Florida Football: Game-by-game predictions for 2018 season

Off to a hot start in the SEC, the Gators will gear up for their toughest test in the month of September: a road game in Dan Mullen’s old stomping grounds. Mississippi State has this game circled on its calendar for obvious reasons and you can bet the Bulldogs want nothing more than to spoil Mullen’s trip back to his old school.

The Bulldogs, too, will have a new head coach in former Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead and that could be just what quarterback Nick Fitzgerald needed.

After struggling in 2017 and taking a step back as an overall passer, Fitzgerald could be headed toward a major rebound in 2018. Beating his old coach would be quite the confidence-booster and the motivation is definitely there.

Fitzgerald is going to give this Florida defense fits, even with his legs. He’ll finish with over 300 yards of total offense. Feleipe Franks, on the other hand, will struggle in the hostile environment and throw three interceptions on the way to his worst performance of the young season.

Aeris Williams and Jordan Scarlett will have a fun back-and-forth battle on the ground, but it’ll be all for naught as the Bulldogs run away with this one.

Final Score: Florida 17, Mississippi State 33 (4-1, 2-1 SEC)