College Football 2015: Five biggest surprises of first half

Oct 3, 2015; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators running back Kelvin Taylor (21) runs with the ball against the Mississippi Rebels during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Florida Gators defeated the Mississippi Rebels 38-10. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Florida Gators

You can’t say enough good things about the job first-year head coach Jim McElwain has done in his first few months with the Gators. McElwain had success in the SEC as an offensive coordinator on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama and as a head coach at Colorado State, but he looks like he could be running the SEC East for the next several years.

This team totally bought into his style, demeanor and personality and the proof is in the team’s 6-1 record. The offense was a nightmare during the Will Muschamp era but McElwain took redshirt freshman Will Grier off the bench in Week 1 and until his year-long suspension on Oct. 13, he was playing better than any Florida quarterback since Tim Tebow.

Florida beat Ole Miss and was one or two plays away from upsetting the undefeated LSU Tigers in Tiger Stadium and despite the loss of Grier, the Gators should come away with the SEC East division title, which wasn’t even a thought among the national media in the preseason.

Next: Iowa Hawkeyes