It’s official: Wonder Boy will make his first career NFL start on Sunday.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that Tim Tebow wills tart for the Broncos against the Raiders in Week 15. Regular starter Kyle Orton has been dealing with arm and rib issues and wasn’t able to practice all week. It was apparent on Friday that Orton wasn’t going to be available.

Tebow completed 25-of-39 pass attempts for 344 yards, two touchdowns and three turnovers in preseason. If he does, look for the Broncos to keep it on the ground against the Raiders’ No. 26 run defense and take the pressure off Tebow’s shoulders. That said, if Oakland jumps out to a big lead and forces Denver to throw, it would be interesting to see how Tebow responds.

Even though expectations should be kept low, this will be a great opportunity for Tebow to show what he can do on film. Josh McDaniels believed he could develop into a starting NFL quarterback, but many others had their doubts. Whoever the next head coach is in Denver will have to be a believer too and if Tebow turns in a good performance on Sunday, he’ll have the film to prove that he can be a starter.

But again, it’s only his first start. If he has command of the huddle and can move the ball a little, that’s all that can be expected of him.

ESPN.com is reporting that Florida quarterback Tim Tebow returned to practice on Tuesday for the first time since suffering a concussion two weeks ago in a win over Kentucky. But Tebow still hasn’t been medically cleared to play against LSU this Saturday night.

The question now becomes: If Tebow isn’t cleared to play against LSU until Saturday, should Urban Meyer still play him?

The obvious answer would be “hell yes – what are you an idiot?” But even though this is a SEC game for Florida, it doesn’t mean that the Gators absolutely need a win. They could still lose to Tigers (a West opponent), win the East, play for the SEC Championship and then make another appearance in the BSC title game. Remember, the BCS system rewards teams for getting their losses out of the way early.

I’m not saying that this isn’t a big game for Florida because it is. What I’m saying is that risking Tebow’s health for this particular game isn’t worth it because the Gators could still accomplish their goals of winning the SEC and playing for a national title if they lose to LSU. Believe it or not, the bigger game for Florida is coming up at the end of the month when they host Georgia, which is an East opponent.

If Tebow is medically cleared to play in the next day or two and he doesn’t suffer any setbacks, then the obvious decision is to start and play him against LSU. But if he isn’t ready to go until Saturday morning or afternoon, then Meyer should consider holding his best player out and giving him another week to rest. After all, the Gators can still play for a national title with one loss, but they can’t play for a national title without Tim Tebow.

Besides, Florida’s defense is ranked No. 1 in the nation and LSU’s offense has struggled mightily in the early going. The Gators could still beat the Tigers in Baton Rouge without Tebow, which is another reason why holding him back if he’s no 100% makes sense.

According to ESPN.com, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow won’t practice on Monday and hasn’t been medically cleared to play LSU on Saturday. Tebow suffered a concussion two weeks ago in a win over Kentucky.

But Meyer said the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner is no longer dealing with post-concussion symptoms.

“From what I understand, there’s no symptoms and I think he’s cleared to act like Tim Tebow,” Meyer said. “Everything but practice right now. I know he’s allowed to watch TV. Earlier in the week he wasn’t allowed to do anything focused. I guess that’s normal protocol. And then after a week they acclimate.”

Meyer said Tebow has been without headaches and other symptoms for several days. He said Tebow was given balance and memory tests Friday, Sunday and Monday, and the results were “very positive.”

First and foremost, it’s good to hear that Tebow isn’t suffering any post-concussion symptoms. Hopefully the medical reports will continue to be positive and he can continue playing soon.

But speaking only from a football sense, this is horrible timing for Florida. If they were playing Holy Trinity Sisters of the Poor in five days, resting Tebow for another week would make sense. But with LSU and their ferocious defense coming up, the decision on whether or not to play Tebow gets a little cloudier.

That said, if he’s not medically cleared to play, then there’s no debate – he needs to sit out. But what if he’s medically cleared at the end of the week and he missed five days of practice? Should Florida still play him?

This is going to be an interesting dilemma for Meyer.