Florida and coach Dan Mullen finally got over the Georgia hump in 2020, defeating the Bulldogs in Jacksonville 44-28 for Mullen’s first win in the rivalry series and UF’s first since 2016. By virtue of that win, the Gators won the SEC East, falling in the championship game by just six points to the eventual national champion Alabama Crimson Tide.
But that was with Kyle Trask, Kyle Pitts and Kadarius Toney helming the most prolific passing offense in school history. The play of that unit helped cover up shortcomings along the offensive line and on defense, but that masking agent is gone now.
The Gators turn to redshirt junior quarterback Emory Jones, two new starters on the offensive line and an almost entirely new starting receiving corps. They return more on defense, but that side of the ball still has a lot to prove in 2021.
If UF is going to repeat as SEC East champs, that will almost certainly require extending its win streak over UGA to two games. And given the fact that this is a Georgia team receiving title hype this offseason, that will be easier said than done.
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach isn’t buying it. In his predictions for the SEC, he has the Gators finishing second in the SEC East behind the Bulldogs, who he predicts will go undefeated during the regular season. Meanwhile, he has UF at 9-3.
He doesn’t, however, predict UGA to win the SEC. Instead, he thinks one-loss SEC West Champion Alabama will defeat it in Atlanta, setting up a rematch between the two in the College Football Playoff national championship game.
Though Florida likely has more question marks than both of these teams, that doesn’t mean either of them are sure things. Georgia is expecting a big leap in the play of quarterback J.T. Daniels, who opens the season with a tough challenge against Clemson. Alabama will also be trotting out a new starting quarterback this season, though it’s a former five-star recruit in Bryce Young.
It’s been clear all offseason that the national media doesn’t expect Florida to repeat as division champions. And given the turnover the team underwent, it’s understandable. UF will look to prove the doubters wrong and return to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the second-straight year.
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