The Florida Gators were 4-7 in 2017 for their worst season since finishing 4-8 under Will Muschamp in 2013, and it was just their second season finishing under .500 since 1979. Jim McElwain was fired after a 3-4 start and Randy Shannon finished 1-3 to limp over the finish line, and now the Gators have installed Dan Mullen as the head coach. What do the sportsbooks think of Florida’s chances for this season?
Florida Gators 2018 Regular Season Win Total
Over 7 (-110)
Under 7 (-120)
(Betting Odds courtesy of BetDSI Sportsbook)
Florida’s win total for the season is seven wins even, according to the oddsmakers at BetDSI Sportsbook. The over comes in at -110 with the under slightly favored at -120, so the sportsbooks don’t really know what to expect as well. Mullen was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Florida from 2005 to 2008 under Urban Meyer (whom Mullen also worked with at Utah), winning two BCS titles with Tim Tebow at quarterback. Then Mullen moved on to Mississippi State, where he was 69-46 (although 33-39 in the SEC) and went 5-2 in bowl games. He returns to Florida and Mullen’s first order of business will be to fix an offense that was 93rd in the country in total offense, 104th in passing offense and 111th in first downs. Feleipe Franks is the only quarterback on the roster that has played any college football and he didn’t impress at all last season, completing 54.6% of his passes for 1,438 yards, nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. It looks like Franks will get the bulk of the looks during the spring and summer, and the Gators will have most of their top receivers from last year back. The entire offensive line will be back from 2017 as well, and even though they weren’t great last year, they should be better and to be fair, it could have been a matter of the scheme that they were running. Also, the Gators were 41st in the country on the ground and leading rusher Lamical Perine is back.
Defensively, the Gators were excellent last season, finishing 15th in total defense, 13th against the run and 20th in scoring defense. Seven starters are back from that unit and the Gators played a lot of players that weren’t technically starters, but still got a lot of time. The defense held the Gators in many games that they had no business being in, and that was while being on the field more than 30 minutes a game. If this unit has the time to stay fresh, they could wind up being a top-10 national defense.
Will the Gators challenge the likes of Alabama, Georgia and Auburn in the SEC? Probably not. They might not even make it over the total of seven wins. However, they should be better than they were last season as Mullen is a winning coach who isn’t afraid to take chances. There will definitely be some bumps on that side of the road for the Gators, but they should approach at least six wins and get back to a bowl game in 2018 and with a few breaks, they could get over the seven-win hump.
