It's no secret that there are two clear-cut favorites in the SEC this season, and they don't come from the SEC East. LSU or Alabama are expected to win the SEC this year, with Tennessee being the most popular pick to be the opponent in the SEC title game come December. However, one national outlet took a stab at naming a dark horse to win the conference, and this one's about as dark as they come.
CBS' Tom Fornelli recently named Florida as his dark horse to win the conference in 2016. Florida won the East last season in Jim McElwain's first year, but fell 29-15 to Alabama in a lackluster showing in the SEC Title game. Here's a little on what Fornelli had to say for his justification of the pick, adding that having quarterback Luke Del Rio running the offense will look a bit reminiscent of the Will Grier days.
"With a strong defense, and an offense that should be much closer to the early season Gators team we saw — if not better — I believe the Gators have a very good chance of getting to Atlanta," Fornelli writes. "And once they get there, it's just one game."
Given that I watched Florida's loss to Alabama in person, this seems a bit unlikely at first, but I do have agree with Fornelli — the bad back-end of Florida's season last year could have been attributed to quarterback play from Treon Harris, and Del Rio could certainly turn things around there. See the CBS piece in its entirety by clicking here.
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