2016 UF Football Season Begins Next Saturday

Next Saturday evening, September 3rd, will be the opening of the University of Florida's 2016 football season as they play at home against the smaller college University of Massachusetts.  Although the Gators are predicted to easily win this game, the Gator Nation is very interested in seeing just what kind of team second year head coach Jim McElwain will be putting on the field.  After all, many of us are still scratching our heads trying to figure out what happened to Florida in 2015...

When Coach McElwain took over the team last year, hopes were high for the Gators, but most fans did not anticipate them shooting straight to the top and were willing to give them time to develop under the new leadership.  But Florida was impressive, winning ten out of its first eleven games and at one point rising to number eight in the national rankings.  Then in November, even though they continued to win against weaker opponents, Florida's offense began to sputter severely.  By the time they played Florida State in the regular season closer, it had pretty much conked out.  Was this really the same team that rallied late in the game to upset touted Tennessee 28-27, scored 28 points against LSU in a close loss, and annihilated Mississippi and Georgia 38-10 and 27-3 in their respective contests?  When November came around, Florida only managed to barely squeak by Vanderbilt 9-7, won against fading South Carolina in a lackluster game 24-14, and then had to go to overtime to defeat Florida Atlantic 20-14.  Yes, hooray, the Gators won the Southeastern Conference East Division for the first time in several years...but they decisively lost their last three games of the year: to FSU 27-2, to Alabama in the SEC championship game 29-15 (it wasn't as close as the score might indicate), and then a thorough clobbering at the hands of Michigan in their bowl game, 41-7...

I'm no expert on football, but it was clear that once their promising quarterback Will Grier was suspended for the season because he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, then it was going to be difficult for them to keep their offensive production at the level they were enjoying. Still, had Florida sported a stronger offensive line, they would have done much better.  And now, we've had the off-season with all the recruiting and training: what will be the results of those efforts? Grier has transferred to West Virginia and at least for now, McElwain has given redshirt sophomore Luke Del Rio the starting quarterback job.  I for one can't wait to see the new 2016 team, especially regarding the new offense.  But I doubt that we'll really be able to tell for sure how good they are until Florida faces a more challenging opponent.  For now, though, UMass will just have to do...