The Other Side: Snapshots of Florida's opponents in 2016

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – They have had more time to think about it than they would like.

By the time the Gators race from the tunnel at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Sept. 3 to face UMass, eight months will have passed since they dejectedly walked off the field following a 41-7 loss to Michigan in the Citrus Bowl.

Nothing went right that afternoon in Orlando for the Gators, much like their previous two games, losses to Florida State in the regular-season finale and to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta. Following a 10-1 start in Jim McElwain's first season, the Gators finished 10-4.

"We have talked about it a lot,'' junior offensive lineman David Sharpe said. "It was very disappointing to us. We put in a lot. But we use it as motivation going into the offseason. We are ready to have our strongest season so far."

Florida opens preseason camp in less than two weeks on Aug. 4. A month later, the Gators host UMass with an opportunity to snap their three-game losing streak and turn the page for good on last season's deflating end.

Here is a look at each opponent on Florida's 2016 schedule and their prospects entering the season:

*****

MASSACHUSETTS (Sept. 3)
Coach: Mark Whipple (third year)
Record: 6-18
2015 Record: 3-9
Offensive Coordinator: Mark Whipple (third year)
Defensive Coordinator: Tom Masella (third year)
Twitter: @UMassFootball
Noteworthy: The Minutemen have fallen on hard times since joining the FBS ranks four years ago. UMass is 8-40 over that span and enters the 2016 season as a program without a conference. After playing in the Mid-American Conference, UMass is an independent with a close eye on potential Big 12 expansion. UMass won't be joining the Big 12, but if the conference does expand, UMass perhaps has a chance to fill a void left in other conferences impacted by Big 12 expansion. As for this season's team, junior-college transfer quarterback Andrew Ford is the player to watch in fall camp. A four-star recruit coming out of high school, Ford originally signed with Virginia Tech but after redshirting in 2014, he spent last season at Lackawanna (Pa.) Community College before transferring to UMass. The left-handed Ford has an opportunity to win the job in fall camp and provide the Minutemen with a potential difference-maker at the game's most important position. Whatever happens with Ford, the Gators will be a heavy favorite in this one on a day they honor former coach Steve Spurrier by unveiling Steve Spurrier-Florida Field.

*****

KENTUCKY (Sept. 10)
Coach: Mark Stoops (fourth year)
Record: 12-24
2015 Record: 5-7
Co-Offensive Coordinators: Eddie Gran, Darin Hinshaw (first year)
Defensive Coordinator: D.J. Eliot (fourth year)
Twitter: @UKFootball
Noteworthy: The urgency meter is turned up for Stoops to lead the Wildcats to a bowl game this season. The Wildcats started 5-1 in 2014 and 4-1 last season but limped to 5-7 finishes both years. Kentucky nearly upset the Gators in 2014 in an overtime loss at The Swamp behind former quarterback Patrick Towles. However, Towles lost the starting job to Drew Barker late last season and opted to transfer to Boston College for his final season. Meanwhile, Barker leads an offense that features nine returning starters, including running backs Boo Williams and Jojo Kemp. Stoops brought in a pair of new coaches to run the offense in Gran and Hinshaw, who put up some impressive numbers in Cincinnati. The Gators have won 29 consecutive games over the Wildcats, the longest active streak in the country among FBS opponents. Kentucky's defense, ranked 12th in the SEC last season, has Nebraska transfer Courtney Love at linebacker to help boost performance. Love has never played a game for the Wildcats but was one of the team's representatives at SEC Media Days earlier this month, a sign of the respect he has earned from Stoops.

*****

NORTH TEXAS (Sept. 17)
Coach: Seth Littrell (first year)
Record: 0-0
2015 Record: 1-11
Offensive Coordinator: Graham Harrell (first year)
Co-Defensive Coordinators: Mike Ekeler, Troy Reffett (first year)
Twitter: @MeanGreenFB
Noteworthy: Littrell, former offensive coordinator at North Carolina, has a big task ahead to turn around the Mean Green. North Texas was outscored an average of 26 points a game last season and the roster is full of holes in Littrell's first season. The 38-year-old Littrell is one of the youngest FBS coaches and he hired former Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell to run the offense. One of the team's most experienced players, starting left guard Ryan Rentfro, left the team in the spring, which could hamper the production of junior tailback Jeffrey Wilson, who rushed for 830 yards last season. Former Alabama quarterback Alec Morris, who transferred to North Texas in January, is competing for the starting job. A fifth-year senior, Morris threw only one pass for the Crimson Tide and decided to play his final season elsewhere.

