USA TODAY Sports previews Florida, SEC football for 2023

USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg previews the Southeastern Conference, including Florida football.

The Southeastern Conference is preparing for another season on the college gridiron with some of the best teams in the nation. A few of the conference’s schools are expected to compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff and one projected to earn its third-straight national championship.

USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg put together his preview of the SEC’s 14 member schools, ranking each team in their respective divisions while offering a blurb on his outlook. Myerberg has the Florida Gators ranked fourth in the SEC East and offered the following assessment on the Orange and Blue’s upcoming campaign.

Florida may be underdogs in as many as seven games this season. But the Gators should step up from a 6-7 finish in 2022 with better play at quarterback and up front. Coach Billy Napier pulled off a mammoth leap in Year 2 at Louisiana-Lafayette, so he could have something up his sleeve. Getting consistent play at quarterback from Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz will help.

Myerberg’s outlook is a little more bullish than many, though despite his positive projection still predicted a 6-7 finish in his college football re-rank — in which he also has the Gators ranked No. 36 overall. His call for “better play at quarterback” might be a difficult goal to achieve as well, given Anthony Richardson’s generational athleticism.

Florida opens its 2023 schedule on the road against the Utah Utes on Thursday, Aug. 31, with a kickoff time of 8 p.m. EDT.

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