Ranking Tim Tebow's 5 worst games as Florida Gators' starting QB

The fact is that it is really difficult to rank Tim Tebow's worst games as the Florida Gators' starting QB, not because there were many, but because there were so few. This list is more about the worst games in Tebow's Gators' career, more in an emotional way than performance-wise.

Today, we are taking a look at the losses that made a bigger impact on Tebow's career and the college football world's perception of him. Again, trying to find a truly atrocious performance in his Gators record is almost impossible, but there are certainly some games that rattled the young QB.

#5 17-20 vs. Auburn 2007

This is the first loss in Tebow's time as a starter. At the time, the Gators were ranked No.4 in the nation, and the Tigers, well, they weren't ranked anywhere. It was a complete upset, the No.4 team in the nation and the previous year's national champion were beaten by an unranked team.

On top of that, it was upsetting seeing the Gators being held to only two field goals over three quarters. They almost rallied in the last quarter with 14 points. Tebow wasn't awful by any means, going for 20-27, 201 yards with one TD and one INT.

#4 30-42 vs. Georgia 2007

The Georgia game in Week 8 of the 2007 season is where any hopes of a national championship for the Gators truly died. It was another upset, this time versus No. 20 Georgia, while the Gators were No.9. Tebow again wasn't really that bad, with 14-22, 236 yards, and one TD. Georgia Bulldogs RB Knowshon ran for a career-high of 188 yards and three TDs. Opposite Tebow in the pocket? Future Super Bowl winner Matthew Stafford threw for 217 yards with three TDs and one INT. Some might say he had a worse game than Tebow.

Tebow would win a second national title in 2008. His first as a starter.

#3 35-41 vs. Michigan 2008

Okay, this was actually kind of poor for the Florida QB. Tebow only threw 154 yards in a bowl game versus Michigan to close his Heisman season. This was another upset as the unranked Wolverines defeated the No.9 Gators in the Capital One Bowl. Nonetheless, Tebow accrued three TDs in this game. Rival QB Chad Henne threw for 373 yards with three TDs and two INT.

#2 30-31 vs. Ole Miss 2008

This is the "Promise" game, the Gators came with serious national championship hopes for the 2008 season on the back of Tebow's Heisman season and guided by coach extraordinaire Urban Meyer. After three straight wins, in came Week 4 versus the unranked Ole Miss Rebels.

Tebow had a great game, throwing 319 yards, but with only one TD. But the Rebels pulled the upset in the dying embers of the game. Florida would score a rushing touchdown to come between one point of the game, but Ole Miss forced a turnover on downs with 1:24 left in the clock.

What came afterward would become the stuff of legends. Knowing how a single loss can derail the season for a college football team, Tebow decided to address his teammates, fans, and the nation in a press conference. There, he vowed to fight harder than any team had ever done for the rest of the season. To this day, his words are engraved on a plaque at FU.

"You will never see a team play harder than we will the rest of the season, God Bless."

The Gators would go on to win the national championship that year.

Saban would be the SEC West's answer to Urban Meyer Gators

#1 13-32 vs. Alabama 2009

The end of a dynasty and the rise of another. Up to this game, the Gators were undefeated in 2009, and they were the favorites to repeat as national champions. In comes Tebow's and Meyer's kryptonite in the form of Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide. The nation would be polarized by this game. Those in favor of Tebow would see their hero fall like Icarus for flying too close to the sun, and those that hated him would cheer on the end of the Florida Gators.

In the SEC title game, Tebow would throw for 247 yards with one TD and one INT. Alamaba was ranked No. 2 at the time. Beating No.1 Florida earned the team a spot in the national title game. They would eventually beat Texas, earning Saban his second title and first with Alabama. It would be the first of six with the Crimson Tide and a dynasty that shows no sign of stopping. Alas, this would close a chapter in Tebow's college career.