Could Florida football be the scariest team in the SEC?

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The last thing the rest of the SEC wants to see is Florida football become "Florida football" again.

For most of the past decade, Florida has been searching for consistency. During that stint, the Gators' rivals capitalized, gaining ground and putting the Orange and Blue in the rearview.

New additions to the conference also leapfrogged the Gators in both relevance and contention. Frequent turnover at head coach, roster overhauls and program dysfunction allowed the likes of South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee and Vanderbilt to gain ground in both recruiting and perception.

Gator Nation hopes that new head coach Jon Sumrall can awaken the sleeping giant and cement Florida as a factor in the SEC title race. The momentum Sumrall has generated on the recruiting trail has already yielded a top-5 class.

The Gators have also been able to retain key stars who are coveted by college football powers from across the country. Perhaps most importantly, he's changed the outlook in Gainesville, Florida's fanbase has a reason to believe and find excitement for the upcoming campaign.

Has a winning identity found its way back to Florida? Many think so. Accountability, competitiveness and relentless drive must define the Gators in the Sumrall era, should they want to improve on the 4-8 record from a season ago.

Florida has the resources, the brand and the recruiting footprint to find a championship pedigree again. The force a program like Florida can have is not easily replicated — that's why SEC opposition should be keeping tabs on what's happening at UF.

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida football: SEC program nobody wants to see get rolling again

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