Opinion: Florida's failure to play up to own standard makes it No. 1 on Week 7 Misery Index

If Dan Mullen is going to be evaluated the way every Florida coach since Steve Spurrier is evaluated, the standard is pretty straightforward. Either you’re getting Florida into the mix to win SEC and national championships or you’re going to be living the buyout life.

The Florida Gators brand is that good. Their advantages are that profound. Their fan base and leadership are that demanding.

Mullen, who was Urban Meyer’s offensive coordinator for four seasons in Gainesville, knew that when he made the intra-SEC move from Mississippi State, where 8-4 was reason enough to throw a parade.

"I put such high expectations on myself and our program of what we want to do," Mullen told ESPN prior to the 2019 season. "I came to Florida to win championships and have a program that’s going to compete for championships not just once in awhile but consistently every single season."

In many ways, Mullen has been right on track with three New Year’s Six bowl appearances in three years, finally knocking off Georgia to win the division last season with a near-miss against Alabama in the SEC championship game. Given the high standards of a job like Florida, you wouldn’t say Mullen has wildly exceeded expectations. But he’s been right in the ballpark.

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Those narratives can turn in a hurry, though. And as Mullen reaches the midway point of his fourth year, odds are you won’t find many Florida fans who believe that his tenure is anything special.

After Saturday’s 49-42 loss at LSU — the second year in a row the Gators have lost to a going-nowhere LSU team — this season is officially a bust for 4-3 Florida. And the issues swirling around Mullen are significant.

First and foremost, Mullen’s decision to retain defensive coordinator Todd Grantham even though the Gators couldn’t stop anyone last season does not look great after allowing 321 rushing yards to LSU. This is an LSU team that hasn’t rushed for even 150 against any opponent this year (including McNeese State) and has been held under 100 yards several times, but somehow the Tigers clicked off big chunk plays on the ground whenever they pleased.

Second, Florida’s path to keeping up or surpassing Georgia in the East seems to be narrowing. This is a rivalry that has see-sawed over the years, but right now the Bulldogs are much closer to winning a national title and have a clear edge in recruiting.

Third, it appears Mullen has been playing the wrong quarterback for much of this season. While redshirt freshman Anthony Richardson was dealing with a hamstring injury earlier this season, he was declared 100% healthy more than two weeks ago but barely played against Kentucky or Vanderbilt and only got the ball against LSU out of desperation when starter Emory Jones, who struggled for the entire game, threw a pick-six early in the third quarter.

But Richardson, who looks like a potential Cam Newton clone, is a far more talented passer than Jones and showed it as Florida got back in the game after trailing 28-13. Richardson is not a finished product yet, but he is the future. And Mullen’s reluctance to give him the ball is costing him credibility with a fan base that sees something different than what the playing time would suggest.

Even worse, Richardson was asked after the game about concerns that he might transfer. His answer was less than reassuring to an already-edgy fan base.

"I can't really speak on that," he told reporters. "Time is the only thing that tells. Right now I'm a Gator."

Maybe Richardson didn’t intend for that comment to sound like a warning — he later tweeted a clarification pledging his devotion to Florida — but the seed of doubt has been planted. Mullen isn’t on the hot seat or even particularly close right now, But if he doesn’t fix the three issues listed above, it won’t be a long trip.

That’s why Florida ranks No. 1 in this week’s Misery Index, a weekly measurement of knee-jerk reactions based on what each fan base just watched.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College Football Misery Index: Florida No. 1 after loss to LSU