Florida football is heading into the 2020 season with one of the best quarterback situations in the nation. How does season-opening opponent Ole Miss compare?
With the first week of fall camp in the books, there is optimism around the country that games will be played in 2020. In about a month’s time, an under-the-radar game will take place. The Florida Gators are scheduled to kick off the season beyond “The Grove” to face an Ole Miss squad who are thirsty to prove themselves.
Former Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin has returned to the SEC with plans to begin his team’s 2020 campaign with a bang, and an upset over the eighth-ranked Gators would be just that. Kiffin has spent the past two years reinventing FAU, leading them to an 11-3 record and a Conference USA title in 2019.
This Ole Miss team is young, offensively talented and energized. Last season, the Rebels went 4-8 and 2-6 in conference play. They weren’t a consistent team offensively or defensively, but with new leadership, the Rebels are hoping for a year of progress.
The bottom line is that Ole Miss has nothing to lose in this game. They are coming off a losing season, they have a completely new staff, and they are favored in only four games by ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI). However, the underdog mentality is an attitude that has proved to be the perfect one for an upset.
Florida comes into the season ranked No. 8 and brimming with confidence. The Gators finished off the year with four convincing wins and are ready to take the next step to become a contender on the national stage.
Florida has experience in its returning players and continuity throughout their coaching staff.
In an eight-part series, I’ll go position by position and evaluate which team has the edge in this intriguing matchup. This article will be breaking down the quarterback play for the Gators and the Rebels in 2019 and I’ll give my input on who has the advantage in the upcoming game.