No. 6 – Florida Gators – AP Preseason Ranking No. 8
Dan Mullen tried to spin some post-game poetry about how great it was to have college football back. Based on an earlier glance at Steve Spurrier, the OBC was not buying it.
150 seasons of college football is momentous but what happened Saturday night in Orlando may have set the game back a few decades. It was an ugly football game. The Miami offensive line resembled some Alabama football O-lines under Mike Shula.
The Gators still do not have a winning QB. Franks can make some plays but as was seen late on Saturday, he is even more capable of losing a game. Dan Mullen’s offense never established an effective running game.
Three or four less of what felt like a dozen QB sacks and the Canes win. Saturday will be an easy win for the Gators against UT Martin. The following week, the trip to Lexington should be no problem for a Top 10 team. That is if the Gators are a Top 10 team.
No. 7 – South Carolina Gamecocks – AP Preseason Ranking, unranked
Let’s just go ahead and give Will Muschamp the sympathy vote now. His schedule is beyond brutal. Alabama football in week three, later at Missouri, at Georgia, at TAMU and closing at home with Clemson.
The opener against North Carolina is a must-win. Six wins in 2019 would not be a bad result. Seven would be superb and eight wins with that schedule and Muschamp should win Coach-of-the-Year.
How long the win over Michigan (the 2017 bowl game) will carry Muschamp is not known. Slipping to seven wins last season was a major blip in what was thought to be an improving program. The Gamecocks must find a way to get two or three wins from the Missouri, Kentucky, Florida and Tennessee games.
No. 8 – Missouri Tigers – AP Preseason Ranking, Unranked
Quietly, Barry Odom may be getting it done in Columbia. Last season’s 8-5 record, was a two-point loss to South Carolina and a one-point loss to Kentucky away from a 10-win season.
Replacing Drew Lock ‘s production does not seem likely. Kelly Bryant brings different skills to the QB task and the Tigers will be less able to prevail in shootouts. A bigger question is if the talent level of the defense is good enough to move the program forward. Odom is a former defensive coordinator and that should help.
Slowing down West Virginia in week two will be a good test for the defense. It is possible the Tigers could head to Lexington in late October, undefeated.