Pat Dooley’s High Five (May 12th )

We still have a long way to go to football season and Florida’s roster is still not quite complete.

But we do know what lies ahead when we are talking about the difficult schedule the Gators will play this season.

The High Five brings you the five most important games of the 2022 season:

 

1. Georgia. Always. Florida’s goal is the same as it has been for all coaches at UF since the league split into divisions (which may be going away soon). You want to win the East. You can’t do that if you don’t beat Georgia.

 

2. Utah. It’s not a conference game, but it is the start of the Billy Napier Era. The Utes have a ton coming back and will likely be a top 10 team in the preseason. A win in this game gives Florida a relevancy that is not there today.

 

3. Kentucky. Second game of the year and first conference game. But it’s about more than that because Kentucky is going to be some people’s pick to finish behind Georgia. And Dan Mullen made the Wildcats a new rivalry but splitting four games against a team Florida never used to lose to.

 

4. LSU. Florida’s yearly cross-division foe has become a real rivalry game, especially because the Tigers have won seven of the last nine and three of the last four in Gainesville.

 

5. Tennessee. The Vols have breathed new life into Neyland Stadium and that is again a tough place to play. It’s the fourth game of the season and a lot will depend on how Florida plays in those first two. But this has the potential to be one of the most important games between the two teams since the Steve Spurrier Era.