*****

@ TENNESSEE (Sept. 24)
Coach: Butch Jones (fourth year)
Record: 21-17
2015 Record: 9-4 (Defeated Northwestern 45-6 in Outback Bowl)
Offensive Coordinator: Mike DeBord (second year)
Defensive Coordinator: Bob Shoop (first year)
Twitter: @Vol_Football
Noteworthy: The Vols open the season as the favorite to dethrone Florida in the SEC East. Tennessee returns 18 starters from a season ago, including senior dual-threat quarterback Joshua Dobbs, who passed for 2,291 yards and rushed for 671. A popular storyline this offseason is whether this is the year the Vols snap the Gators' decade-old dominance in the rivalry. Players squabbled on social media after Gators cornerback Jalen Tabor said Florida will keep the streak alive in 2016. First-year coordinator Shoop has a pair of elite players on defense in linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin and cornerback Cameron Sutton. Tennessee allowed 5.2 yards per play last season, which ranked eighth in the SEC and an area Shoop, former defensive coordinator at Penn State, will want to improve. Tennessee's last appearance in the SEC Championship Game was 2007, and much has gone wrong in Knoxville since then. If the Vols are going to make it back to Atlanta, they'll likely have to defeat the Gators. Two years in a row it looked as if that might happen, yet both times the Gators rallied in the final minutes.

*****

@ VANDERBILT (Oct. 1)
Coach: Derek Mason (third year)
Record: 7-17
2015 Record: 4-8
Offensive Coordinator: Andy Ludwig (second year)
Defensive Coordinator: Derek Mason (third year)
Twitter: @VandyFootball
Noteworthy: It took an unlikely 43-yard field goal from Austin Hardin for the Gators to escape with a 9-7 victory over the Commodores in 2015, a victory that clinched Florida's first SEC East title in six years. As Mason enters his third season, he seeks more close finishes going Vanderbilt's way. The Commodores improved a season ago but not enough to beat anyone in the SEC other than Missouri and Kentucky. Mason took over as defensive coordinator in his second season and produced results as Vanderbilt ranked sixth in the SEC in total defense. Linebacker Zach Cunningham emerged as a star, earning first-team All-SEC honors from the media and coaches. However, the problem was offense, where Vanderbilt ranked 117th nationally (326.5 yards per game) and was shut out twice (Houston and Texas A&M). Mason made it clear at SEC Media Days that sophomore quarterback Kyle Shurmur, who started five of the final six games as a true freshman, is the starter. Shurmur has former Gainesville High running back Ralph Webb, whose 1,152 rushing yards last season was the second-highest single-season total in school history.

*****

LSU (Oct. 8)
Coach: Les Miles (12th year)
Record: 112-32
2015 Record: 9-3 (Defeated Texas Tech 56-27 in Texas Bowl)
Offensive Coordinator: Cam Cameron (fourth year)
Defensive Coordinator: Dave Aranda (first year)
Twitter: @LSUfball
Noteworthy: SEC drama was at its finest late last season when LSU nearly gave Miles a pink slip after the Tigers lost three consecutive games to division rivals Ole Miss, Alabama and Arkansas in November. In the end, Miles survived and returns with another talented team that will be ranked in the Top 25 to start the season. LSU running back Leonard Fournette is a Heisman favorite after rushing for a school-record 1,953 yards and 22 touchdowns. Fournette was the Heisman front-runner most of last season until the three consecutive November losses derailed LSU's season. Meanwhile, many consider junior quarterback Brandon Harris the key to how far the Tigers go. Harris is talented but has been inconsistent in his career. LSU returns plenty of talent on defense for first-year coordinator Aranda, led by defensive end Arden Key, linebacker Kendell Beckwith and cornerback Tre'Davious White. The Gators were 6-0 and ranked in the top 10 last year when quarterback Will Grier was suspended LSU week. Florida lost 35-28 in Baton Rouge and went 4-4 over its final eight games. The Gators have lost three in a row to LSU, so expect The Swamp to be buzzing on the second Saturday in November.

