clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Predicting the 2014 SEC Football Season: Florida Gators

With less than 30 days until the college football season begins, it's never too early to look at the 2014 football schedules and make wild blind predictions.

By CB969
It doesn't get much worse than this.
It doesn't get much worse than this.
Michael Chang

The eighth in a series leading up to fall camps takes us to Gator country.

Florida_logo_1050x100_medium

Florida Gators 4-8 (3-5) in 2013

Synopsis:
You never want to be on the losing end of another team's most historic win but that is what happened to Florida in 2013. Some Gators fans want to blame their home loss to Georgia Southern on injuries or the unfamiliarity of the triple option. However, if you are a "Power" team like UF (or Michigan), there is no excuse for losing to a 7-4  FCS (I-AA) team. Let's face it: that Gators team just plain quit. Now, they can either learn from that game and grow or they can let that humiliation take the program down the drain like Go Blue Nation has done.

Quarterback Jeff Driskel is back after breaking a fibula (OUCH!) against Tennessee in 2013. The former 5-star can't-miss prospect has had an unremarkable career to this point. If can stay healthy, the Gators should rebound some on offense. On defense, they had a few misguided overconfident underclassmen declare for the NFL. Vernon Hargreaves is back for his second season at one corner but the Gators are thin at the other DB positions.

Head coach Will Muschamp, entering his fourth season in Gainesville, is on the hottest of hot seats.

Key returnees:
CB Vernon Hargreaves, QB Jeff Driskel, DE Dante Fowler Jr., WR Quinton Dunbar, OL Max Garcia, OT Chaz Green, OT D.J. Humphries, LB Mike Taylor, LB Jarrad Davis, DE Jon Bullard, RB Kelvin Taylor, WR Ahmad Fulwood, WR Demarcus Robinson.

Key losses:
DT Dominique Easley (Round 1, Patriots), DB Jaylen Watkins (Round 4, Eagles), LB Ronald Powell (Round 5, Saints), G Jon Halapio (Round 6, Patriots), C Jon Harrison, DB Cody Riggs, CB Loucheiz Purifoy (underclassman not drafted), CB Marcus Roberson (underclassman not drafted), WR Solomon Patton, WR Trey Burton.

Newcomers:
CB Jalen Tabor (cited for marijuana possession in May), DT Gerald Willis, QB Will Grier, DT Thomas Holley, OT David Sharpe, ATH Treon Harris, WR J.C. Jackson.

The Schedule:
Aug 30 vs Idaho - W
Sat, Sept 6 vs Eastern Michigan - W
Sat, Sept 13 vs Kentucky - W
Sat, Sept 20 @ Alabama - L
Sat, Oct 4 @ Tennessee - W
Sat, Oct 11 vs LSU - W - I am feeling less confident with this pick but ya know - home field...
Sat, Oct 18 vs Missouri - W - possible upset alert
Sat, Nov 1 vs Georgia - L - should be a close game but Todd Gurley may be too much for them.
Sat, Nov 8 @ Vanderbilt - W
Sat, Nov 15 vs South Carolina - L - this is the kind of game SCar tends to blow, so we'll see.
Sat, Nov 22 vs Eastern Kentucky - W - Who?
Sat, Nov 29 @ Florida State - L

Let's Go Bowling? Yes, but will Will Muschamp be a part of it?

........

Other previews:


More From Roll 'Bama Roll