By : Kameron Taylor
(Photo/Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images)
Today the thirteen ranked Florida Gators take on the South Florida Bulls in a matchup they are favored heavily in. However after this matchup the Gators have a tough slate ahead of them, in which will be a grueling SEC schedule with non conference opponents that look very strong this year.
Coming into this season there has been a lot of hype about sophomore DJ Lagway who showed lots of promise for the Gators that season leading them to an 8-5 record with 10 passing touchdowns and 2 rushing touchdowns as a true freshman. As of right now the Gators will play three top 5 AP Ranked teams, and eight top 25 ranked teams.
The next 4 weeks for the Gators will be a tough climb. The first stop is in Louisiana, where they will face #3 LSU and Garrett Nussmeier coming off a statement win in Clemson. Then they will travel to Miami to face Carson Beck and the Hurricanes who also beat Notre Dame, a team who was in the national championship last year. After that they will host Texas and Arch Manning, then they will travel to Texas A&M which is a very hard place to play in.
After they host Mississippi State at home, then they will go to Jacksonville to face off against the SEC Champion Georgia Bulldogs in their rivalry game. The next two games will be SEC road tests at Kentucky and Ole Miss, whom they beat last year. Then they will finish out the season at home against Tennessee, and Florida State.
This year the Gators and Lagway will have a bunch of tests laid out for them, but last year Lagway did show some promise in these big games, notably becoming the first Gators true freshman quarterback to defeat a ranked opponent at home. His ability to perform under pressure against this challenging schedule will be crucial for the Gators' hopes of a successful season.