Florida Football: 8 Reasonable Goals for Will Muschamp's Sophomore Season

Will Muschamp's freshman season in Gainesville didn't go as expected. 

The team was under-equipped for the wholesale changes Muschamp and staff tried to install before the season. Moving from a spread-option offense to a pro-style set was never going to be easy, but injuries along the offensive line and at quarterback crippled the Gators before they even had a chance. 

In his sophomore season, Muschamp and Co. will look to improve upon the 7-6 record that they managed in 2011. The Gators will be more comfortable on offense after spending a year in a pro-style offense, and the defense will return 10 of 11 starters to what was already a top 10 defense. 

The 2012 Gators will have high expectations, maybe not as high as their rabid fanbase, but there is always the same goal for every season. 

Which takes us to our first slide...

The Gators Will Win the SEC East

The Gators will win the SEC East. 

Let that sink in. 

Yes, the Florida Gators who finished last season a dismal 7-6 will play for the SEC championship in Atlanta. 

Without getting into too many specifics about games (that will come in a later slide) the Gators will get things together enough on offense to be able to win enough games to make it to Atlanta. 

Taking a look at the other teams in the East you have Tennessee, Kentucky, Vandy, South Carolina, Georgia and Missouri. Every one of those games is winnable and only two of them should be close. 

New offensive coordinator Brent Pease will do a better job mixing up his play-calling and getting more players involved in the offense. The Gators will have an improved running game, especially in between the tackles and the defense will be one of the best not just in the SEC, but in the nation. 

So mark your calendar, Dec. 1, 2012, the Gators will play the SEC West champion in the Georgia Dome. 

The Gators Will Win 9 Games

Going along with the first slide, the Gators will win nine games next season.

Taking a look at the Gators schedule let's take some of the games that may be easier to predict. Florida should easily earn wins against Bowling Green, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Kentucky, Vandy, U-L Lafayette and Jacksonville State. That is seven wins already with games against LSU, South Carolina, Georgia, Missouri and Florida State to round out the schedule. 

If we break those games down some more, the Gators could have and probably should have beat Georgia last season. The Gators handed Georgia a victory last year and will not do it for a second year in a row. The Gators threw away two possessions, one in the first quarter and another in the second, where they should have scored points. John Brantley was just coming back from an ankle injury that rendered him even more immobile than usual and Georgia barely escaped with a four-point victory. Georgia is being hyped as the team to beat in the SEC East, but I'm not drinking that Kool Aid. 

Florida will get to play LSU, South Carolina and Missouri at home and should be able to beat at least one of those teams in the swamp (personally I think they will win two of those three) and that would bring their win total to nine games. 

If the Gators can win at least nine games they will be in the hunt for an SEC East crown and a ticket to Atlanta. 

The Defense Will Create More Than 14 Turnovers

The Gators created a measly 14 turnovers in 2011 and that number can only go up. 

Jelani Jenkins alone dropped six potential interceptions. I'm talking about surefire hit-him-in-the-hands type of drops here. 

The defensive secondary will be vastly improved this season as the secondary has had time to grow up in the offseason and won't be so green next year. 

The coaching staff has put an emphasis on creating turnovers, which will in turn help out the young offense, and keep the Gators competitive in every game. 

The Defense Will Finish in the Top 3

Despite not being able to force turnovers the Gators finished with the eighth total defense from a season ago. 

The defense is returning 10 of 11 starters from that unit and gained a lot of experience from what was a very young unit last year. 

The Offense Will Finish in the Top 40

Brent Pease has drawn high praise, sorta, from Michael Taylor. Taylor, a sophomore inside linebacker, had these words to say about Florida's new offensive scheme. 

The Gators finished last season with the 105th ranked offense last season, and even the defensive players can see the improvement after only 15 practices. 

Predicting the Gators offense to take such a big leap from 105 to inside the top 40 may seem like a long shot, but if the players are buying into the system and the eighth-ranked defense from a year ago is impressed, Pease is doing something right. 

With all of summer and fall, plus a tune-up game against Bowling Green, Pease will have the offense ready by the SEC opener against Texas A&M at Kyle Field. 

Mike Gillislee Will Hold off Matt Jones and Lead the Gators in Rushing

Mike Gillislee has earned the starting job with his play this spring. The knock on Gilly last season was his inability to pass block and that he missed some time early on with an injury. 

Gillislee has stayed healthy and is thriving in Pease's new offensive system, which calls for more running between the tackles. 

Gillislee will make the most of his senior season and hold off incoming freshman Matt Jones, Chris Johnson and Mack Brown and become the Gators feature back this season. 

Latroy Pittman and Quinton Dunbar Will Emerge as Legitimate Starters

It seems as if we have heard this story before, Quinton Dunbar had a great spring camp. 

Last season Dunbar was the redshirt freshman that Muschamp and Weis raved about. He started five games, saw action in 13 but only managed 14 catches for 216 yards and two scores. 

Dunbar once again impressed this season, and under a new scheme I believe he will have a very successful 2012 campaign. 

Latroy Pittman committed early to Florida and never wavered in his decision. It seems as if the kids like Pittman, who are loyal to one school and commit early, are often forgotten. Pittman is a stud and will make an early impact for Florida as a freshman this year. He had only two catches in the Orange and Blue Debut but they went for 51 yards. 

Look for Pease to get the receivers much more involved in the offense than the former offensive coordinator and for the Gators to have a much more balanced attack. 

Jeff Driskel Will Win the Starting Job at Quarterback

Spring practice has come and gone and there is still no resolution at quarterback. The battle for who will become the starting quarterback will likely last until the fall, a week or two before the season opener perhaps. 

Jacoby Brissett took the first snap of the Orange and Blue Debut, does that mean he is the favorite? In my humble opinion it does not. Word had gotten out, thanks to Quinton Dunbar, that Driskel had taken the first snap of spring practice and this could have been a way to balance that all out. 

Taking a look at the performances in the glorified scrimmage, both quarterbacks were pretty equal, with a small advantage to Driskel. 

On the day Brissett went 9-of-16 for 233 yards and two touchdowns. 

While Brissett threw for more yards and touchdowns, Driskel's athleticism and decision making is what separated him from Brissett in my mind. Driskel was able to extend plays with his feet, even scoring a rushing touchdown, and mad the correct decisions throughout the day. 

Both quarterbacks will continue to lead the team through workouts and player-led practices until summer comes and the real competition will heat up once again. 

In the end it will be Driskel's decision making and leadership that will separate himself from Brissett and Jeff Driskel will take the first snap of the season against Bowling Green.