Florida Gators Football: Early Game-by-Game Predictions for the 2011 Season
One word comes to mind when discussing the 2011 Florida team—redemption.
Redemption for John “Match Game” Brantley, who had one of the worst seasons ever by a Florida Gators quarterback.
Redemption for Chris Rainey, who was suspended for six games following a threat made to his former girlfriend via text message.
Dominique Easley, who spent nearly the entire year in former coach Urban Meyer’s doghouse, will seek redemption.
The offensive unit as a whole will seek redemption after a year’s worth of rotten performances. The entire team will seek redemption after losing five games for the first time since 2004.
Unlike Boise State, who has one tough game on their schedule each year, Florida will have one of the toughest schedules in the nation.
Florida Crushes Florida Atlantic 59-10
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The game against the Owls marks the first game for Will Muschamp as head coach. The owls return quarterback Jeff van Camp and leading rusher Alfred Morris but must replace Lester Jean, who led the team with 988 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
Owls head coach Howard Schnellenberger won a national championship with Miami in 1983 and probably wishes he had that team for this contest.
John Brantley will look to show what he can do in a pro-style offense. I expect Florida to win big in this game. Florida wins 59-10.
Gators Burn Blazers 48-14
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The last time the Blazers and Gators hooked up, Taylor Jacobs hauled in a school record 246 yards en route to a 51-3 win under then-head coach Ron Zook in 2002.
The Blazers will have one of the top quarterbacks in Conference USA in redshirt senior Bryan Ellis. In his first year as a starter, Ellis completed 56 percent of his passes for 2,940 yards, 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Senior running back Pat Shed enjoyed a solid campaign in 2010 with 1,318 yards and seven touchdowns on offense. The Blazers will have to reload at wide receivers and improve one of the worst defenses in the nation.
Florida wins 48-14.
Florida Rocky Tops Tennessee 34-17
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Florida is on a current six-game winning streak over Tennessee.
The Vols finally figured out Matt Simms stunk and inserted Tyler Bray into the starting role late last season, but in fairness to Simms, Bray started games in the weakest part of the schedule (Memphis, Ole Miss, at Vanderbilt and Kentucky).
Also, Tauren Poole turned into a pleasant surprise after rushing for 1,034 yards and 11 touchdowns. Tennessee lost its top three receivers but have Justin Hunter and former 5-star recruit Da’Rick Rogers slipping into starting roles.
On defense, the Vols will get Ben Martin back from a torn ACL, but looks really shaky everywhere else on defense.
I expect Florida to win this game by a comfortable margin. Florida prevails 34-17.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Kentucky Fried Wildcats: Florida Wins 52-13
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This game should be a rout from the beginning. Kentucky loses Randall Cobb, Derrick Locke and Mike Hartline.
Kentucky has done a good job of getting four easy non-conference wins and picking up two wins in SEC play. However, with Louisville reemerging, I expect Kentucky to fall back into their old habits in 2011.
If Florida could score 48 points with an anemic offense, imagine what they’ll do in a new system. Florida wins 52-13.
Alabama Sneaks Past Florida 21-17
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This is the first of a four consecutive game reunions for Muschamp. He’ll be matched up with his mentor, Nick Saban for the first time.
After getting blown out in the last two meetings with the Tide, this might be the most vulnerable Alabama has been in quite some time. I’m not calling Alabama bad by any means, but they will have important pieces to replace.
After two years of backing up Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson will finally get his chance to be the featured back. Losing Julio Jones definitely hurts, and the quarterback position will have a player with limited experience (assuming A.J. McCarron wins the job).
Despite losing Marcel Dareus, Alabama will have the best defense in the county. I expect this game to be a low scoring affair. This game could go either way, but I’ll give a slight 21-17 edge to Alabama, despite the game being played in the Swamp.
Florida Tops LSU 24-14
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Boasting a 4-1 record, Muschamp and players will head to Death Valley for another huge SEC matchup.
At this point, it’s far too early to figure out who’ll be under center for the Tigers (Jordan Jefferson, Jarrett Lee or Zach Mettenberger). The Tigers need to find another running back to replace Stevan Ridley and the inconsistent Terrence Toliver.
On defense, the Tigers will have to replace All-American Patrick Peterson, Kelvin Sheppard and Drake Nevis.
