From Stewart Mandel's Mailbag (TheAthletic):
The Gators are expected to be underdogs against Alabama, Georgia, and LSU. If they are competitive but lose all three (and win the rest) how should Florida fans feel? Kind of meh? — Scott N., Raleigh, N.C.
That strikes me as close to a best-case scenario for Florida this season. The Gators had arguably their best season in more than a decade last year (prior to the Cotton Bowl debacle) and still lost to Texas A&M, LSU and Alabama (in the SEC title game).
And I assume most Florida fans are at least somewhat realistic that this could be a bit of a rebuilding year after losing quarterback
Kyle Trask, who threw for 4,283 yards and 43 TDs in 12 games; a generational tight end in
Kyle Pitts; and leading receiver
Kadarius Toney. There’s a whole lot riding on quarterback
Emory Jones, who’s played only sparingly to this point, and a transfer running back, Clemson’s
Demarkcus Bowman, who brings with him five-star recruiting hype but just nine college carries.
But of course, if you’re a Florida fan old enough to remember the Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer eras, you might feel that 9-3 should never be a “best-case scenario” for Florida football. Those guys regularly contended for national titles and rarely had a down year. Fair point. Dan Mullen has recruited well, but not to the elite level of those guys (or Ron Zook and Will Muschamp, for that matter), so it’s harder to envision the Gators seamlessly reloading.
I’m just being realistic. I think there’s a better chance Florida slips to 7-5 than rises to 11-1. In addition to those three, road games at Kentucky and Missouri could be tricky. If that happens, Florida fans will undoubtedly panic, but through three seasons, Mullen is 19-7 in the SEC with two top 10 finishes and three straight New Year’s Six bowls. That’s pretty good. I’m willing to give him a pass if there’s some slippage in 2021 — so long as it’s temporary.
