Midseason Preview: Can Gators Still Make a Bowl?
Florida had aspirations of competing for a spot in the College Football Playoff this season. Oh, how times change. Instead, the Gators are 3-4 and just fired their coach heading into their second open date of the year.
So, while Florida has no chance of making the Playoff or winning a conference championship, there is still time to make a bowl game. But it will not be easy.
Its final five games include next week’s border clash against No. 5 Georgia in Jacksonville, back-to-back road games versus Kentucky and No. 8 Ole Miss, before finishing the season with No. 17 Tennessee and Florida State at home. One may question the reality of Florida actually achieving bowl eligibility, but if the Gators have shown nothing else this year, they’re going to compete.
“A goal of mine would obviously be to stay here. [But] my first goal is to make sure we put a fantastic group of players on that football field that are going to compete and play for the University of Florida,” interim coach Billy Gonzales said. “I told these guys yesterday — it’s really important that I tell my room this — when you’re in my room, the wide receivers, I always talk about you play for the patch. And that means a lot to me. It means a lot to our players.”
For Florida to get to bowl eligibility, the Gators need to win three of their next five games. Let’s break down the remaining schedule to see if that is realistic:
No. 5 Georgia
The Bulldogs are 6-1 and in a prime position for another postseason run. Georgia’s biggest strength this season is being resilient, with its only blemish being a three-point home loss against Alabama. The Bulldogs have had to complete second-half comebacks multiple times this year, showing that you better be ready for a four-quarter fight. After losing Carson Beck to Miami, quarterback Gunner Stockton has filled in nicely — completing 70.5% of his passes and throwing for 1,553 yards while repping a 10-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio, as well as adding seven rushing scores.
At Kentucky
The Wildcats have really struggled this season, currently 2-4 and sitting dead last in the SEC. But for all their struggles, as a home team, they have proven to be a tough out. Twice this season, Kentucky has taken higher-end SEC teams to the brink and nearly pulled off the upset: a 30-20 loss to Ole Miss and a 16-13 overtime defeat by Texas last week. Florida has dropped its last two meetings in Lexington, with its last win coming in 2019. The Gators should be able to handle business, but be cautious.
At No. 8 Ole Miss
The general consensus in Gainesville is Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin should be the next coach of the Florida Gators. Oh wait, you mean he isn’t the new coach yet? And currently is preparing his eighth-ranked Rebels for its battle against Oklahoma on Saturday? Yes, folks, despite speculation, Kiffin is still in charge of coaching an Ole Miss that has a real shot of making the CFP this season.
Dynamic quarterback Trinidad Chambliss leads the Rebels, having become one of the best stories in college football. The former Division II signal-caller at Ferris State has Ole Miss 6-1 on the year and despite the loss a week ago, Chambliss went off in his first-career Division I road start. Against Georgia, Chambliss went 19-of-36 for 263 yards and recorded three total touchdowns. The only question mark with Ole Miss will be if the defense can find its footing moving forward after letting Georgia walk over it.
Loading ...Tennessee
Tennessee is 5-2 and ranked inside the top 20, and its two losses are at the hands of Georgia and Alabama. The Volunteers have one of the easiest schedules to close out the year, but must come to The Swamp on Nov. 22 — a place that has haunted Rocky Top for over two decades. Tennessee has not won a game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium since 2003, they have been close a few times, but none more than allowing a walk-off 63-yard Hail Mary in 2017.
Will this year be any different? Tennessee coach Josh Heupel is 0-2 in Gainesville, but might have his best quarterback since Hendon Hooker . Joey Aguilar has helped the Vols get back to what they are good at: hitting big plays down the field. Aguilar is 17th in the FBS in yards per completion (13.3), and Florida has given up a number of explosive passes.
Florida State
As disappointing as Florida has been this season, its primary in-state rival is right there with it. After shocking college football with a 31-17 Week 1 win over Alabama, the Seminoles started 3-0 and were in the top 10. Since then, FSU has dropped four straight and has lost nine consecutive ACC games. While most of their losses have been by one score, it still does not get rid of the agony of being a Seminole fan right now.
Betting both teams will not be very good by season’s end, this year’s Sunshine State Showdown will be the ultimate test of who wants it more.
Category: Feature Sports News, Gators Football, SEC
