What do we know about Florida this year, really? Very little. We know that Will Muschamp is a great defensive coordinator, and that more than one program thought he would also make a great head coach. But that doesn't mean Muschamp will make a great coach, as any one of several can't-miss coordinators who missed badly over the years can tell you. And we know that Charlie Weis bombed out at Notre Dame, but not always because of the offense and maybe because Weis is best as an offensive coordinator.
It's hard to see a program with the kind of talent Florida has getting stuck with a losing record. Then again, you would think it hard for a program with the kind of talent Florida has to go 8-5 last year. We all know how that turned out. The transition from the Meyer hybrid offense to Weis' more traditional pro-style offense is going to be difficult. But it's not going to be impossible, and there's no real reason to think that it should cause the bottom to entirely fall out of the team.
A quick note on the game-by-game predictions. Picking a team to win a game does not mean I think that team is inherently better than the other team. I'm trying to pick some upsets here, because as we've all seen over the last few years, upsets are going to happen in the SEC. So I know that some of these picks are a bit unconventional, and that's part of the fun. And as far as a certain rivalry game goes, I'll select the other team to win the game when they show me they can win it with any kind of regularity. Every new Florida coach has won their first game in that rivalry since Charley Pell lost it in 1979. Yes, that includes Ron Zook.
Place: 3rd in the SEC East
Record: 7-5, 4-4 SEC
Could be: 6-6 to 10-2
Best chance for an upset (besides the obvious): at SOUTH CAROLINA
Bowl: Gator
9.3.11 | FLORIDA ATLANTIC | WIN
9.10.11 | UAB | WIN
9.17.11 | TENNESSEE | POSSIBLE WIN
9.24.11 | at KENTUCKY | PROBABLE WIN
10.1.11 | ALABAMA | PROBABLE LOSS
10.8.11 | at LSU | POSSIBLE LOSS
10.15.11 | at AUBURN | POSSIBLE LOSS
10.29.11 | vs GEORGIA | POSSIBLE WIN
11.5.11 | VANDERBILT | LIKELY WIN
11.12.11 | at SOUTH CAROLINA | POSSIBLE LOSS
11.19.11 | FURMAN | WIN
11.26.11 | FLORIDA STATE | POSSIBLE LOSS