Columbia, SC (Sports Network) - The top-ranked Florida Gators close out the SEC portion of their season this weekend, as they invade Columbia to battle Gator great Steve Spurrier and his South Carolina Gamecocks.

The defending national champions are a perfect 9-0 on the season and are in the midst of a school-record 19-game win streak. Urban Meyer's squad kept the streak going with last weekend's 27-3 pasting of Vanderbilt. The Gators have already secured their spot in the SEC Championship Game with an unblemished 7-0 mark in the SEC East. Florida will close out the regular season with a pair of non-conference matchups with Florida International and Florida State.

Steve Spurrier faces his alma mater and the team he coached for 12 seasons for the fifth time. He is just 1-3 in the previous four tilts. The Gamecocks were ranked not too long ago, but back-to-back losses at Tennessee (31-13) and at Arkansas (33-16) have dropped USC out of the polls, with a 6-4 mark overall. With the loss to the Razorbacks, South Carolina has now slipped to 3-4 in league play.

Spurrier knows the task at hand with Florida coming to town.

"The number one team in the country (Florida) is coming in and they are a very good team. They have won all of their games. They do whatever is necessary to win the game. We certainly hope to get in a close game with them some how."

Florida holds a 22-4-3 advantage in the all-time series and has won the last three meetings overall.

Tim Tebow completed 75 percent of his passes (15-for-20), for 208 yards and one TD, while Aaron Hernandez grabbed seven balls for a career-high 120 yards and that was more than enough to secure the win in Nashville.

It has been a balanced attack that has been Florida's greatest asset on offense, as the team is able to move the chains both on the ground (240.7 ypg) or through the air (198.0 ypg).

It certainly doesn't hurt to have college football's top player running the show in Tebow. The senior superstar has completed 66.4 percent of his passes this year, for 1,531 yards and 11 TDs. He is also tops on the rushing list with 578 yards and nine more scores. Joining Tebow on the ground are tailbacks Jeff Demps (7.8 ypc, six TDs), Chris Rainey (6.4 ypc, three TDs) and Emmanuel Moody (7.0 ypc).

Hernandez is distinguishing himself as one of the best TEs in the country, hauling in 43 balls thus far, for 541 yards and two TDs. Riley Cooper is the best weapon on the outside, with his 32 receptions, for 481 yards and five TDs.

The Gators were without All-American LB Brandon Spikes (one-game suspension),but he wasn't needed against the Commodores, as UF's vaunted defense allowed a mere 199 total yards to Vanderbilt in the 24-point romp.

That has been the norm in Gainesville this season, as Florida's stop unit is simply one of the best in the country, ranking first in scoring defense (10.1 ppg) and second in pass defense (134.4 ypg) and total defense (232.4 ypg).

It almost doesn't seem fair how many playmakers there are on this defense, with several on their way to All-American status. The linebacking corps is anchored by the aforementioned Spikes, but Ryan Stamper has been just as impressive in 2009, leading the team in tackles (54), with 4.0 TFLs, one sack and two interceptions. Closing out the LB corps is A.J. Jones, who has amassed 33 tackles, with three sacks and the same number of interceptions.

The pass rush, which has accounted for 23 sacks thus far, is spearheaded by rush ends Carlos Dunlap (7.5 TFLs, 6.0 sacks) and Jermaine Cunningham (9.5 TFLs, 5.0 sacks).

The Florida secondary is as good as it gets, with All-American candidates in juniors Ahmad Black (50 tackles, one INT) and Joe Haden (44 tackles, two sacks, two INTs), as well as Major Wright (tied for team-lead with three INTs).

It has been a bit of a transition year on the offensive side of the football, with the Gamecocks averaging a modest 367.6 yards of total offense. However, the team's top mode of travel has been through the air, with USC averaging 246.0 ypg passing.

Redshirt sophomore Stephen Garcia has asserted himself as the undeniable number one quarterback on the roster, having completed over 57 percent of his passes, for 2,421 yards, with 13 TDs. Redshirt freshman tailback Kenny Miles continues the youth movement, topping all rushers with 488 yards on 5.2 yards per carry. Garcia's top target in the vertical game is Alshon Jeffrey, who has hauled in 33 balls, for 613 yards and six TDs. Moe Brown (29 catches, 433 yards, three TDs) is a viable second option.

South Carolina's defense has had its ups and downs this season, with the team allowing 20.4 ppg on just 305.7 yards of total offense. The pass defense (160.1 ypg) has been much better than the rush defense (145.6 ypg).

Sophomore LB Shaq Wilson currently leads the team in tackles with 69 stops. However, the player to watch in the front seven is All-American candidate Eric Norwood. Of his 62 total tackles, the senior LB has registered 10.5 TFLs and seven sacks, while also recording two INTs and one forced fumble. Norwood holds the career school-records for TFLs (53.5) and sacks (29). Cliff Matthews (39 tackles, 8.0 TFLs, 5.0 sacks) also knows how to get upfield and disrupt things. However, Matthews missed last week's game against Arkansas with a sprained shoulder and is listed as questionable for this week.

The Gamecocks have a difference-maker in Norwood on defense, but Florida has 11 difference-makers on each side of the ball, starting with Tebow.

Tebow revels in being number one and what that means week-in and week-out.

"It is pretty hard, but that's college football. Every game you go out there, you're going to get every team's best shot because you're Florida. It's going to be hard, and every game you have to compete. I think that's why it is so rewarding to win those games and get back in the locker room with your teammates. That's why it's so special."