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Florida vs. South Carolina: Gators dominate Gamecocks, win 44-11

Wherein the 2006 comparisons finally start to make sense.

Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

Well, that went better than expected.

I assume that most sane Gator fans came into this game trepidatiously. And rightfully so. The South Carolina defense looked salty, and the Gator offense didn't exactly inspire confidence. But after this game, all but the most pessimistic fans have to be firmly on the Muschamp bandwagon.

The trend among the commentariat this week has been comparing this team to the 2006 Gator squad. I personally didn't buy into it - until now. This team wins ugly, but it wins. It wins on the back of a young, mobile quarterback who is supremely talented, but still hasn't quite learned how to pass the ball consistently, and a defense that is absolutely stifling when it needs to be.

Also like the 2006 team, I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. The offense still doesn't look great, but Jeff Driskel still managed to finish with the absurd line of 11/16 for 93 yards and 4 touchdowns, with Jordan Reed the recipient of two of those scores. Just try not to pay too much attention to the total yardage (183) stats. And let's just be honest: the minus plus 4 turnover ratio contributed slightly to the margin of victory.

But while the 2006 team famously lacked "style points," this team just beat the number 7 team in the county by 33 points. Before the 41-14 beat-down of Ohio State, the 2006 team never had such an emphatic win on its resume. Ugly or not, if Muschamp, Driskel, and Co. continue to win, you won't hear me complaining.