Florida Football: Is Year 2 a Make-or-Break Season for Will Muschamp?

Will Muschamp knows that a 7-6 effort is unacceptable in Gainesville, and too many of them will get you fired.

But is two too many?

Will Muschamp's first season in Gainesville was the worst season Florida football had seen since 1979. The Gators couldn't manage to get any kind of offense going after the first month of the season, failed to create turnovers on defense and constantly shot themselves in the foot with penalties. 

The Gators had the 105th-ranked total offense in the country. They forced only 11 turnovers, and Muschamp is thought to be one of the premiere defensive minds in college football. The Gators were ranked 114th out of 120 schools when it came to penalties. The Gators were flagged 100 times last season in 13 games. 

Muschamp and company have said all the right things this offseason. Muschamp and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn have vowed to put more emphasis on creating turnovers in practice and a new offensive coordinator, Brent Pease, was brought in to solve the offensive woes. 

Muschamp knows that with every loss his seat will get hotter, and there is a sense of urgency to right the ship and win sooner rather than later. Ron Zook was fired after posting back-to-back eight-win seasons and going 4-4 in the SEC his third year. What will happen if the Gators post another seven-win season? Zook is the most-hated head coach in Florida history, and even he had more success than the 2011 Gators.

The nature of college football dictates that a new coach must win immediately. Whether it is fair to ask a coach to win with a roster of players he didn't recruit is up for debate, but the reality is that winning is the only thing that matters.  

With that being said, Year 2 is not a make-or-break season for coach Muschamp. If the Gators have another 7-6 or worse season the fan base will turn on him, but Florida's athletics director, Jeremy Foley, has shown loyalty to his coaches. 

Foley stood by Zook even as fans and FireRonZook.com called for his head. After Urban Meyer retired the first time it was Foley who told him to take some time and get back to him.

Foley will give Muschamp at least three seasons to get things going in Gainesville. However, with the expectations in Gainesville, "get things going" means Muschamp will need to lead this team to an SEC championship game by the end of his third season. 

The Gators seem to be much improved this season, and they will need to be in order to get their head coach off the hot seat.