Florida Football: Best, worst, and most likely scenarios for 2021
![Florida Gators head coach Dan Mullen leads his team onto the field during a football game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. Nov. 28, 2020. [Brad McClenny/The Gainesville Sun]Flgai 112820 Ufvs Kentucky](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2F94cb81d21c335796509398d674b98df80b444b4a9da4f7f2f08cae573edf45b3.jpg "Florida Gators head coach Dan Mullen leads his team onto the field during a football game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. Nov. 28, 2020. [Brad McClenny/The Gainesville Sun]Flgai 112820 Ufvs Kentucky")
Best-case scenario
Can the Gators make a run at the playoff in 2021? I think that they absolutely can. They play most of their toughest games at home or at a neutral site which is always a major advantage.
And the Gators’ non-conference schedule is very winnable. In the best-case scenario, they don’t lose a single game outside of SEC play. That means wins over FAU, South Florida, Samford, and, of course, Florida State to end the season.
In this case, Emory Jones exceeds expectations, Florida gets back to being an elite defensive team, and the offense puts up some serious points like it did in 2020.
The Gators would open the season with two easy wins before losing to Alabama in Week 3. Florida would rebound to reel off three straight against Tennessee, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt before facing its toughest stretch of the season against LSU on the road and Georgia in Jacksonville. I really think they split these two, but in the best case, the Gators win both — they’re more than capable of winning both.
They end the season with four easy wins in the month of November over South Carolina, Samford, Missouri, and Florida State to end with a division title and a shot at the playoff.
Best case: 11-1, 7-1 SEC