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MISSOURI (Oct. 15)
Coach: Barry Odom (first year)
Record: 0-0
2015 Record: 5-7
Offensive Coordinator: Josh Heupel (first year)
Co-Defensive Coordinators: DeMontie Cross, Ryan Walters (first year)
Twitter: @MizzouFootball
Noteworthy: Odom moves from defensive coordinator into the head coach's office, which is where Gary Pinkel called home for 15 years prior to his retirement after last season due to health concerns. The Tigers dropped to 1-7 in the SEC last year after back-to-back division crowns. The defense was good, but the offense averaged just 9.1 points in conference play. Odom hired former Oklahoma quarterback and 2000 Heisman runner-up Heupel to mentor sophomore quarterback Drew Lock, who is now running the unit with the departure of the oft-troubled but talented Maty Mauk. A defensive specialist, Odom has production returning in defensive end Charles Harris, defensive tackle Terry Beckner and linebacker Michael Scherer. If the Tigers are to improve upon last season's disappointment, it starts with Lock, who finished 15 of 37 for 146 yards and two interceptions in his second college start a season ago in a 21-3 loss to the Gators. The Gators should be pumped for this one since the last time Missouri visited Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, the Tigers rolled to a 41-13 win two years ago in front of stunned Homecoming crowd.

*****

GEORGIA (Oct. 29 in Jacksonville)
Coach: Kirby Smart (first year)
Record: 0-0
2015 Record: 10-3 (Defeated Penn State 24-17 in TaxSlayer Bowl)
Offensive Coordinator: Jim Chaney (first year)
Defensive Coordinator: Mel Tucker (first year)
Twitter: @FootballUGA
Noteworthy: The Florida-Georgia game always features ample storylines, but this year's rivalry has a pair of former Nick Saban coordinators squaring off: Smart, Georgia's rookie coach, and second-year Gators coach Jim McElwain. They spent four seasons together at Alabama from 2008-11, Smart running the defense and McElwain the offense. While Smart and McElwain play chess, the Bulldogs will have a new look under Smart after the departure of longtime head coach Mark Richt. A former Bulldogs defensive back, Smart doesn't have the talent on defense that he is accustomed to at Alabama, but safety Dominick Sanders was a first-team All-SEC pick in 2015 and a playmaker. It will take time, but Smart will eventually have a strong defense. Offensively, the big news is the return of running back Nick Chubb, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last year. Chubb is one of the nation's top backs when healthy and provides a security blanket for freshman quarterback Jacob Eason, who many project to be the starter. While Tennessee is the favorite to win the SEC East, Georgia and Florida are close behind, so expect this game to have huge implications as usual.

*****

@ ARKANSAS (Nov. 5)
Coach: Bret Bielema (fourth year)
Record: 18-20
2015 Record: 8-5 (Beat Kansas State 45-23 in Liberty Bowl)
Offensive Coordinator: Dan Enos (second year)
Defensive Coordinator: Robb Smith (third year)
Twitter: @RazorbackFB
Noteworthy: The Gators visit Fayetteville for the first time since 2008 in what looms as a dangerous game. Arkansas is on the rise under the colorful Bielema and won seven of its last nine games in 2015 following a 1-3 start. The Razorbacks are without three-year starting quarterback Brandon Allen, but his younger brother, Austin, is ready to fill the void. Receivers Keon Hatcher (if healthy after foot surgery), Drew Morgan and Dominique Reed provide pop on offense, as does a talented offensive line. While there are question marks on offense with the loss of running back Alex Collins and tight end Hunter Henry, the defense returns nine starters. Defensive linemen Jeremiah Ledbetter and Deatrich Wise Jr. are forced to be reckoned with up front, and linebacker Books Ellis led the team in tackles last year. Bottom line, if Austin Allen can match his older brother's production at quarterback and the defense continues to develop, the Razorbacks are a sleeper in the SEC West. They have talent and are beginning to look a lot like some of Bielema's better teams at Wisconsin.

