John Brantley is all too familiar with the rigors of a Southeastern Conference schedule.
As UF’s 2010 starter, Brantley guided the Gators to a mediocre 4-4 record in the SEC, tying Florida’s worst finish in terms of winning percentage since 1986.
Still, Brantley believes the toughest month of his UF career may be ahead of him.
The Gators face a brutal October slate, as a home tilt against Alabama and the annual showdown against Georgia sandwich road trips to LSU and Auburn.
“That’s a tough month,” Brantley, a redshirt senior, said. “There’s four great teams we’ve got to face.”
Both Alabama and LSU are ranked in the top five of the AP preseason poll. Alabama, which has beaten Florida in five of their last seven meetings, checked in at No. 2 in the preseason AP Top 25, while LSU came in two spots below at No. 4.
A trip to Auburn means a showdown with the defending national champions, who are 14-2 at home in the last two years.
Florida closes October with the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, a contest in which the Gators were pushed to overtime a season ago.
Both Auburn (No. 23) and Georgia (No. 19) joined Alabama and LSU in the Top 25 when the AP released its rankings Saturday.
“That’s what we’re preparing for now,” Brantley said of the October schedule. “The tough camp and the hot days is preparing us for later in the season when we’re starting to get beat up.”
If there is any consolation for Florida, the season’s first three games will be played in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium against Florida Atlantic, UAB and Tennessee.
The Gators are 117-16 at home since 1990, the best winning percentage in the nation in that span.
That mark is bolstered by a dominating 55-4 performance in non-conference games.
“Being at home those first three games is going to help us out just to get everything together and figure out what we do best,” Brantley said.
Between the season-opening three-game homestand and the nightmarish October is a trip to face Kentucky, a team UF has beaten in 24 consecutive matchups.
In November, Florida will host two relatively soft opponents in Vanderbilt and Furman. UF will also travel to South Carolina (No. 12) to take on the SEC East favorite Gamecocks before finally closing the season at home against rival powerhouse Florida State (No. 6) on Nov. 26.
Contact Greg Luca at gluca@alligator.org
UF 2011 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Sept. 3 vs FAU
Sept. 10 vs UAB
Sept. 17 vs Tennessee
Sept. 24 at Kentucky
Oct. 1 vs Alabama
Oct. 8 @ LSU
Oct. 15 @ Auburn
Oct. 29 vs Georgia (in Jacksonville)
Nov. 5 vs Vanderbilt (Homecoming)
Nov. 12 at South Carolina
Nov. 19 vs Furman
Nov. 26 vs FSU
