1. Dan Mullen is a wizard: In one year at the helm, Mullen has completely reversed the outlook of the program and has the fanbase thinking about championships once again. To lead a program that lacked confidence, depth and development to a 10-win season in Year 1 is nothing short of spectacular. This wasn't a case of a program falling on hard times. It was a program neglected in every possible way by the Jim McElwain regime. Mullen changed everything, and it's paid immediate dividends.
Now comes the tricky part. Newfound hope also comes with accelerated expectations for a program that still is significantly behind two-time SEC East champion Georgia. Catching and surpassing the Bulldogs will take much longer than this quick turnaround, but that goal isn't just a pipe dream anymore.
Mullen was a home run hire when athletic director Scott Stricklin hired him last offseason. Now, it's looking more as if it was a grand slam.
2. Let the Franks hate go: Florida fans have been all over the redshirt sophomore quarterback during his first two seasons under center, but it's time to let that go. Franks isn't a superstar, but he's pretty darn good. His two touchdowns on Saturday brought him to 31 total scores on the season. That's four behind Gator legend Tim Tebow in 2009, who played in one more game than Franks. That's not to say that Franks should be compared to the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner and two-time national champion; anybody who does that should be immediately checked out by a team of doctors. But it does put into perspective what kind of season he had.
Franks has had the best season by a Florida quarterback this decade, and it's not even close. That's not a high bar, but to take in a new offense, deal with mounting pressure throughout the season and bookend it with a win over the stout Michigan defense is more than enough to endear him to Gator Nation.
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4. The Gators defense is still a monster: New coaching staff, same ol' defensive results. Florida's defense under coordinator Todd Grantham didn't miss a beat in Year 1, and it punctuated its season by whipping the Wolverines in every facet.
Defensive back C.J. Henderson set the tone early with a sack of Patterson and consistent pressure, Gardner-Johnson shined in his final game and the front seven consistently confused the Wolverine offensive line with relentless and exotic pressure. Will that continue? That's a loaded question. While the scheme won't change and has proven to be successful, several stars played their last game on Saturday including Gardner-Johnson and star defensive lineman CeCe Jefferson.
At this point, though, you have to think that the identity of the program won't change, and the Gators will be back and better than ever sooner rather than later.
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