Florida Football 2011: 10 Bold Predictions for the Gators This Season

College football is less than a month away, and football fans everywhere can't wait.

I know the Florida Gators' players and fans can't wait for the season to start either.

They need to get that bad taste out of their mouth from last season's disappointing year, finishing with an 8-5 record.

This season, they have a new head coach in Will Muschamp and offensive coordinator in Charlie Weis.

The expectations may not be very high this season, but the future is definitely looking bright for the orange and blue.

There are a lot of unanswered questions heading into the season for the Florida Gators, and nobody knows for sure what the season has in store.

But here are your 10 bold predictions for the 2011 season.

The Gators Will Beat Alabama on October 1st

Let's start off with a bang.

The Florida Gators will beat the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Swamp this season.

Alabama lost Greg McElroy and Mark Ingram to the draft, but A.J. McCarron and Trent Richardson are no slouches.

Alabama also only lost one starter from a defense that gave up less than 14 points per game last season.

Based off history, since 1993, the winner of this rivalry only wins a couple games in a row before the other team wins.

Alabama has won the last two games, which means Florida is due.

Florida may be making a transition from a spread offense to a pro-style, but that will only benefit them with their speed and talent.

This will be Florida's fifth game and first true test of the season.

The crowd will be going nuts, and the Gators will be out to prove that they are back and are a team that can contend.

The Gators will also have to travel to LSU the next week, so they have to win at least one of the two games. Why not the game at home?

This game is going to be a dogfight, but Florida will prevail with a late field goal.

John Brantley Will Throw 20 Plus Touchdowns

I know most fans don't believe in Brantley and can't wait for him to graduate so that Jeff Driskel can take over.

But Brantley has something this season that he didn't have last year.

That would be offensive coordinator Charlie Weis.

Weis has a long history of working magic with quarterbacks and turning them into something special.

I'm not saying Brantley will be the next Tim Tebow or Danny Wuerffel, but he can be a solid quarterback and help lead the Gators to a successful season, especially with talented players on the offense and a solid running game.

He won't be in any Heisman conversations this season, but a 20-plus touchdown season could really help silence the critics and fans that have bashed him the last couple of seasons. 

Jeffery Demps and Chris Rainey Will Have 1,400 Total Yards Between Them

The Gators have depth at the offensive line, but they will need it. There are several players that have a history with injuries.

With that said, they won't really help this prediction.

There is one thing that works for Demps and Rainey and that is their speed.

In the 40-yard dash, Demps runs an amazing 4.26 and Rainey runs a  4.36.

They both may be small in stature, but you have to be able to catch them before you can hit them.

Rainey and Demps had 186 total touches between them, and those numbers should increase this season in Charlie Weis' system.

They have 3,504 yards and 28 touchdowns combined. With both healthy, those numbers should improve greatly this season.

With two world-class sprinters in the backfield, it will sure be fun watching them feed off each other for another season.

Trey Burton Will Have Another Great Season

Trey Burton was "Mr. Do It All" and was really the X-factor last season for the Gators.

He has a 6'2", 222-pound frame, and is supposed to be a quarterback. But he is also a solid receiver and a great running back, as he led the team with 11 rushing touchdowns.

A player who can do it all like Burton is a great player to have on a team and helps create mismatches on a weekly basis.

Coach Muschamp says he will be doing it all again this season, including playing receiver, throwing the ball and playing the fullback position.

With Burton on the field so much, he will have plenty of opportunities to contribute and have a successful season.

Kyle Christy Will Be the Best Punter in the SEC

Kyle Christy is a freshman out of Indiana, and he will be the starting punter this season.

Christy has one of the strongest legs in the 2011 class. He is able to kick field goals as well.

Christy was considered by Scout.com as one of the best combo prospects in the nation.

When he hits the ball on the nose, it's as good as anybody in college football. Here's a video of him making a 50-yard field goal in high school.

The kid must have a bionic leg.

A.C. Leonard Will Have Better Stats Than Jordan Reed

A.C. Leonard is a freshman tight end that is second on the depth chart behind Jordan Reed.

But the expectations are high for Leonard, and he should get plenty of chances to prove he is worth the hype.

Leonard is a physical tight end.

He has great hands and should be a major weapon in Charlie Weis' offense. He runs great routes and catches the ball extremely well away from his body.

Reed has great speed for a tight end and the ability to get deep, but Leonard is more of a natural at the position.

The guy is a beast, and he will be given the opportunity to prove it, as the Gators will run more two tight end sets.

In Charlie Weis' system, the tight end position is more valuable. John Brantley will be looking for a security blanket.

A.C. Leonard will be that guy.

Jelani Jenkins Will Lead the Team in Tackles and Have 4 Interceptions

As a freshman last season, Jelani Jenkins emerged as a leader on this Florida defense, finishing second on the team with 73 tackles.

He also had one interception and one forced fumble.

Jenkins is an athletic freak who is always in attack mode from sideline to sideline.

The freshman All-American moves extremely well and is very effective at blitzing.

The sky is the limit on Jenkins potential and there is no question he will be great at the next level.

For now, he will terrorize the SEC.

Deonte Thompson Will Lead All Gators Receivers in Receiving Yards

The Gators have a lot of potential at the receiver position with Dunbar, Hammond, Jr. and Hines.

The player I believe will be the best out of the group is Deonte Thompson. 

Thompson led the Gators last season in receptions and receiving yards.

He is also the most experienced out of all the receivers on the team as a senior.

The Gators have a new wide receiver coach in Aubrey Hill, who came from the University of Miami.

I expect the Gators to use Thompson the same way the Hurricanes used Travis Benjamin, who had 500 receiving yards in 2009 and more than 700 in 2010.

Thompson has blazing speed and is an absolute threat downfield. He should thrive under this new offense.

Florida Will Beat Florida State November 26

If the Gators season is a complete failure, a win against the hated Florida State Seminoles would make it all better. 

Florida State is coming in with tons of hype, with everybody claiming they are back on the map in the football world.

All of that doesn't really matter when these two teams square off the last week of the season.

It doesn't even matter if Florida State is undefeated and the Gators are on their last chance to win their first game of the season.

When these two teams meet, you can throw all of that out the window. These two teams hate each other and they don't try to hide it.

With this game being in Gainesville, the crowd is going to be nasty and the players are going to want nothing more than to get revenge for the embarrassing loss they suffered last season.

It should be another classic game in this long, historic rivalry, but the Gators will find a way to pull out the victory.  

Florida Will Win the SEC

He said what? No way.

Well, they are bold predictions, after all.

The bottom line is that if everybody is healthy, the starting 22 players will be pretty good.

For this team to have success or even a chance to win the SEC East, it's going to come down to the play of John Brantley.

If he does well, this team could surprise people.

The coaching staff is going to take time, but Charlie Weis is a offensive guru and Will Muschamp is exactly the same on the other side of the ball.

If these two can start clicking early, things could get scary.

The good news is that they have time with three of the first four games at home against lesser opponents.

Things don't start getting difficult until Week 5 against Alabama.

With the SEC East being wide open, the Gators have a good shot as much as anybody else.

If they're able to overcome a difficult middle of the schedule they'll be able to cruise to the Georgia Dome.

November 12th vs. South Carolina could determine who comes out of the East.

You find a way to get to Atlanta and all bets are off. Anything can happen in that game.