Way Too Early SEC East Predictions: Is there hope for Florida football?
![Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier leads his team out of the tunnel and onto the field at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, October 15, 2022. Before the start of the LSU game. LSU defeated the Gators 45-35. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]Ncaa Football Florida Gators Vs Lsu Tigers](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2F7d2d4d988943517ac3c90e452a69af8df1ab47d99c758e8b63b19dd371fb2ab1.jpg "Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier leads his team out of the tunnel and onto the field at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, October 15, 2022. Before the start of the LSU game. LSU defeated the Gators 45-35. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]Ncaa Football Florida Gators Vs Lsu Tigers")
. . Gamecocks . 5. team. 850.
SEC Power Rankings: Game on
2022 Record: 8-5
2023 FPI Rating: 5.6
ESPN Win Projection: 5-7
South Carolina wasn’t a great team last season until their final two games. They were smacked by Florida football before pulling off two upsets to shock the world.
Florida also put up a greater fight against Georgia than South Carolina did, and this year the game is in Athens.
They do have a veteran roster coming back, with every projected starter on offense being a junior or senior.
Spencer Rattler is back under center, and it highlights the problem with this roster. It’s a veteran roster, but it’s not a highly touted one. The 2021 recruiting class had zero four-stars on it, and they didn’t do much in the transfer portal.
South Carolina is also a team that could wind up higher up the standings than they actually deserve. Their two cross-over games this year are Mississippi State and Texas A&M, so its possible they finish ahead of Florida even if the Gators emerge victorious on October 14.