Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — To exactly no one's surprise, the Florida quarterback situation was a popular subject du jour Monday during Jim McElwain's first game-week news conference of the 2017 season. 

To exactly no one's surprise, the Gators' coach gave no indication whether it would be redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks, fourth-year junior incumbent Luke Del Rio or graduate transfer Malik Zaire under center Saturday when 17th-ranked UF faces No. 11 Michigan in the AdvoCare Classic at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. 

Heck, McElwain even had a little fun with it all, throwing the name of a true freshman into the mix. 

"I'm going to let you in on a hint," he said. "We're going to open up in the 'wildcat' [formation] with Kadarius Toney in there, all right? There you go. There's your starter." 

No chance. 

Probably. 

Meanwhile, about 1,045 miles up Interstate 75, Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh was playing a similar game. Harbaugh, of course, has yet to even make public his team's 2017 football team roster, despite a Freedom of Information request filed for the information. Pressed on who would start at quarterback against the Gators — incumbent Wilton Speight or fifth-year senior John O'Korn, both of whom emerged from spring in a heated competition for the job — Harbaugh deferred to the Gators' tactics.  

"People make a big deal about our roster and announcing our quarterback," Harbaugh said. "I have not seen a starting quarterback for Florida, and no one really mentions that."

At least Harbaugh has a choice of three for which to prepare.

As far as the bigger picture, McElwain had to have assistants and minions cobble together an entire Michigan roster. 

"I don't know. Each guy is his own," McElwain said of Harbaugh's gamesmanship. "He obviously felt that they needed to do some things to become relevant. That was his choice. It's probably not something I'd do. That's all right."

And so it goes — and likely will all the way up until kickoff of what is shaping up as arguably the biggest season opener in UF football history. 

Bold statement? Well, a ranked Gators team has opened a season against a ranked opponent only four times in school history, the last time coming in 1987 when No. 20 UF went to No. 10 Miami and was crushed 31-4. Three years earlier, the Gators and the defending national champion Hurricanes played a season-opening classic in Tampa that UM won 32-20 behind a pair of touchdowns in the final minute. Florida (16) and Miami (15) also opened the '82 season, with the Gators winning at home 17-14. Then there was the 1953 opener at Houston, where No. 12 Rice defeated the 15th-ranked Gators, 20-16. 
 
Florida owns the nation's longest opening-day winning streak, a run of 27 straight that began in 1990 when the Gators blasted Oklahoma State 50-7 in Steve Spurrier's debut. In the years since, UF has played every season opener at home and almost exclusively against vastly inferior foes — Arkansas State, The Citadel, Charleston Southern and New Mexico State, to name a few — so the notion of facing a heavyweight like the Wolverines in the 100,000-seat palace that is home of the Dallas Cowboys naturally has some juices flowing. 

For players and fans alike. 

'It's time," McElwain said. "It's exciting." 

Year 3 under McElwain will be about defending the two Southeastern Conference East Division titles he guided the Gators to his first two seasons, but also about improving an offense that finished next-to-last in the league in 2015 and last in 2016. Making marked improvements in Week 1 against Michigan, even a so-called rebuilding version of the Wolverines, could be a tough task, especially with no clear-cut leader at the quarterback position. 

And yet that's exactly the expectation the Gators will take to the Lone Star State. 

"Once we get rolling, I think our offense will be great. Once we get it rolling, I think nobody will be able to stop us," sophomore wide receiver Josh Hammond said. "If we get it going early against a great team, it'll definitely boost a lot of confidence for us moving forward."

The Wolverines lost 16 starters off a team that went 10-3, with losses at Iowa, No. 2 Ohio State and against No. 11 Florida State in the Orange Bowl. Harbaugh, though, has been a terror on the recruiting trails and, though young, will have some talented players ready to step into larger roles and gain some frontline experience on the fly.

"A bunch of those guys have been on film a year ago and you're able to watch and see how they play," McElwain said. "Obviously, [they have] some additions of guys, just like the additions of the guys we have. It should be a lot of fun."

The last time Florida and Michigan got together it was one-sided fun — for the Wolverines. 

The two squared off in the Citrus Bowl at Orlando on Jan. 1, 2016, at the end of McElwain's and Harbaugh's first seasons. Michigan demolished UF 41-7, with the Gators' lone points coming on a 3-yard trick-play pass from wide receiver Antonio Callaway.
 
In that bowl game, the Wolverines absolutely dismantled the Gators at the point of attack on the way to 503 yards of total offense and 28 first downs. 

Again, that was two seasons ago, so much has changed. Florida, though, heads into the season looking to replace seven defensive players drafted by NFL teams (including five in the first three rounds). The Gators know the Wolverines will try to pound the football via the running game to set up the pass. 

"For our front seven, it's just a game we know we're going to have to buckle up," said sophomore linebacker David Reese, a Detroit native who was once committed to Michigan. "They're going to try to hit us straight in the mouth, and we'll just have to be more physical than they are and just play with a lot of energy." 

But so much more of the pre-game focus will fall on the offense. And the quarterbacks. Whoever they may be, that is. 

Let the games begin. 

Not the mind ones (which clearly have started already), but the real ones.