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SEC Network analysts disagree about Florida’s record in 2017
By Kevin Duffey
Published:
We’re going to know who the Florida Gators are right off the bat in 2017.
The Gators, of course, open up with Michigan at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Sept. 2, and they are still looking to name the starting QB and figure out a game-breaker to replace the suspended Antonio Callaway.
SEC Network analysts Marcus Spears and Gene Chizik predicted the Gators’ season game-by-game, and one had Florida winning 10 and the other one had eight.
Spears, the former LSU DL, thinks Florida gets a big win over Michigan right out of the gate, and two games later, the Gators will beat the Vols, according to Spears. Florida’s Homecoming Game falls against LSU this year, and Spears thinks the Tigers come to The Swamp and get a big win over the Gators. However, just two games later, Spears says Florida will beat Georgia to win the SEC East but lose to FSU to close out the schedule.
Still, winning the SEC East and finishing 10-2 in McElwain’s third year would be gravy, but Alabama, likely, would loom in Atlanta for the third straight year.
Chizik, the former Auburn coach, predicted Florida will lose to Michigan to open the season and FSU to close the season. Should the Gators lose to Michigan, it would snap a 27-year winning streak Florida has to open the season. Between the bookends, Chizik says Florida will lose two more: LSU and Georgia. Finishing 8-4 would be a letdown for the back-to-back SEC East Champions.
The Gators lost a ton of playmakers on defense, and the starting QB is still up in the air. Jim McElwain enters his third season after having taken Florida to the Atlanta in back-to-back seasons, only to lose to Alabama twice.
A graduate of the University of Florida and founder of Saturday Down South, Kevin is a college football enthusiast.
