Two Most Important Games For The Gators

It's dark, and Hell is hot, Gator fans. The Muschamp Experiment, which initially on paper looked like it could be a winner, has shown itself to the door. Now is the time to muster a comeback and grip paradise. 2015 is a year when the counter-punches will start to land, but the key question for the postseason's sake, is whether they'll connect in September or later in the season. As David noted, there's a wide void between ceiling and floor for this Florida team. What amounts to a successful season probably differs in the Gator-verse, but winning key road games away from The Swamp are likely what separates a "great" season from a "meh" season.

September 19th at Kentucky

Yeah; I went there. Is this a blatant sign of disrespect? In some ways. It's also Florida's first chance this season to put the haters on notice. This is the Gators' first road game and will allow them to showcase what they are capable of going forward. Blowing out New Mexico State and East Carolina is nice, but defeating Kentucky in Lexington is an increasingly comforting annual rite. No need to worry, folks. All is right in the world. Now, if you please, look beyond the glittering lure, and know that miracles don't happen. The big fish still eats the small fish.

Lose this game, and the season elevates to Ron Zook levels. Win this game, and you head into the meat of the season with some tail winds and swagger.

November 14th at South Carolina

Beatiing the HBC in one of the toughest stadiums in the SEC is something of note. The break-up has moved onto the slight indifference stage, aided/laundered by something called the NFL. That's great for relationships, but ultimately doesn't matter for football wins. If you think that Florida is slumming by beating SCAR then take a whiff of this smelling salt. SCAR, UF, and UK are on the same tier. Weird, I know, but some wins this fall will dispel notions of tiers.