GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Chris Leak has one last chance to win a game at Neyland Stadium. Imagine that.

That was unthinkable four years ago when Leak was expected to join his brother, C.J., at the University of Tennessee after a record-setting career at Independence High School in Charlotte, N.C.

Leak has started 35 college games at quarterback since then. He has started one at Neyland Stadium.

On Saturday night, he will revisit a stadium that once seemed like home. Leak and his seventh-ranked Florida Gators are a slight favorite to defeat the 13th-ranked Vols in the nationally televised game.

It's a road game with home-like memories for Leak, who attended UT games with his parents when he was in high school and his brother was a Vol.

"I've been there so many times," Leak said earlier this week. "I'm used to the atmosphere.

"It's going to be a special moment for me. My family will be there."

Remember when the Leaks and Vols were one big happy family? Then, you also remember how it all unraveled.

C.J. Leak started at quarterback for an injured Casey Clausen, struggled for a couple of series and was replaced by James Banks. When UT pulled C.J. from the game, it pushed away a high school All-American who already was being projected as the Vols' next big-time quarterback.

Miffed that his brother was benched so quickly, Chris didn't just turn his back on the Vols. He signed with the Florida Gators.

The date of C.J.'s first start -- and fast benching -- was Oct. 12, 2002. Since that date, both the Vols and Gators have had more downs than ups.

Including that Georgia game, the Vols are 31-16 since C.J.'s ill-fated start. They have won one SEC East title but no conference championships. They haven't finished in the top 10 or played in a BCS bowl. Last season's 5-6 record was the program's worst in 17 years.

That's UT without Leak. With Leak, Florida hasn't been any better.

The Gators are 30-16 during that stretch, which has included three five-loss seasons, the firing of coach Ron Zook, the hiring of coach Urban Meyer, and no division championships.

Florida's drop-off says more about Zook than Leak. But you can only wonder how much better Leak and UT would have been together than apart.

He might have stabilized a position that has been marked by instability since Clausen's departure. That's assuming he would have been comfortable beating out his brother for the starting job in 2004.

UT alternated Brent Schaeffer and Erik Ainge at quarterback. It alternated Ainge and Rick Clausen.

It has never alternated brothers.

If the brotherly competition had worked out, Chris could have taken over as UT's quarterback in 2005. With him at quarterback, there would have been no 5-6 debacle. There also would have been more victories, but not any more championships.

Leak has been a good quarterback, not a great one. He has been an accurate passer and worked hard to fit into a Meyer offense that wasn't designed for a drop-back passer like Leak.

But he hasn't been a difference-maker.

As a sophomore and junior, Leak was Florida's starting quarterback from the first game to the last. In those two seasons, Florida was 4-5 in games decided by seven points or fewer.

There's nothing wrong with his overall numbers. He has completed 60.7 percent of his passes, thrown 72 touchdown passes and could surpass Danny Wuerffel as Florida's leader in career passing yardage and completions.

But he hasn't led the Gators to anything bigger than the Outback Bowl. So much more was expected of the consensus No. 1 national recruit in the class of 2003.

That's why this game and this season are so important. Leak still has time to prove his critics wrong and alter his legacy.

And he still has a chance to win a game at Neyland Stadium.

Both Leak's toughness and on-the-field decision-making have been questioned through the years. But how can you fault the way he played in his two starts against UT?

He played well enough to win in 2004 but didn't get nearly enough help from his defense. Last year, he protected the football and managed the game nicely as Florida's defense did most of the work in a 16-7 victory.

Leak has been exceptional in his first two games this season. He has completed 67.8 percent of his passes for 600 yards and seven touchdowns. Moreover, Meyer has lauded him for his leadership and understanding of the offense.

But 34-7 and 42-0 victories against a couple of unranked opponents won't silence all of Leak's critics.

Meyer was told Tuesday that Leak was only 7-7 for his career against Top 25 opponents.

"At the University of Florida, you should be better than that," Meyer told The Gainesville Sun. "That's surprising. I thought he was a little better than that."

Maybe he is better than that. And maybe, in a stadium Leak once considered his future home, he will prove it.