Just like that, Florida coach Will Muschamp is back on the hot seat.
The Gators fell to 5-4 after a blocked field goal and blocked punt led to a 23-20 loss to South Carolina. Did former Florida coach Steve Spurrier put the final nail in Muschamp’s tenure in Gainesville?
Florida fell to 1-3 against South Carolina under Muschamp, and fired back up the hot seat.
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Should the Gators keep Muschamp? Let’s look at the pros and cons:
PRO: Muschamp has settled on Treon Harris at quarterback.
CON: The Gators didn’t complete their first pass against South Carolina until the four-minute mark of the first half. Harris finished 5-of-11 for 60 yards and a TD. Florida still doesn’t have a passing attack that threatens anybody.
PRO: Muschamp is 4-0 against Tennessee.
CON: Tennessee hasn’t won the SEC East since 2007. This is a bigger deal in Knoxville right now.
HAYES: Would Spurrier return to Gainesville?
PRO: The Gators are bowl eligible with a win against Eastern Kentucky next week.
CON: It won’t be anything close to the Gator Bowl or Sugar Bowl, which Florida played in his first two seasons. A bigger bowl is necessary next year.
PRO: Muschamp beat Georgia for the first time this season.
CON: Missouri should be more of a focus. The Gators have lost to the Tigers by an average of 24 points the last two years. Missouri has outscored Florida 85-44 since joining the SEC.
PRO: Florida is the last team to beat Florida State.
CON: If the Gators don’t beat the Seminoles, then Muchamp will fall to 1-3 in that rivalry, too.
PRO: Muschamp finished 4-4 in SEC play despite crossover games against Alabama and LSU.
CON: The Gators are 17-15 in SEC play under Muschamp that last four years. That’s mediocre at best.
VERDICT: Muschamp might be given the benefit with bowl eligibility and the sweep of Georgia and Tennessee, but a win against Florida State would do wonders. Still, Muschamp is 4-10 against Georgia, South Carolina, Missouri and Florida State. He’s beaten all of them once in four years. That’s nowhere near the standard, and that’s the evidence Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley has to work with. The only question now is whether judgment is rendered in two weeks. If not now, all those numbers will come back up in 2015.
