Florida Football: Gators Must Look Forward to Next Season to Get Back on Top

The Florida Gators should look ahead to next season. There may be four games left to play in 2011, but there is every indication that it will not be a successful one.

Will Muschamp's first season in charge in Gainesville started of with a bang only to come screeching to a halt. Yes, the Gators' four straight losses have come against ranked opponents but only the Georgia game seemed to present a realistic opportunity for win.

At this point, the usual post-season appearance does not look likely. The Gators have had problems on offense and defense, and do not even feature in the Division I top 50 in rushing and passing yards.

A lot of planning has to be done to make next season a better one. Here are a few things that could—and maybe should—happen between now and then.

Get a Top Recruiting Class

Will Muschamp has already hinted at the personnel changes that are needed. Not that people need much instruction in regards to what must be fixed.

The running back pool will get a boost with the addition of Mike Davis and Matt Jones, both ranked in that position's top 15, according to Rivals.com.

The Gators are also getting help at the tight end position with two more top recruits with 4-star ability. So far, the team is getting bigger where it needs to and getting quality as well.

Muschamp was a good recruiter while at Texas—where he was last the defensive coordinator—and if he can continue that at Florida, things will get better.

Find the Right Blend of Offensive Players

Recruiting will play a part in this aspect, as most of the current star players are used to the Urban Meyer era and his vaunted spread offense—but they will be gone next season.

To be fair to first-year offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, the offense struggled last year when Meyer was still in charge so it may just be the personnel and not him. In the first four games of the season things seemed to be going well for Florida's offense.

Since then, with an increase in the quality of defensive opposition—and some unfortunate injuries—Florida's offensive output has been stagnant.

Weis has stated that as the season goes on things will be changed but it may be a little too late to save the season now.

When Weis goes back to look at the tapes of this year's games, he will be able to make the necessary changes to make the offense productive again.

Muschamp Needs to Focus on His Defense

Just like with the offense, Florida needs to get better athletes on the defensive end.

Will Muschamp came in known as one of the premier defensive minds in college football, but that has not translated into his team's play at all.

The Gators are currently 74th in the nation when it comes to sacks, having only managed 14 at this juncture.

That is way off the mark set by the leaders in that department—Oklahoma, who have 34.

And while the Florida secondary has picked up five interceptions, none of them have been returned for touchdowns.

Again, this whole issue bogs down to personnel and injuries, but one could be forgiven for expecting much more.

Regain Confidence

The football program has seemingly lost its confidence since that first loss in 2009 to Alabama, who would go on to win the national championship.

Every program has its ups and downs and it seems now that Florida is in a rut.

The program could receive a major injection of confience with a win this weekend against Vanderbilt and—although it's a stretch—maybe even wins over South Carolina and Florida State.

There is a resolute attitude within the side and the program as a whole, which suggests that the team will turn the corner at any moment. The Gators will want to finish strong and hopefully they do just that.

Stay the Course and Be Patient

Will Muschamp is renowned as a fiery persona on the sidelines, and he brings a lot of experience to the program. It is doubtful that Florida would let him go at the end of the season, but in this era of quick-fire decision-making, anything can happen.

As much as I have been basically pessimistic about Florida so far this year, it is not all Muschamp's fault that this season has been underwhelming.

When the former Texas D-coordinator came in, changes were always going to be made. Unfortunately, those changes have not brought immediate success due to a variety of factors—injuries topping that list.

In any successful sports organization consistency is key—so the Gators should continue with Muschamp