I expect Florida to bounce back with a hard fought 24-14 win.
Florida Cruises Past Auburn 38-20
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Florida’s struggles with Auburn have been well documented. Florida has lost three of the last four to the defending National Champion Tigers, and Auburn is the only school Meyer never defeated during his five-year tenure.
Gene Chizik will face his alma mater for the first time, and Muschamp is heading to his former stomping ground (as defensive coordinator) for the first time. The Gators will have good news. Auburn will have to replace Cam Newton, arguably the greatest player in Auburn football history.
Also, the offensive line will have to be rebuilt. It helps that Onterio McCalebb and Michael Dyer return to shoulder the load for the running game. On defense, Chizik needs to replace All-American Nick Fairley, Josh Bynes, Craig Stevens and Demond Washington.
Florida wins 38-20.
Florida Chomps Georgia 35-24
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After a bye, Muschamp will face his alma mater for the first time. Mark Richt hauled in one of the best recruiting classes in recent Georgia memory, and I expect to see several freshmen thrust into the limelight this year.
Aaron Murray enjoyed a great freshman season and proved he should’ve started as a true freshman in 2009. The only loss Georgia has is A.J. Green, probably the greatest receiver in Georgia history. The question marks for Georgia will be running back and defense.
Richt signed highly touted running back Isaiah Crowell but is known for playing his upperclassmen out of loyalty. Honestly, I didn’t see much improvement in Georgia’s 3-4 defense last year.
I predict Florida wins 35-24.
Florida Dismantles Vanderbilt 63-7
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There’s a reason why the Commodores are in the cellar every year in the SEC. They stink. The Orange and Blue scored 55 points on Vanderbilt through three quarters and called off the dogs completely in the fourth quarter. Expect similar results in 2011.
Florida wins 63-7.
Gators Escape Gamecocks 23-17
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This will be a tough game for the Gators. Florida would like nothing more than to possibly clinch the SEC East with a team that drubbed them 36-14 in the Swamp last year. Normally, I’d say South Carolina would win, but keep in mind Stephen Garcia is the quarterback for South Carolina.
Marcus Lattimore won't eclipse the 200-yard plateau but will play well. I predict this game will come down to the final possession for the Gamecocks, but Garcia will throw a costly pick in Gator territory in typical Garcia fashion.
The Ole’ Ball coach slams his visor into the ground, and Florida escapes with a 23-17 win.
Florida Shuts Out Furman 70-0
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Expect to see backups after a quarter-and-a-half in a glorified bye week for Florida. Florida hammers Furman 70-0.
Gators Scalp Seminoles 34-23
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The Florida-Florida State game could have national championship implications for both teams for the first time since 2000.
Florida State ended a six-year losing streak to the Gators with a thunderous 31-7 win in Tallahassee. Florida State players carried a Gator head in triumph and acted as if they were heading to the BCS National Championship game with the win.
This game pits Saban’s offensive and defensive coordinators (at LSU) together for the first time. This game will be close, but I expect Florida to pull away late to win 34-23.
Gators Knock off Crimson Tide 24-14 in the SEC Championship
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In the SEC Championship game, I expect Florida and Alabama to meet once more for the right to go to the national championship game.
Muschamp appears to be a motivated guy. Along with Weis and company, Muschamp will do his homework to correct what went wrong.
In a game billed as “Win it for Tebow,” I expect undefeated Alabama to fall to Florida 24-14 as the protégé beats his mentor.
Will the Gators Win the 2012 BCS Championship?
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Most people see a 12-1 record and a possible national championship bid (assuming there aren’t two undefeated teams) as a bit of a stretch, but I expect this veteran team to play like they have a chip on their shoulders this year. The weak SEC East will likely come down once again to South Carolina and Florida.
The Gators have a shut down corner in Janoris Jenkins and need at least one other person to step up. This offense will do major damage if John Brantley steps up for the Gators and the running backs stay healthy.
The offensive line was pathetic last year, and new faces can only be good news. The defensive line needs the young kids who have been around two or three years to start producing. Losing Chas Henry hurts, but if the offense scores, he won't be asked to do as much as Henry.
Plus, it helps that teams like Auburn and LSU lost vital players to make things a little easier for the Gators. Lastly, 38 points per game is a realistic goal for an offense that last year set offensive football back nine decades.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