*****

SOUTH CAROLINA (Nov. 12)
Coach: Will Muschamp (first year)
Record: 0-0
2015 Record: 3-9
Co-Offensive Coordinators: Kurt Roper, Bryan McClendon (first year)
Defensive Coordinator: Travaris Robinson (first year)
Twitter: @GamecockFB
Noteworthy: This is a game that will spawn countless stories on Muschamp returning to The Swamp and barbs from media and fans on social media. Muschamp went 28-21 during four seasons at Florida but was let go after the 2014 season and spent last year as defensive coordinator at Auburn. He replaces former Gators coach Steve Spurrier in Columbia and one of the more interesting moments of the season will happen when Muschamp runs onto Florida Field in his return. As for the team he inherited, the Gamecocks don't have the talent Muschamp had at Florida. That will take time. If Muschamp's track record proves nothing else, you know South Carolina will eventually be a good defensive team. Offensively, there are questions at quarterback like during Muschamp's tenure in Gainesville. South Carolina had five co-starters at quarterback on the spring depth chart, and that didn't include injured veterans Perry Orth and Lorenzo Nunez. Recent reports have Nunez playing some wide receiver. Freshman Brandon McIlwain made strides in the spring and newcomer Jake Bentley is a player to watch. Regardless of South Carolina's quarterback, this game will be a unique one.

*****

PRESBYTERIAN (Nov. 19)
Coach: Harold Nichols (eighth year)
Record: 19-58
2015 Record: 2-9
Offensive Coordinator: Todd Varn (fifth year)
Defensive Coordinator: Tommy Spangler (fourth year)
Twitter: @BlueHoseFtball
Noteworthy: The Blue Hose dropped to the bottom of the Big South Conference last season after finishing with a winning record in 2014. Nichols made some staff changes in the offseason but don't expect those tweaks to matter much when Presbyterian visits UF. Running back Darrell Bridges is the Blue Hose's most prominent weapon. He rushed for 1,065 yards last season to earn all-conference honors. Still, Presbyterian ranked last among 123 FCS schools in total offense, passing efficiency and first downs. Quarterback Ben Cheek stood out in the spring game. A redshirt sophomore, Cheek started five games last season, including the final four. "I think the strength of our football team right now is up front defensively,'' Nichols said after the spring game. "Those guys are pretty good." Defensive end Obinna Ntiasagwe returns. He led the Blue Hose with 5.5 sacks.

*****

@ FLORIDA STATE (Nov. 26)
Coach: Jimbo Fisher (seventh year)
Record: 68-14
2015 Record: 10-3 (Lost to Houston 38-24 in Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl)
Co-Offensive Coordinators: Lawrence Dawsey, Randy Sanders (third year)
Defensive Coordinator: Charles Kelly (third year)
Twitter: @FSU_Football
Noteworthy: The biggest question the Seminoles face with preseason camp approaching is who will start at quarterback. Fisher didn't give much away at last week's ACC Media Days. Senior Sean Maguire tops the preseason depth chart after splitting time a season ago with Notre Dame transfer Everett Golson. Redshirt freshman Brandon Francois and incoming freshman Malik Henry were impressive in the spring and are in the mix. The good news is that whoever is at quarterback has arguably the most dynamic player in the nation to hand the ball off to, junior running back Dalvin Cook, who rushed for 1,691 yards, 19 touchdowns and averaged 7.4 yards per carry last season. FSU is 58-10 over the past five seasons and has defeated the Gators three consecutive times and five of six times since Tim Tebow played his final game. The Gators had no chance in last seasons' 27-2 loss at The Swamp, limited by quarterback Treon Harris' deficiencies and FSU's storming defense. By the time this game rolls around on the calendar, the records won't matter much. Barring a surprise, the Seminoles will be the favorites at home, but expect the Gators to have a much better chance than they did last November.

Gators Calendar

The Other Side: Snapshots of Florida's opponents in 2016

Players Mentioned

Will Grier

Austin Hardin

David Sharpe

Teez Tabor

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