Will the Gator offense be better, worse or about the same? 

Surprisingly, this question was more difficult for me to answer than I thought it was going to be. At least when it comes to thinking about how the offense will play out in 2015.

The easy answer is yes, the offense will be improved because it can’t get much worse than the last couple of years, right? New head coach Jim McElwain and new offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier bring promise change to a spread offense and I think most of the fans are buying in. 

I still have concerns and questions about the quarterback position. Will it be Will Grier or Treon Harris, who I don’t think is the saving grace that most think he is, who will get the starting nod for the season opener? 

At running back, Kelvin Taylor should lock down the position with Adam Lane and Brandon Powell settling into the role of backups. I’m fine with that trio, for now. 

At the receiver positions and across the entire offensive line, I just don’t know. The receiving corps has been a mess since Urban Meyer left and aside from Jordan Reed I haven’t even remotely trusted a tight end since Tim Tebow was throwing passes to Aaron Hernandez. 

But, Jake McGee was recently granted a sixth-year of eligibility by the NCAA and I think that’s great news for the Gators offense as it searches for a consistent pass catcher.

The offensive line will have a new look this year and by that I mean young and inexperienced. They return one player who has had any real playing time (Trip Thurman) and will enter the season with 10 of the 13 lineman as underclassmen. 

Will the Gator defense be better, worse or about the same?

The Gators’ defense is another story. I expect a slight drop off when compared to last year, but I don’t think it’ll be all that much. 

The strength of this team is in the secondary, which is led by (I’ll go ahead and assume All-American, barring injury) cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III. He’ll anchor a secondary that will be extremely good. 

The linebackers will again be solid but not all-world. They’ll have their struggles stopping a power running game, but overall they’ll be just fine. Antonio Morrison returns for his senior season and will look to end on a high note. 

The defensive line is where the majority of the question marks are on the defensive side of the ball. Losing Dante Fowler Jr. early to the NFL Draft hurts, but let’s not pretend this caught us by surprise. He was always going to be a three-year player and with him being a projected top pick in the draft I don’t blame him at all for jumping ship. 

You buying or selling this team in 2015?

As for buying or selling this team, is there a hold option that I can select? With almost an entirely new coaching staff, I’m expecting it to take a year or two for this team to take shape and to see what they’ve got.  

We’ll see how things play out, but I’ll tell you that I am buying a more competitive and complete team that hopefully will begin to lay the foundation for future success. 

Nolan Mucciarone of Alligator Army provides the information for our weekly 2014 SEC Power Rankings. You can follow Nolan on Twitter  @AA_FlaGators.