How soon will Florida Football return to prominence under Dan Mullen's new regime? Two opposing coaches, who agreed to be interviewed anonymously inside Lindy’s expansive 2018 SEC preview, said the rubber will meet the road quickly for Florida's leading man if things go south early in Gainesville.

"I don't think Florida is as talented as they've been," one opposing coach said. "I think Dan Mullen did a great job at Mississippi State. But the thing about Florida is, it's a pressure cooker and a seven- or eight-win season in The Swamp will get your a** fired. They don't give a damn what the problems are. You better win."

Accumulating victories wasn't an issue early for Jim McElwain, who took home two SEC East titles, but winning big was, evidenced by two disappointing losses to Alabama in the league championship game that didn't sit well with the fanbase. By the middle of Year 3, Florida was spinning out of control at 3-4 and McElwain had lost the trust of his constituents — both on the field and off — who yanked the cord following a 35-point blowout loss to Georgia in Jacksonville.

Florida sees Mullen as one of its own and put him at the top of the pecking order in the coaching search last season. He went 69–46 over nine seasons at Mississippi State and brought the program its first No. 1 overall ranking during that memorable 2014 campaign.

Breathing new life into an anemic offensive scheme is one of the primary reasons Mullen was such a coveted hire. But one opposing coach isn't sure if Florida's quarterback of the future is currently on the Gators' roster. Feleipe Franks is battling Kyle Trask for this season's starting job with heralded freshman Emory Jones not quite there yet as the program's No. 3.

Jones best fits what Mullen wants to do offensively, but has a long way to go before he's ready to lead.

"I don't know if Mullen can fix the quarterback problem," one opposing coach told Lindy's. "He did a helluva job at State with Dak Prescott and Nick Fitzgerald. I'm not betting against him. He'll get better talent at Florida than he had at Mississippi State. What does that equate to in terms of wins and losses? I don't know.

"Florida fans hope he brings back the production they had when Mullen (as OC at Florida) had Tim Tebow. Since Tebow left, Florida hasn't been worth a crap on offense."

Since leading the SEC in total offense during Tebow's senior season in 2009, the Gators haven't finished higher than 10th in the category. No team in the SEC has scored fewer touchdowns than Florida (63) over the last two years. Vegas oddsmakers share a similar mid-tier view on the Gators, setting the over-under for Florida's win total in 2018 at 7.