People are having trouble pinning down exactly what Florida’s year is going to look like.
A look across various national media outlets has Florida finishing anywhere from third to fifth in the division, with the best record of 7-5 and the worst record of 5-7. A common refrain revolves around new head coach Jim McElwain — some maintain that because he’s new, he will be bringing the Gators a new burst of life. But some are skeptical, precisely because he’s new.
SEC Network analysts Clint Stoerner and Chris Doering recently got together to predict Florida’s record for the 2015 season. They started with some sure wins already up on the board before they got into games in contention:
- vs. New Mexico State
- vs. East Carolina
- at Kentucky
- vs. Vanderbilt
- vs. Florida Atlantic
Worth noting here is how easily both analysts decided that Florida would beat Kentucky, despite an improving Wildcats defense and outstanding offensive weapons. While they didn’t discuss the game further, one must think that Stoerner and Doering believe Florida’s defense will carry them through.
Now come the matchups that are harder to decide:
Sept. 26 — Tennessee at Florida
Predicted result: Win
Doering: “I really think that this is going to be tough for Josh Dobbs going into the Swamp. He put up big numbers last year but look who it was against — South Carolina, Kentucky, Vanderbilt. I want to see him do it against the best of the best.”
Stoerner: “Florida’s defense wins this game.”
Oct. 3 — Ole Miss at Florida
Predicted result: Loss
Stoerner: “Ole Miss is going to be a tough one. That star-studded class Hugh Freeze recruited a few years back is of age right now. I like Ole Miss beating these guys in a close one.”
Doering: “Two great defenses, but I think the difference here is whoever ends up being the quarterback for the Rebels is going to have to go into the Swamp early in the season. I don’t know that they’re going to be ready for that.”
Because the analysts were split, the moderator Peter Burns decided to play tiebreaker and assign Florida the loss.
Oct. 10 — Florida at Missouri
Predicted result: Loss
Doering: “I think Missouri is a tough place to play for the Gators, a long road trip. They’ve lost to them badly the last two years. I think they lose that one.”
Stoerner: “I think it’s a win. Again, that defensive experience and talent is hard to overcome. Missouri’s got some young guys playing for them.”
Burns again went for the loss in the tiebreaker, citing the fact that Columbia, Mo., is indeed a tough environment to play in.
Oct. 17 — Florida at LSU
Predicted result: Loss
Doering: “Despite the quarterback issues with the Tigers, that’s a tough road game.”
Stoerner: “It doesn’t matter who the quarterback is. You go to LSU, it’s tough on you.”
Oct. 31 — Florida vs. Georgia
Predicted result: Loss
Stoerner: “I love Florida in this football game.”
Doering: “I think the running game, Jeremy Pruitt’s defense is going to be the difference in this one so I will say loss, unfortunately, for the Gators.”
Burns agreed with Doering and put another loss up for Florida.
Nov. 14 — Florida at South Carolina
Predicted result: Win
Doering: “I think we both agree they’re going to win that game at South Carolina. That’s a tough game usually.”
It’s interesting that Doering says “tough game,” but then skips right to talking about the Florida State game. Apparently it’s not tough enough to warrant any further discussion.
Nov. 28 — Florida State at Florida
Predicted result: Loss
Doering: “I don’t think the Gators are quite back to being level with the Noles yet. I think they lose that one at home.”
Stoerner: “Florida State, they’re national champion caliber football team. I don’t think Florida is ready for those guys either.”
Final Predicted Record: 7-5
Christine Wang is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. She covers Auburn, Arkansas and Ole Miss.
