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The winner of the LSU vs. Florida match-up has gone on to win the national championship the past two seasons. Whoever wins Saturday night in Baton Rouge will be well on their way to returning to that game. The stakes dont get much higher.

And for the Florida Gators, those stakes come with risks.

First and foremost, the Florida Gators need to be extremely cautious about quarterback Tim Tebows health. If he got knocked out against the night-fueled LSU Tigers, the Gators may still have a shot to win the SEC championship, but it could potentially cripple Tebows career.

The good news for the Gators, who will make a game-time decision on the Florida superhero, is that they may not need their captain to win Saturday night in Baton Rouge.

Coach Urban Meyer understands the medical consequences of playing Tebow. If the doctors clear him, it will come down to Meyers decision about putting his quarterback in there. As much as Meyer believes in Tebow and trusts his judgment, I have to believe that if Tebow is cleared by the doctors, he will play Saturday.

Regardless of whether Tebow plays or not, the Gators will still be able to do Saturday night what they do best run the ball. And no matter who plays at QB, the Gators will have to protect the quarterback, something that shouldnt be too difficult against LSUs tepid pass rushing.

With Florida constantly spreading the field, there is not much chance the Gator quarterback of choice will face much heat. With that much speed on the outside, there is no way the Tigers can afford many blitzes without getting burned. I doubt that the Tigers will register more than one sack Saturday. If the Tigers are smart, they will drop into coverage and make Tebow beat them vertically with his decision making and arm.

If Tebow is not able to play, giving the Gators one of their best running options, they will have limited options out of their favored shotgun formation, and Jeffrey Demps and Chris Rainey will be forced to try and get outside against the Tigers line, because heaven knows, at their size, those backs arent going to run over the massive LSU defensive line. The Gators will stick more to the rush if John Brantley has to play in Tebows place. Brantley has a decent arm, but Meyer may be hesitant to force his young back-up to make big plays on such a large stage.

Regardless of who is calling the signals, if Demps and Rainey can get outside, the impetus will be on the LSU secondary to have their heads on a swivel and be prepared to make open-field tackles. A slipped tackle here or there in the backfield could be the difference in the game. The defensive secondary will have double duty, because when they are not trying to contain the rushing game, the small platoon will have their hands full trying to go up top with Floridas tall wide receivers, Riley Cooper and David Nelson

As much as everyone likes to talk about Tebow and the spread offense, which put up 51 against the Tigers last year in Florida, it is the Gators defense that really makes this team stand out.

The Tigers offense has sputtered this year, coming up empty in the red zone on over 20% of their trips there this season. Nobody would want to compare a quarterback to JaMarcus Russell, but Tigers QB Jordan Jefferson has been Russell-like in some of his decision making so far this year.

Jefferson will have to display a higher IQ when trying to deliver the ball against the Gators, as his team is going to have an extremely difficult time trying to run against Gators front line. In order to try and run the ball with some degree of effectiveness, the Tigers may want to follow the Gators form and spread their offense out to loosen up the middle. The Tigers have to be able to pass against Florida if they want to be able to run, and I dont have confidence in Jefferson going without an interception or two, especially if the Gators get on the board early. With Joe Haden, Major Wright, Janoris Jenkins and the rest of the Gator secondary proven as adept ball hawks, I think Jefferson will be flustered early and often by the down-the-field coverage, leading to sacks and hurting the Tigers in the down-and-distance department.

With Florida having won 14 games in a row and the Tigers on their own 21-game win streak in night games, something has got to give in Death Valley.

I think Tebows warrior spirit will lead him to the field Saturday night, if the doctors allow. His leadership in tough conditions and intelligence to play inside himself early on when he may still be feeling a little groggy will put Florida on the fast track to the SEC championship game once again.