Is Florida a Legit Threat to Reach SEC Title Game and Steal a Playoff Berth?
The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party between Florida and Georgia in Jacksonville served as a celebration for the Gators and a reminder to the college football world that they are relevant.
Behind a stifling defense that limited first-year head coach Kirby Smart's crew to just 164 yards, eight first downs and 3.04 yards per play, the defending SEC East champs got just enough from quarterback Luke Del Rio in his second start since suffering an MCL injury in September to top the Bulldogs 24-10.
As head coach Jim McElwain noted after the game, per Landon Watnick of Rivals.com, the Gators are in a good place heading into the final month of the season:
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It's time to take Florida seriously not just as an SEC East front-runner, but also as a program on the fringe of the College Football Playoff conversation.
The Gators sit at 4-1 in conference play and will likely play in Atlanta for the second straight season, despite the loss to Tennessee on the resume. Why? Tennessee's stunning loss to South Carolina on Saturday night gave Florida a cushion over the Volunteers (5-3, 2-3 in SEC play). Kentucky (5-3, 4-2) is the only two-loss SEC East team, and the Gators already defeated the Wildcats.
The upcoming road will be difficult to navigate for the Gators, with trips to Arkansas and LSU on the horizon and South Carolina sandwiched in between.
Road trips aren't easy, but winning out is doable for this group of Gators, and it's not even a requirement anymore for a division title based on Tennessee's struggles.
Florida isn't sexy.
In fact, sometimes it is painful to watch offensively.
But the defense is next-level good and proved it yet again Saturday afternoon.
Holding Georgia to 21 rushing yards on 19 carries matters a lot, especially since stars Nick Chubb and Sony Michel were healthy at EverBank Field. Granted, Georgia's offensive line is next-level bad, but Florida's defensive front led by Caleb Brantley, Jabari Zuniga and a host of others deserves a ton of credit for making the Bulldogs look silly in the trenches.
That helps on the back end, where the Gators proved again just how loaded they are.
You know all about the play of cornerbacks "Teez" Tabor and Quincy Wilson, but the ultra-versatile Duke Dawson stole the show in Jacksonville after a somewhat sluggish first quarter. Dawson had two big pass breakups in the fourth quarter—including one on 4th-and-2 with 9:57 to play—to tie a bow on a statement game for the Gators defense.
The recipe of stopping the run up front and taking advantage on the back end in obvious passing situations is the exact same defensive blueprint defenses use to stop Arkansas and LSU. Plus, it's not like South Carolina has the offensive talent to deal with Florida's defense.
Are there offensive issues at Florida?
Of course.
Del Rio only threw for 131 yards, one touchdown and tossed a pick against the Bulldogs. But he's still relatively inexperienced taking snaps behind a young offensive line that's figuring things out.
Saturday was a good step forward, according to Del Rio, via Graham Hall of the Gainesville Sun:
With a defense like the one Florida has, learning on the fly is just fine given Del Rio's extended midseason absence.
It isn't pretty, but Florida is a threat.
How much of a threat depends on how much Del Rio can quickly expand the playbook.
Arkansas and South Carolina should be no problem for the defense to lead the way, but the makeup game in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Nov. 19—after the home date versus LSU was postponed because of Hurricane Matthew—will make or break the Gators as a true contender.
The rivalry game with Florida State will be a challenge, but Florida's defensive line could be the difference. The Seminoles entered Saturday tied for 106th in the nation in sacks allowed (21), which would not bode well for redshirt freshman Deondre Francois against the Gators.
If they make it to the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta with playoff hopes intact, the defense is more than capable of springing what likely will be an upset on the SEC West champion and continuing the unlikely playoff push.
A Florida win over LSU would likely eliminate the Tigers. The Gators have a fast and versatile front seven that can slow down the rushing attack of Texas A&M, Auburn and Alabama; and the secondary would make life difficult for any of the three quarterbacks.
The offense will have to improve. But the Gators have a month to do it, which is more than enough time to iron out the issues.
The playoff is a long shot, but it's not a "no shot."
Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Statistics courtesy of CFBStats unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information is courtesy of Scout. Odds provided by Odds Shark.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter: @BarrettSallee.
