- Aug 1, 2014
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SDS: 5 reasons Florida should win the SEC East, again
2. Home field advantage: McElwain’s other 11-1
SDS: "Florida and Georgia play annually on a neutral field, but when and who each team plays at home factors heavily into the division race. Under McElwain, Florida is 11-1 against SEC teams in the regular season and 11-1 at home. This season, those numbers are especially important. Due to last year’s Florida-LSU game being moved from Gainesville to Baton Rouge, the Gators have only three road games (Missouri, Kentucky and South Carolina) while Tennessee, LSU and Texas A&M all come to The Swamp.
"Georgia, meanwhile, will have to go on the road for two of its toughest conference contests, Tennessee and Auburn. The Volunteers, meanwhile, have to go to Gainesville and Tuscaloosa, places where they haven’t won in over a decade."
1.Smart has potential to be a successful coach. McElwain has already made SEC history.
SDS: "Smart might prove to be a great head coach (and accomplish more than his SEC East peers), but the media appears to be giving him credit he hasn’t earned. It’s easy to see why the media is getting ahead of itself. Smart inherited a talented roster (Mark Richt did just fine by most standards in signing talent, developing it was another story) and has added even more. There’s also the fact he used to Nick Saban’s right-hand man. Until Smart shows he can win as a head coach, however, the media should favor the coach who has actually proven himself: Jim McElwain."
http://florida.247sports.com/Galler...in-the-SEC-East-again-105483202/GallerySlides
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(Photo: Chris Collins, 247Sports)
5. The Vols had momentum. The Dawgs don’t.
Saturday Down South: "A year ago, a number of Florida fans cried foul when Tennessee emerged as the media’s pick to win the SEC East. Nobody asked for my pick, but truth be told, the Volunteers would have had it this time last year. By winning 7-of-8 to close out the 2015 campaign with so many key pieces returning, there was a strong argument that Tennessee had momentum heading into the 2016 campaign, especially after its 45-6 thumping of Northwestern in the Outback Bowl.
"Meanwhile, Florida had ended its previous season on a three-game losing skid, and two other recent contenders (Georgia and Missouri) were changes coaches. There were legitimate reasons Tennessee was the SEC East’s “it team” heading into the season even after Florida had won the division."
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(Photo: Jerome Miron, USA TODAY Sports)
4. All signs point to the Gators’ offense being better in 2017.
SDS: "There are only two starting spots to fill on offense heading into this season, left guard and quarterback. With three recruiting classes signed, McElwain has rebuilt the offensive line, receiving corps and running back rotation to fit his system. With so many pieces in place, ESPN’s Tom Luginbill and Phil Steele have each said they see Florida as a potential playoff team if the Gators get production from their quarterback.
"Perhaps the media members who didn’t vote the Gators first in the SEC East had this line of thinking: Florida has been carried by its defense the past two seasons, and lost an alarming number of starters (8) on that side of the ball."
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(Photo: Icon Sportswire, Getty)
3. Florida led the media vote for preseason All-SEC players in the division.
SDS: "When the media’s preseason All-SEC team was revealed, it featured eight players from Georgia and 10 players from Florida (including S Marcell Harris, who is now out for the year with a torn Achilles’ tendon). Despite members voting more Gators to the All-SEC team, it was still the Bulldogs who received more votes to finish first in the division.
"To be fair to UGA, the Dawgs had more first-team selections (4) than the Gators (2). There’s room for debate as to whether more first-team selections or more overall selections points to the better team, but it shows that the two teams are pretty much even in impact players who will take the field on Oct. 28."
2. Home field advantage: McElwain’s other 11-1
SDS: "Florida and Georgia play annually on a neutral field, but when and who each team plays at home factors heavily into the division race. Under McElwain, Florida is 11-1 against SEC teams in the regular season and 11-1 at home. This season, those numbers are especially important. Due to last year’s Florida-LSU game being moved from Gainesville to Baton Rouge, the Gators have only three road games (Missouri, Kentucky and South Carolina) while Tennessee, LSU and Texas A&M all come to The Swamp.
"Georgia, meanwhile, will have to go on the road for two of its toughest conference contests, Tennessee and Auburn. The Volunteers, meanwhile, have to go to Gainesville and Tuscaloosa, places where they haven’t won in over a decade."
1.Smart has potential to be a successful coach. McElwain has already made SEC history.
SDS: "Smart might prove to be a great head coach (and accomplish more than his SEC East peers), but the media appears to be giving him credit he hasn’t earned. It’s easy to see why the media is getting ahead of itself. Smart inherited a talented roster (Mark Richt did just fine by most standards in signing talent, developing it was another story) and has added even more. There’s also the fact he used to Nick Saban’s right-hand man. Until Smart shows he can win as a head coach, however, the media should favor the coach who has actually proven himself: Jim McElwain."
http://florida.247sports.com/Galler...in-the-SEC-East-again-105483202/GallerySlides
