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Will Muschamp’s Tenure As Florida Football Coach Will End After Georgia Game

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Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports

Before the Florida Gators‘ 2014 season started, Will Muschamp‘s coaching seat was smoldering, tempered by the hire of Kurt Roper and Jeff Driskel‘s supposed improvement.

Flash forward to Oct. 21 — Muschamp’s seat is nearly in ashes and the  cautious optimism of the Florida fan base has devolved into the Swamp filled with boos and internet vitriol. As indicated prior to the season, Muschamp will not survive as Florida’s head coach. The Missouri game changed the stance from “if” to “when.” Athletic director Jeremy Foley has said that he is still “evaluating,” but everyone knows that means he is waiting for the result of the Georgia game to pull the trigger.

Surprisingly, the Gators are not mathematically eliminated from contention for the SEC East crown. A loss to Georgia on Nov. 1 would certainly end the opportunity to salvage the season at all. That flicker of hope going out will give Foley all he needs to make a decision before the season ends. With the possibility of Todd Gurley‘s return and the Dawgs’ recent success on the road, the Gators are in major trouble in Jacksonville.

There would be no point to keep Muschamp around for the undeniable slaughter that is going to happen in Tallahassee on Nov. 29. The Florida State Seminoles will bury their in-state rival in front of a national television audience and the dozens of recruits on hand with absolutely no letup. It will be a demoralizing night that a lame-duck head coach has no business attending. The team will appoint an interim and begin the process of moving on in the eyes of players, fans, boosters and recruits.

Sadly for Muschamp, his dream job did not work out. His time in Gainesville will not be remembered fondly. It will be known for inept game planning, missing a bowl game for the first time since 1979, a loss to Georgia Southern and sideline tirades that were bigger sensations than any touchdowns or victories accrued during his tenure. By all accounts, Muschamp is an excellent coordinator and will probably land on his feet somewhere. That somewhere will not be in the state of Florida anytime soon.

Florida is prime territory for a big-name coach and rest assured, Foley will pull out all stops to bring the Gators back to prominence. With so many built-in advantages, there is no excuse for this program to suffer such a setback. The amount of talent and resources within the state borders is like a dream come true for the right coach. Foley will likely look for a proven winner at this point; someone with numbers to back up his bravado. Whomever he may be, improvement better come in bunches and quickly. He will need to re-establish recruiting pipelines and instill lost confidence the second he is hired.

If he cannot do that, he will be hearing the same boos Muschamp heard last Saturday. Patience is not a virtue in the SEC.

Brad Stephens is an SEC Football writer for www.Rantsports.com. Feel free to follow on Twitter @bradstephens320 or add him to your Google network. 

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