Many in the SEC are looking back to what might have been the demarcation point in Florida football, or when it all began to go bad (relatively speaking) for the Gators. On the gridiron, some point to the pandemic campaign and a shock 37-34 upset loss to Ed Orgeron's struggling, post-Joe Burrow LSU when Dan Mullen's Florida was No. 6 nationally and entered as a 23-point favorite. The Gators proceeded to lose the SEC title game to Alabama and got routed in the Orange Bowl by Oklahoma, allowing 50+ points on each occasion. The descent into the abyss was just beginning. By the end of the 2021 season, things had deteriorated so much that Mullen was ousted before the end of the campaign. Billy Napier, who arrived from an impressive winning run in the Sun Belt at Louisiana-Lafayette, was his eventual replacement.   

SEC insiders, however, suspect that Napier is still dealing with the aftereffects of downgraded personnel from later in the tenure of Mullen, who never made it much of a secret that he wasn't too fond of the recruiting process. But even at a locale like Gainesville in the talent-rich Sunshine State, and regardless of any "hometown" edge, the Gators still need to outwork a lot of competitors who have been poaching in-state talent for several years.  The result, say regional onlookers, is the biggest talent gap between the top tier of the SEC (Georgia, Alabama, and now Tennessee) and Florida in decades...

Bruce Marshall's full breakdown of Florida's 2023 outlook, which includes how he's playing their win total, can be found below as part of SportsLine's preview of the SEC season.

SEC preview: Conference winner | Alabama | Arkansas | Auburn | Florida | Georgia | Kentucky | LSU | Mississippi State | Missouri | Ole Miss | South Carolina | Tennessee | Texas A&M | Vanderbilt

2023 Florida at a glance

• Last Year: 6-7 SU, 7-6 ATS, 7-6 O/U
  
• Returning Starters: Offense 4; Defense 3
• Win Total: 5.5 (Over -135, Under +105)
  

What do you need to know about Florida before locking in your SEC futures bets? And which side of their win total makes for the best play? ... Join SportsLine right now to see SEC futures betting strategy from a veteran college football expert!