Florida football: 5 reasons Gators will be better than Florida State in 2018
By Phil Poling
Expectations are all over the place for Florida State and Florida football heading into 2018. Who will be the superior squad and earn bragging rights?
Both the Gators and Seminoles dealt with coaching changes following last season, with Florida hiring Dan Mullen from Mississippi State and Florida State plucking Willie Taggart from the Oregon Ducks.
The Seminoles were routinely one of college football’s best teams under former coach Jimbo Fisher, posting an 85-23 record since he took over in 2010 for Bobby Bowden. That includes six bowl wins and a BCS National Championship.
Those days are in the rear-view mirror for the Seminoles, and an old Florida flame is about to spark once again.
The Gators have gone a mediocre 60-41 since 2010, but they’ve also had a revolving door of head coaches. Will Muschamp took over for Urban Meyer ahead of the 2011 season and posted a 28-21 record before being relieved prior to the 2014 Birmingham Bowl. D.J. Durkin coached one game as an interim before Jim McElwain was named head coach for the 2015 season.
After going 19-8 in his first two seasons, McElwain struggled in year three, starting 3-4, and was relieved of his duties; Randy Shannon finished the season 1-3 on an interim basis.
Enter Dan Mullen. For the past nine seasons, Mullen’s coached Mississippi State to a 69-46 record – which isn’t necessarily great, but he proved he can win without having college football’s best players. After arriving at Florida, though, Mullen won’t be able to use the excuse of not having top talent.