Turns out, the Florida Gators have even more to prove.
Florida, picked to finish near the bottom of the SEC a year ago, probably won’t be picked quite as low as it was last year. But when Sports Illustrated picked its top 25 teams after college football’s spring practice, well, the Gators were nowhere to be found.
FSU was third. Even Miami was 24th. But Florida just made the “also considered” list.
The reason is probably similar to what it was a year ago. The Gators don’t have a proven quarterback. Last year, it was Will Grier who surprised (until he was kicked off the team for performance-enhancing drugs). This year, it looks as if it will be Luke Del Rio.
Last season, in his first year, coach Jim McElwain was able to surprise some people until the Gators suffered a late fade. This year, a lot of people already believe McElwain is a coach on the rise. But winning in year two may prove to be harder than in year one.
