The Michigan game will be the hardest game for the Gators outside of Florida and possibly the hardest of the season. The game should be 50-50 maybe a lean toward Michigan. It will be a defensive struggle. Looking at the rest of the schedule it should be easy. The toughest games are in the swamp (LSU, FSU) and Jacksonville (UGA). The hardest away game (Michigan game is neutral site) is South Carolina and Muschoke's guys and maybe you can make a case for Kentucky (maybe). IF the offense can get going and the defense can stay the same, the Gators could have something going next year.
If you have read my recent "Taking Stock (Still a pulse)" thread, you'll already know my response here:
Yes--2017 COULD turn out to be "great", the surprisingly fast turnaround year that puts us ontrack back to national relevance, even prominence--IF...
Mainly "IF" we have at least one really good young QB, after all.
More and more looks like he better already BE in the fold, having just completed his (or if we're VERY fortunate, "THEIR") red shirt season(s).
Sure, it's a more complicated "scenario of potentialities" than that--but that's the key one, at this point: With it, we can assume rather safely that enough of the rest is, or WILL be gathered in place and/or advanced in its development as to make things exciting again...WITHOUT it and none of it comes to very much--ups n downs and teasing glimpses of "what we MIGHT be eventually", but for both Mac AND our own teeth-grinding, determined resignation, it'll mean at BEST just "one more year".
(And just to be clear: Pretty certain we've already SEEN the best LDR has got--and it just isn't enough to lead us thru a Championship season in the SEC. To step in mid-game to finish up, maybe even carry us thru a coupla further mid-season midrange-difficulty opponents til one of the "lots of upside" young freshmen comes back from non-season-ending injuries, he's a nice option. But again: If he's our starting qb by the start of the actual 2017 season we are in trouble.)