Okay, Gator fans, hear me out here.

If I had a vote in the Associated Press top 25, I would vote undefeated Utah as the #1 team regardless of what happens between Florida and Oklahoma.

The Jaguars season is over. Well, it's officially over.

The season really ended November 5.

That was the Wednesday after the Jaguars loss to the Bengals when Jack Del Rio banned Mike Peterson from the team facility.

Or perhaps it was opening day when guards Vince Manuwai and Mo Williams were both lost for the season.

On one of those dates (and there are probably other candidates), the Jaguars saw their chances to achieve their lofty goals die just a little.

This season was like death by paper-cut.

Add to the injuries to players and in the insult of the record the off the field issues with Matt Jones, Richard Collier and others and this was as forgettable a season as this franchise has ever endured.

So now what? Here's a checklist of things the Jaguars must do in order to return to contention next year:

Get healthy-I believe the biggest reason the Jaguars struggled this year was the injuries to the offensive line (and other key players). Its imperative that the Jaguars get Vince Manuwai and Mo Williams back on the line. You run with your guards and the Jaguars need to be strong and physical on both lines. But the chance to return to that style on the offensive line seems more reasonable because of the return of those two players.

Identify Core Players-Last year, you couldn't swing a used Byron Leftwich jersey without hitting a player you would consider being a core player for the Jaguars. Now, because of age and

New deal for Mojo-There is no doubt that one of the Jaguars core players is Maurice Jones-Drew. All you had to do was watch the Jaguars and you could see the effort and

Find a left tackle-Khalif Barnes is a free agent. I don't expect to see him back. The Jaguars were developing Richard Collier as a future left tackle. Those plans, clearly and tragically have changed. It will be very expensive to find a left tackle of quality in free agency. I would be shocked if they didn't draft a left tackle in the first or second round.

Get Glue Guys-Here's where the Jaguars can spend in free agency: on established veterans who know how to play a role in the NFL. The Jaguars had a surplus of those kinds of players in 2007, but they didn't keep enough of them around in 2008.

Overhaul receiving corps-Matt Jones will be back. Mike Walker will be back. Dennis Northcutt will probably be back. But the Jaguars need to find someone to make plays downfield on a consistent basis.

Get Physical-The calling card of Jack Del Rio's team has been physical play. But that didn't show up this year. Injuries were part of it, but there were a number of players who were physical presences in the past who weren't as big a factor in 2008. The Jaguars must re-establish their physical dominance and it has to start in the off-season.

Tougher Training Camp-Jack Del Rio believed that his team was on the cusp of big things and so he softened training camp in hopes of avoiding injuries. That didn't work. I expect a much more physical camp in 2009.

We'll find out this evening if Tim Tebow is a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. It would be a huge upset if he weren't.

The question is, has Tebow done enough over the past couple of week to join Archie Griffin as the only back-to-back winners of the award ever?

Let me start with this. I think that Florida and Oklahoma deserve to play for the National Championship. But I also think that undefeated Utah and Boise State do, too. In fact, I think that every team that won their conference (and a few that didn't) deserve to play for a National Championship.

But that's not going to happen.

Since I arrived in Jacksonville and began covering the Jaguars in November of 1996, this is the worst stretch of football that I've seen from the Jaguars.

True, the Jaguars have had losing streaks, but the Jaguars have now lost 4 straight and 6 of their last 7. The only win in that stretch? Winless Detroit.

There are so many theories about why the Jaguars have been disapointing this year. In an attempt to make sense of it all, here is a handy recipe of what really went wrong this year (by percentage):

Let's start with the premise that the Jaguars aren't going to make the playoffs.

Jack Del Rio admits that even if the Jaguars win out, they may not make it. The Jags poor record against AFC teams would be difficult to overcome in the tie-breakers.

So even if the Jaguars won out (a rediculous thought, considering the Jaguars current state), they probably would miss the post-season.

"Can't you see, this is the last act of a desperate man?"

"I don't care if it's the first act of Henry VIII!"

--Blazing Saddles

That line popped into my head after Jack Del Rio's 4 minute Wednesday press conference. It was clear that Del Rio wanted to get a specific message out, then be done with it.

He played the role of cheerleader on the sidelines in Detroit.

He was the first one off the sidelines after a big defensive play.

He rallied the troops and tried to energize the team.

In short, Mike Peterson did what he usually does. Only, he wasn't on the field wearing pads.

Jack Del Rio sent Mike Peterson home.

Say hello to the 2008 watershed moment of the year.