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Journey to Atlanta: Florida’s division championship road map
By Sean Labar
Published:
Coming off an emotional loss against LSU, Florida still control its own destiny on the road to the SEC Championship. There are a few trap games sprinkled in over the next five weeks, but if Florida can maintain its stellar defense and QB Treon Harris can efficiently manage the offense, the Gators should be in good shape come December.
The Gators have just three SEC opponents left on their regular-season schedule. Let’s take a closer look.
MOST IMPORTANT GAME
Georgia Oct. 31 at home. The Bulldogs (3-2 SEC) are sitting just behind Florida (4-1) in the East. After losing Will Grier to suspension and falling in Death Valley on a fake field goal, Jim McElwain’s team must quickly rebound.
Georgia, too, has faced a load of adversity, including the loss of RB Nick Chubb for the remainder of the season. If we have learned anything about Mark Richt over the years, it’s that his teams always find a way to stick around.
POTENTIAL LET-DOWN
- At South Carolina on Nov. 14. It’s amazing what a little shake-up can do for a program. USC may turn up its game under the enthusiastic leadership of Shawn Elliott.
- Vanderbilt at home on Nov. 7. This is a stretch, but if the Gators have an emotional win against Georgia next weekend, this game may be closer than many think. Trap games happen. Florida can’t afford to let this one slip.
X FACTOR
Treon Harris. There’s no doubt that all eyes will be on QB Treon Harris over the next five weeks. The Gators defense has proven it doesn’t need overwhelming offensive support for the team to win.
Harris had some success against LSU last Saturday, but failed to lead the team on a late scoring drive and continued to throw lazy passes from outside of the pocket.
REMAINING SCHEDULE
- Florida vs. Georgia on Oct. 31
- Florida vs. Vanderbilt on Nov. 7
- Florida at South Carolina on Nov. 14
- Florida vs. Florida Atlantic on Nov. 21
- Florida vs. No. 9 Florida State on Nov. 28
- SEC Championship in Atlanta on Dec. 5
Sean Labar is an SEC football contributor for Saturday Down South.
