2012 Gator Football Predictions from Our Two Bits Staff

Here is our yearly predictions for the Gators. Before you dive into the ridiculousness please answer the poll below with your thoughts on how well the Gators will do…

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Paul Sjoberg – 10-2

Listen, I really wanted to say 8-4 or 9-3 but everyone was going with that (as you’ll see if you keep reading). So I’ll play the optimist role. The defense keeps us in a ton of games, and the offense doesn’t hold us back as much as people think. An early injury to one of the QB’s makes Coach Muschamp’s indecisiveness look decisive and the Gators go on a tear.

Sam McCorkle – 8-4

As OTB’s resident pessimist, I surprised myself with predicting eight wins. This team is still such a long way from contending in the SEC, a frustration that is familiar to longtime Gators fans but that is causing shock with the more recent generation. Yes the defense has the potential to be very good, although I worry about the absence of Ronald Powell. I also need to see whether they’ve thickened up in the middle and can stuff the power run game. On offense, your guess is as good as mine. QB? WR? RB? OL? Lots of questions and if’s, too many to be consistently effective in the tough SEC. Texas A&M is such a huge second game. A win in College Station puts this team on a good patch and progression from last season. A loss there and this could be Muschamp’s final season. As I pointed out repeatedly last year, the Gators are 0-9 in their last nine games against ranked teams. I see the trend continuing with the four losses, although in a shift, I expect all of them to be close games. Eight wins, a trip to a minor bowl and a small step in the right direction. It is going to take years for Florida to be a national threat again.

Morgan Moriarty – 9-3

I think Florida is capable of having a 9-3 season (I’m highly optimistic, I know) but our defense is BEAST with 10 or 11 starters returning, and our offense WILL be a lot more effective this season…if only we can name a dang quarterback. that’s the biggest question for me this season, and my 9-3 prediction rides on how effective either Jacoby or Jeff is under center. So pumped for football!! Lets do it!!!

Dustin Davis – 8-4

Given all of the unknowns on the offensive side of the ball, I think the gators will be in a lot of close games this year.  Our defense will keep us in all of the games, but I’m not yet convinced that our offense will be able to hold up their part of the deal.  We still aren’t sure which of the two sophomores will ultimately take the reins and we have 347 running backs.  Leaves something to be desired.  I have our squad going 8-4, but I’m not yet sure where a few of the losses will come from.  I think we will lose to either Texas A&M or Tennessee.  Going to two of the toughest places in the country to play (I’ve been to games at both places and they are no joke) in back to back weeks will be too much to overcome.  I don’t think we have the talent on offense to get past the LSU defense.  I think we will drop another game between South Carolina, Georgia and Mizzou even though they are all home games (just have a feeling on this one…no rational thought). The Criminoles will be a toss up, but playing in Tallahassee gives them the edge.  It’s going to be another roller coaster of a season…stock up on your favorite dark liquor and get ready to apologize to your friends after you curse out their significant other for talking about the Kardashians while we’re getting our asses handed to us by a team we should be beating.

Rainman - 10-4

What’s that? 10-4, that prediction makes no sense. We only have 12 games on the schedule and Florida sucks so bad they probably won’t even make a bowl game. Nope, you read that correctly, I am fearlessly predicting that the team I root for will outperform expectations. Crazy concept huh? Well you heard it here first (or second or third, insert the number of Gator football blogs you read). The Gators are going to win the SEC East. Take a close look at that schedule and check out the 7 home games, 3 road games and 1 neutral site game and only 2 of the road games are SEC games. That’s as good as it will get in college football. I think that this Gators defense is going to be one of the top 3 defenses in the country and with the home crowd cheering them on, they go undefeated at home. In fact, my prediction is that the Gators are undefeated going into the Georgia game at Jacksonville, but lose that one. Florida wins the SEC East anyway thanks to a Georgia loss at Auburn in their last SEC game of the season. The Gators will then be overmatched at the end of the season by losing 3 straight games to top 10 teams(FSU, SEC championship, and bowl game) and everyone will focus on the 0-3 end of the season rather than the 10-1 start and Muschamp rumors will start swirling.

Sonny Beam – 8-4

I expect an up and down season as the Gators struggle offensively in a new system and a quandary at QB. The defense will keep them competitive, even against the better teams on the schedule, but this is still a team on the build and the way to a win will not be as clear. Still, I expect a couple exciting upsets and a couple disappointments. The first priority for this year should be getting right at home. Take back the Swamp!

Scott Francis - 9-3
(DISCLAIMER: I am the same guy that picked up to go 10-2 last year with John Brantley being All-SEC second team under the guidance of Charlie Weis. So there’s that.)

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