Following a 4-8 season, head coach Will Muschamp seemingly made all the right changes. He hired a new offensive coordinator in Kurt Roper, as well as offensive line coach Mike Summers to give the 2013 offense an up-tempo makeover.
Now that the Gators have a new offense and are finally healthy, several fans as well as media members are pegging Florida to rebound and even contend for an SEC East title. There’s even a small faction that have them winning more than nine games and being a surprise candidate for a College Football Playoff bid, similar to Auburn’s unexpected 12-2 season last year.
But there’s one thing standing in Florida’s way that could hinder them accomplishing all that with ease, and it’s something that simply is the nature of the beast of being the Florida Gators football program: the schedule. It’s a true gauntlet, so let’s go through and see what the Gators will have to navigate week to week for the 2014 season.
The first three games for Florida should be a cakewalk. They open with Idaho, Eastern Michigan and Kentucky all at home — three teams with a combined 5-31 record in 2013.
But then the gut-check portion of the schedule begins in Week 4 with a road trip to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to take on the Crimson Tide. Alabama enters 2014 as the SEC Title favorite, as well as a playoff favorite. Sure, they don’t have their quarterback situation nailed down at this point, but with Derrick Henry, Kenyan Drake and T.J. Yeldon in the backfield who needs a quarterback? Defensively they return only three starters from last year, but as long as Saban is at the helm with defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, the unit is in good hands. PS: The last time Alabama lost at home was two years ago against Texas A&M.
The Gators get a bye week before a pretty tough three-game stretch. It gets started with a road trip to Knoxville, Tenn., to take on Tennessee. Florida hasn’t lost to the Vols since 2004, but don’t sleep on the Volunteers in Neyland Stadium. Last season they upset South Carolina at home and forced Georgia into overtime. If Florida heads into this matchup overconfident, Tennessee has the potential to flip the script on the recently lopsided rivalry.
Next, Florida gets a home date with LSU. This game has the potential to be one of the most exciting of Florida’s games, simply because of the significance of the rivalry. The Tigers enter with a new quarterback, but four returning starting offensive linemen and a talented tailback duo in Terrence Magee and Leonard Fournette. They have some new faces on the defensive line, but return defensive backs Jalen Mills and Tre’Davious White. A signature win against the Tigers just might be a victory that keeps Muschamp in Gainesville after this season.
The following week they get Missouri at home. This game being in the Swamp might just be the difference maker. The Tigers have to replace explosive defensive linemen in Michael Sam and Kony Ealy, and on offense they replace longtime quarterback James Franklin with sophomore Maty Mauk. Gator fans know that name well, as Mauk led the Tigers to a 36-17 victory over Florida in Columbia, Mo., last season. Mauk is without lethal wideout Dorial Green-Beckham in 2014 however. Depending on how the rest of the SEC East stands, this game could be pivotal on who makes it to Atlanta.
Florida gets a bye week before arguably the biggest game of the season, both for the Gators and for head coach Will Muschamp.
Florida-Georgia. The game that Muschamp hasn’t been able to win as either a head coach or a player when he was at Georgia.
It’s no easy task even without quarterback Aaron Murray with the ‘Dawgs, as explosive tailbacks Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall remain in Georgia’s backfield. This game is another matchup that could make or break a fifth year for Muschamp in Gainesville.
Florida travels to Vanderbilt this year, but I don’t see the Commodores pulling off an upset like last season’s. With no James Franklin in Nashville, Florida has the upper hand.
They follow the trip to Vandy with Steve Spurrier and the South Carolina Gamecocks coming to town. The Gamecocks enter with Heisman candidate running back Mike Davis, but they are breaking in a new quarterback in Dylan Thompson, but he enters the season 3-0 as a starter. Defensively no longer having defensive end Jadeveon Clowney could significantly benefit Florida’s offense here.
The following week Eastern Kentucky comes to town. Some may point to the Georgia Southern loss a year ago, but lightening doesn’t strike twice too often, so the Gators should be safe here.
The Gators close out their regular season with easily their toughest game of the year — traveling to Tallahassee, Fla. to take on the defending National Champion Florida State Seminoles. Not to mention they bring back defending Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jameis Winston. If Muschamp can pull off an upset on the road, it could easily make the case for Coach Boom to stick around.
Follow Morgan Moriarty on Twitter @Morgan_Moriarty
UF coach Will Muschamp looks down at the field during Florida's 23-20 loss Georgia on Nov. 2 in Jacksonville.
