‘Spot the Ball’ is Fading for Gators

No one said the Florida Gators would have an easy schedule heading into the 2025 football season. Florida leads the FBS on ESPN’s strength of schedule index. 

With a schedule of death — having played four Top-10 teams with three more ranked opponents on the way — it would have been easy for Florida fans to not have high expectations for the boys in orange and blue led by coach Billy Napier.

That was until Napier and the Gators fanned those expectations.

Prior to this season, Napier quote-posted a post made by the SEC Network that showed Florida having the toughest schedule in the FBS, with the remark “Spot The Ball.” 

At SEC Media Days in July, quarterback DJ Lagway explained the meaning of how “spot the ball” became the mantra for the Gators. 

“That was kind of our word for last year,” Lagway said. “It doesn’t matter who we play, spot the ball. […] They’ve got to play the Florida Gators.”

Fast forward to the middle of October, and the Gators have fallen short of those fanned expectations. The Gators sit at 2-4, losing three of their four matchups against Top-10 opponents.

After losing at home to unranked USF, the Gators dropped another two at then-No.3 LSU and then-No. 4 Miami. Florida rebounded with a win against then-No.9 Texas, before losing last week at then-No. 5 Texas A&M. 

After the loss last week, it seems like “spot the ball” is as dead for Napier as are Florida’s College Football Playoff hopes.

“I think we’ve played some of the better teams in the country,” Napier said when asked about the message he’d give to fans regarding the Gators’ 2-4 record, in his postgame news conference last Saturday. “Our teams have been in the game.”

“We’ll have to hit the reset button and get to work on that plan [against Mississippi State this Saturday],” Napier said. “There’s no quick fix here, the best thing to do is go win. […] We’re close.”

Napier kept the same mindset Tuesday.

“We’ve just played really good teams,” Napier said on Inside Gator Football. “I think that Miami, LSU, Texas, even South Florida is playing at a high level. In general, we’ve been close but we haven’t been good enough. I think we’re contributing to that. Although they’re really talented, I think that there are things we can do better.” 

Despite Florida consistently being in it until the last quarter, Lagway did not make any excuses for Florida’s losses this season. 

“It’s not about the teams that we’re playing, it’s about us,” Lagway said in his postgame news conference last Saturday. “We’re beating ourselves.”

Although the season has all but become a game for bowl contention, Saturday’s Homecoming matchup against Mississippi State (4-2, 0-2 SEC) will be noteworthy to see what identity the  Gators (1-2 SEC) will have, with Napier possibly getting fired after the game.

Kickoff is set for 4:15 p.m., and coverage will also start at 1 p.m. on ESPN 98.1-FM, 103.7-FM/850-AM WRUF.

Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Gators Football, SEC