Under new leadership, the Florida Gators face a brutal SEC gauntlet. From a Halloween showdown in Austin to pivotal home tests, these high-stakes matchups will reveal Jon Sumrall’s true trajectory.
The optimism is high for the Florida Gators under first-year head coach Jon Sumrall.
After a 4-8 season, it would seem near impossible for the Gators to contend for a College Football Playoff appearance, though former UF head coach Steve Spurrier thinks nine wins is the floor.
The Gators should make a bowl game, but one must remember the team will play a grueling nine-game SEC schedule.
Here are the three games that will define Florida's season this fall.
Ole Miss at Florida (Sept. 26)
Sumrall faced Ole Miss twice last season when he was the head coach of Tulane. Lane Kiffin got the better of him in the regular season. Pete Golding's squad routed him in the CFP.
The Rebels will be the Gators’ second SEC contest this season, and it'll be a measuring stick contest for Sumrall. Does he have Ole Miss' number now that he's leading a much better program than Tulane?
Ole Miss should be good again this fall, though it's unclear if Golding has enough to return to the CFP. Florida could stamp out those hopes early with a win in front of a fan base that needs hope.
Florida at Texas (Oct. 31)
Texas should have the best roster in the country heading into this fall. The Longhorns will be led by quarterback Arch Manning, and it's hard to find a flaw in the roster after the team spent heavily at multiple premium positions this offseason.
Florida upset Texas last season, but the Longhorns will be a much different team when Sumrall visits Austin on Halloween.
Even if they don't win, the Gators can use this game to see how their current roster adds up against a legitimate national championship team.
Oklahoma at Florida (Nov. 7)
I know we're leaving out rivals like Georgia and Florida State in this list, but games like Oklahoma are important to see how the trends are changing for a program like Florida.
Oklahoma is one of those SEC teams that win quality games, but have not been an elite team in the conference. Florida needs to beat a team like the Sooners, who made the CFP last season and have a chance to return, to show the program is ascending under Sumrall.
A home game against Oklahoma should be winnable for Florida, and it will show that better things are ahead for Sumrall as long as he gets the resources to add more talented players to compete with Texas’s and Georgia's in the SEC.
