lindsey takes credit for 1, 2, 3 and 7)...

1. UF Alum: "Don't be bitter you got rejected from UF!"

FSU Student: "I'm a bio chem major! I'm a bio chem major!"

2. FSU Fan: [To girls wearing No. 15 and No. 1 jerseys] "Hey Teabag and Slow, your jerseys are ugly."

UF Fan: "Fuck you, your face is ugly."

3. [Video boards play a 'Visit Tallahassee' advertisement and it is missing something.] "What the hell? Where is FAMU? That advertisement is racist!"

4. "Unconquered. Except by the US Army who killed all of them but left enough to run casinos."

5. "Chief Osceola is a frat boy in make up."

6. "I'm going to rip out that guy's voice box." [About middle-aged FSU fan who cheered and gave finger after Harvin injury.]

7. "Alabama can Roll Tide to Hell"

Alligator Army is in Tallahassee in Championship Mode.

Your submissions of why you hate FSU and stories.

"I used to throw things at the TV as a child whenever Bobby Bowden came on the screen. I also told FSU to quit calling my house because there was no way I'd go to their 2nd rate university. They were calling once a week and I didn't even apply." - Miss Lindsey

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"I despise FSU and everything they stand for. Their students are second rate and second class citizens in the state of Florida just like their football players. FSU and their graduates are inferior to UF and their graduates in every facet of life. Not only do they go to an inferior academic university but an inferior athletic university. Seriously, how can you be such a shitty academic university and not be good at sports? What do they have to hang their hat on? Their magnetic program? Their clown college? Well, I guess you have us there. The funny thing is FSU grads think Florida and their students are rednecks. Have they seen UF? The only reason why they went to FSU is because they didn't get into Florida.

It's not 1993 anymore. Derek Nicholson is not Derrick Brooks. Everette Brown is not Peter Bowlware. Myron Rolle wouldn't even play at UF because he is as slow as shit and he cannot run. And how is he a Rhodes Scholar at FSU with a 3.75 in pre-med? And how do we know if those are Rolle's grades with all the rogue tutors running around FSU? And I am tired about hearing how FSU's receivers are as good as UF's. There isn't one receiver at FSU that would be in Florida's starting lineup. FSU's entire roster has inferior talent. The only players that chose Florida State over UF, the small number that is, are either retarded or didn't want to compete. The one good thing about FSU is that they won't fire Bobby Bowden. And the longer he is there, the better UF will be." - G46

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"My fondest memory would have to be when I relentlessly screamed "God" at Wyatt Sexton. Sexton, for those of you who don't remember, was relieved of his duties as FSU's quarterback shortly after he was arrested for jumping up and down on cars, lying motionless in the street and claiming he was the son of God to Tallahassee police officers. Not only was the entire FSU offensive line laughing with me, but Sexton couldn't stop smirking. Final score: UF 34 FSU 7. Even God couldn't save the Noles that year." - Hanson

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"Back in 2004, I attended my one and only game at Doak with the Gator Band. It was Senior Day, naturally, and as they began to call out the names of the FSU seniors, something struck me. It sounded a lot like the introductions to a basketball game the way they were reading off the names. So, I began to (very softly) play one round of "Gator Bait" on my sousaphone after each name was said over the loudspeakers as is the custom at the O-Dome during visitor introductions. It was just as a joke to myself, and not intended to be anything more.

Someone else in the section heard me and began doing it too only louder. Soon the entire section of fans behind us began shouting "Gator Bait!" with us, at which point the director at the time raced up the stairs and shut us up. The fans kept it going though, first singing the tune then shouting it. It was awesome." - Mr. W.

Thanks to everyone who contributed. And I will be yelling "GATOR BAIT!" during FSU's senior intros.

When one group's dominance over another is lost, it is sometimes seen as an act of fate. In Britain, the Conservative Party was in power from 1979 to 1997, a period of electoral dominance unmatched in British history. But there was a belief in the party that eventually their rivals, the Labour Party, would win again, no matter the efforts of the Conservative leadership. That happened with Tony Blair in 1997, and Labour has not looked back.

I mention this because Florida State will win again (just like Georgia in 2007), but they will not snap the streak this season. In politics or sports (the only places where there are only winners and losers), not only do you have to have fate on your side, but you have to have the ability and skill to win. Captain Momentum will not join a side that does not deserve it. Upsets happen, of course.  But that is when the dominant team loses their footing. That happened once with the Gators this season. Do you think it will happen again? Has there been anything to say so?

FSU is still in a transition period. Christian Ponder may be a great QB, but he makes too many mistakes (12 TD/11 INT/16 Sacks). Excluding wins against Western Carolina and Chattanooga, those numbers are even more striking (6 TD/11 INT). In regular competition, Ponder has not thrown for multiple TDs, but multiple picks three times. Florida State must jump out quickly, as they did against Maryland, but they do not have an explosive running game. Ponder has to play the game of his life for FSU to have a chance.

FSU's and Florida's defense are relative equal (FSU 7^th in total defense, UF 9^th ; FSU 19^th in scoring defense, UF 3^rd). Florida maybe scoring buckets of points, but it is the defense that is winning games. Aside from the crapfest against Ole Miss, Florida has been dominant and has not let up. If the defenses are relatively equal, who would you rather play with; UF's offense or FSU's?

FSU will win again. But it is not happening this season. (At least I hope so. I don't want my trip to Tallanasty ruined.)

From Seminoles.com...

Florida State Athletics has announced the availability of a limited number of tickets for the Florida State/Florida football game this Saturday, November 29. These tickets became available when FSU students did not claim their full allotment of tickets for this game.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! How could the FSU students not get all their tickets? Are you serious? What the hell is going on in Tallahassee? The tickets are $56 and you have to go here to get them. Here at Alligator Army World Headquarters, we are now debating if we should get a few, but no one is excited about going to Crapahassee. But if you got the cash to throw around, jump on it. Better than spending it on Christmas shopping.

UPDATE: Alligator Army will be there in Championship Mode.

...and remember, the Pilgrims would want you to be in Championship Mode Saturday. Also, tomorrow is your additions to the Hate FSU series, so drop your stories/jokes in the comments or email us at alligatorarmy@gmail.com.

From the 1997 Sugar Bowl, Ike Hilliard destroys the FSU secondary.

In the 1997 regular season meeting, Doug Johnson destroys FSU's season.

Nicki Meyer, a 5-foot-6 libero and Urban Meyer's daughter, will be playing volleyball at Georgia Tech next season. Meyer is a senior at Gainesville's Buchholz High School, and played on the Bobcats' 2007 state championship team. Sort of funny: Nicki, as a libero, is a defensive specialist. She's not allowed to play offense. Who knew Meyer would not have raised an offensive genius?

While it may be curious that the Gators did not recruit Nicki, it's possible she wanted to be on her own and that UF had reached their quota of Gainesville players (2). More importantly, at Tech she is just a girl on the volleyball team. At UF, she is the target of every red-blooded male. She'd need more than the Pounceys to keep random jackass dudes away from her. It's bad enough she has '"Losery Rivals Geeks" looking at her too.