John Brantley Injury: Predicting Florida's Remaining Games If He's out

After starting off the game hot, Florida proceeded to fall apart after starting quarterback John Brantley left the game after having his leg twisted awkwardly in the second quarter of the 38-10 loss to Alabama this past Saturday night.

The Gators offense stalled with Brantley’s replacement, true freshman Jeff Driskel, at the helm.

Reports indicate that Brantley is likely going to miss this weekend’s game against LSU with what is rumored to be a high ankle sprain. http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/29545/john-brantley-expected-to-sit-against-lsu 

We have no definitive word on the extent of the injury just yet and no timetable for a return, but this is obviously a tough blow for both Brantley, who was enjoying a rejuvenated bounce-back campaign, and the Florida offense, which will now have to rely on a talented yet extremely inexperienced quarterback calling the shots in one of the most important games of the season.

Even though it’s highly unlikely, what would happen if Brantley actually missed the entire rest of the season?

How would the Gators fare in each of their remaining games?

Oct. 8: At LSU

Prediction: Loss

Even if John Brantley were able to play in this game, it’s doubtful that Florida would have much of a shot in this one.

LSU’s pass rush and secondary are just too much to handle, and the crowd at Tigers Stadium is going to be relentless on Saturday.

Send Jeff Driskel your prayers, because he’s going to need them.

Oct. 15: At Auburn

Prediction: Win

You have to give credit to Auburn for finding a way to keep coming through in late-game situations and finding a way to win, but that still doesn’t mask the fact that the Tigers have a horrible secondary.

Yes, to be fair, they are still young and inexperienced, and they have time to grow, but even if Brantley can’t play in this one, Jeff Driskel should have no problem finding holes in Auburn’s defensive backfield.

It will surely be a tough environment, but it didn’t exactly rattle Utah State or Mississippi State all that much.

Oct. 29: vs. Georgia

Prediction: Loss

This is going to be a pivotal game in the race to win the SEC East, and Florida will need Brantley back to shoot it out with Georgia QB Aaron Murray.

After a rough start to the season, the Bulldogs have rebounded and climbed back to 3-2.

Georgia still has hopes of making it to Atlanta and Florida better expect their best shot.

Don’t sleep on the Bulldogs secondary, which is only giving up 151 passing yards per game.

Nov. 5: vs. Vanderbilt

Prediction: Win

Vanderbilt has actually gotten off to a surprising 3-1 start but the Commodores are in for a rude awakening once they really dive into the thick of their SEC schedule.

Florida hasn’t lost to Vanderbilt since 1988, and that won’t change this year, whether John Brantley starts or not.  

Nov. 12: At South Carolina

Prediction: Loss

You could make a case that John Brantley was one of the biggest reasons that Florida got throttled by South Carolina last year, so maybe playing without him for this one wouldn’t be so bad.

Still, if you’re going to go on the road and take on the team that’s favored to win your division, you want to be at full strength.

Without Brantley, it would be hard to see the Gators going to Columbia and picking up a victory, even though South Carolina hasn’t looked nearly as dominant as people expected.

Nov. 19: vs. Furman

Prediction: Win

I could start at quarterback for Florida and the Gators would still beat Furman by at least four touchdowns.

Nov. 26: vs. Florida State

Prediction: Win

While it’s highly doubtful that Brantley will be out all season long, if for some strange reason he doesn’t come back, by this time in the year, Jeff Driskel should have matured enough to handle a big game like this one.

Florida State has one of the most talented defenses in the country, but Driskel has the skills to go toe-to-toe with E.J. Manuel and come out on top.