Florida, which actually received one vote as the 2015 SEC champion, finished behind Georgia (166), Tennessee (36), Missouri (20) and South Carolina (1), only ahead of Kentucky (1) and Vanderbilt in the SEC East.
On Friday, the Gators had three players named to the media’s 2015 Preseason All-SEC team. Junior cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III (the No. 2 vote-getter behind Georgia running back Nick Chubb) earned first team honors, while senior defensive end Jonathan Bullard was placed on the second team and senior linebacker Antonio Morrison on the third team.
While the media predicted UGA would win the East, it has Alabama (92) winning the West but Auburn (108) finishing the season as SEC Champion. The order of finish in the West was projected as UA, AU, LSU (10), Arkansas (6), Ole Miss (3), Texas A&M (4) and Mississippi State (2).
Only five times in the last 23 years has the media correctly predicted the eventual SEC champion, which is good news for 13 schools and not the best for the Tigers. That said, the media did correctly pick the Crimson Tide to win in 2014.
Not only are the Gators in rebuilding mode in year one under new head coach Jim McElwain, the team faces an uphill battle on its way back to the top of the league with a thin offensive line and unproven playmakers.
Florida also has a difficult schedule, playing at Missouri, LSU and South Carolina, hosting rising Tennessee and Ole Miss and squaring off with talented rivals Georgia and Florida State.
Photo Credit: Stephen B. Morton/Associated Press
Don’t understand why. Muschamp says he left them enough talent to win the National Title this year(Sarcasm)
Muschamp was counting on the recruits, which he took to Auburn
This is a good thing. Mac needs to post this all over the locker room. Show the players how much disrespect is out there for them. I expect them to play every game with a huge chip on their shoulder. Prove the haters wrong.
Agreed. Especially against Tennessee and UGA. A decade of wins over TN and we still are looked at this year as underdogs…and at the Swamp too.
I hope we crush them, just like the UGA game last season.
We need to settle in and understand the challenge that McElwain has ahead of him. It’ll be 3-4 years before we’re decent again. I might even have to get off this board if people start acting in the ridiculously entitled and unrealistic way that Gator Nation can act.
Adazzio sucked and Muschamp was a disaster and this is the consequence. It’s going to take awhile to fix it.
Glad to see you finally coming around, Jones.
I won’t deny that we are in a deep hole. At the same time, there are glimmers of hope.
Given the way that our defense has played, we may not need a top ranked offense to win games. We just need one that can put a few points on the board.
Thanks again Champ, I mean Chump. You set Gator Nation back at least 5 years. To add insult to injury we get to pay you an additional $6M.