SEC East Previews: Q&A with Hail Florida Hail

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Nov 2, 2013; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Florida Gators cheerleaders cheer against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second quarter at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Brett Kaplan from our sister FanSided site, Hail Florida Hail, was kind enough to answer some questions for us about Florida football…

1. Obviously the 4-8 season was out of character for Florida and most expect a bounce-back season. How many wins do Florida fans want to see for Muschamp to keep his job?

"I think a lot of fans think it’s Atlanta or bust for Muschamp, but realistically we’re probably looking at between 7-9 wins. A lot of fans won’t be happy with 7 or 8 wins, but I don’t think it’s out of the question. The sheer number of injuries last season was a big reason why Florida struggled. But it was good for this year because it gave the reserves some game action to build upon."

2. What is the strength of the Florida team this year?

"It’s the strength of Florida every year Muschamp has been around: Defense. The Gators have had a top 10 defense every year Muschamp has been in Gainesville and will have a solid group next season. There’s a ton of talent on that side of the ball and Dante Fowler and Vernon Hargreaves are the real deal. Look for both of them to have All-American campaigns."

3. What is the weakness of the team?

"It’s something that’s been lacking every since Percy Harvin left for the NFL. The wide receiving corps have been pretty awful over the past couple of years. They don’t create separation and can’t create big plays. I’m cautiously optimistic this will be the year they break through. With Kurt Roper’s offense, a healthy Jeff Driskel, and a maturing group of young receivers, led by Demarcus Robinson, look for them to try to turn around the recent struggles of Florida’s wide receivers."

4. Florida’s offense has progressively gotten worse since Tebow left. With Muschamp’s heavy emphasis on defense do you expect anything to change with the offense anytime soon?

"I kind of touched on this before, but I think the offense has all the makings of a good group. Kurt Roper had success at Duke and Florida has superior athletes. The running backs, starting with Kelvin Taylor and Matt Jones, should be a huge bright spot. The offensive line returns four starters, which is big since they struggled BIG TIME last season. And the wide receivers have all the talent to be a great group. Throw in TE Jake McGee and three other tight ends with pass catching ability, and you have all the makings of a renaissance on the offensive side of the ball."

5. Beating Florida State would be huge since they just won a national title but Georgia has reeled off 3 in a row in Jacksonville. Which rival are Gator fans most wanting to beat?

"I think Gator fans would most want to beat Florida State. There’s nothing like beating a rival while they’re on top. But, in my opinion, the game against Georgia means more. Georgia is an SEC East rival and directly in the way of a trip to Atlanta. Plus, there’s the issue that Muschamp played for Georgia, although I’m not going to feed those conspiracy theorists. The problem with Florida State fans are they direct all of their animosity towards Florida. Gator fans have three main rivals to contend with any given year: Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida State. All of them mean something, but I think the Florida-Georgia border war means the most."