Florida Gators

More than 200 people came to Friday's dedication of the newest addition to the University of Florida - the Steinbrenner Band Hall.<br>The facility includes a new rehearsal hall that can fit the entire 325-piece marching band, a 1,600-square-foot music library and 3,500 feet of instrument and uniform storage space.

A crisis team was dispatched to Hawthorne Middle High School on Friday after the deaths of a custodian and a home-schooled student and serious injuries to three others in a Thursday night crash.

TALLAHASSEE - Florida's budget gap grew to $2.1 billion Friday as economists said the state's economy has some rough times ahead as it is buffeted by a global recession but should begin a recovery in early 2010.

The Road to the Citrus Bowl and the Florida High School Athletic Association state football finals began Thursday and Friday nights at 96 sites around the Sunshine State. For the most part, the favorites prevailed. What follows are the state scorelist from Thursday and Friday and next week's games with revised school records.

On a day when necessity, the mother of all invention, and opportunity collided head-on, James Smith needed only to say yes I can. He really wasn’t looking for a life-changing experience, just for a chance to play high school football.

It was 98 years ago when Florida first met The Citadel on the gridiron in Jacksonville with the Gators winning the game 6-2. When the Gators meet the Bulldogs Saturday (1:30 p.m., Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Pay Per View) for the 14th time, they will be paying homage in the pre-game ceremonies to one of The Citadel’s finest, the man you all know as “Mr. Two Bits.” On the final home game of the 2008 season, 86-year-old George Edmondson will retire his yellow shirt, orange and blue tie, searsucker pants, saddle oxfords, whistle and “two-bits” sign as the Gators square off with his alma mater.

There are several options for fans wishing to watch or listen to the broadcast of the Gator Football team's game against The Citadel on Saturday. The game can be seen on Pay-Per-View and the audio broadcast is available in multiple formats.

University of Florida junior running back/wide receiver Percy Harvin (Virginia Beach, Va.) has been named as the Week 12 AT&T All-America Player of the Week, it was announced on Friday.

University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, whose remarkable humanitarian efforts have captivated college football fans nationwide, has been chosen for the Disney Spirit Award given annually to college football's most inspirational figure.

A solid outing for the Orange as it tunes up for its first big game of the year against Florida on Monday. Syracuse never felt threatened as it beat Oakland (Mich.) 86-66 in the Carrier Dome Friday night.

How much better can the No. 1 offensive tackle in America get? Well, according to Xavier Nixon's Head Coach Richard Bailey he has improved in a number of areas since his ranking came out a while ago. Bailey also says that Nixon may be out of time for official visits other than the one he already took to Florida and four teams stand out for the big time offensive lineman.

Four star linebacker Jarvis Jones had a painful end to his senior season after he broke his left hand in three places three weeks ago. His season officially came to an end when he elected to have surgery on Monday. Jones shared his thoughts on Texas and its decision to announce that defensive coordinator Will Muschamp is Head Coach in Waiting.

Maybe the logjam at QB next year just cleared up a bit. Of course we don't know all the facts but this certainly looks bad.

And the Gators shall lead them. 1 Florida 1.000 2 Texas 0.953 3 Southern California 0.918 4 Texas Tech 0.858 5 Ohio St. 0.820 6 Oklahoma 0.814 7 Boise St. 0.778 8 Georgia 0.774 9 TCU 0.763 10 Missouri 0.728 11 North Carolina 0.718 12

Dennis Dodd points out that things are too quiet in Cincinnati. Which is interesting b/c I heard the deal was finalized last night. That being said, there are also rumblings that Lane Kiffin (w/ Ed Orgeron as his DC) will be the next guy in Knoxvegas. Why do I think of that scene with John Candy and Steve Martin when I read this article? Skip Holtz you are going the wrong way! Word out of