The start of the college football regular season is just over a couple of months away and with the spring schedule well into the rearview mirror, media pundits have been publishing their outlooks for the coming fall.
Brad Crawford of 247Sports weighed in with his Southeastern Conference football final record predictions and projected order of finish, including the Florida Gators. The Orange and Blue have arguably the hardest schedule in the nation in 2024, thus expectations for the program are tempered.
“Not to overreact here, but it’s starting to feel like the opener against Miami is the biggest game of Billy Napier’s tenure up to this point,” Crawford begins. “Starting off on the wrong foot against college football’s most grueling schedule may be impossible to overcome when Texas A&M awaits two weeks later as the tip of the massive iceberg in front of the Gators.”
Because of the grueling gauntlet awaiting Napier and Co., Crawford expects the Gators to finish an even 6-6 during the regular season and finish ranked 11th in the SEC.
“The wins in this 6-6 overall projection include Miami, Samford, Texas A&M, UCF, Kentucky and LSU. Napier gets to bowl eligibility if he beats one of the following opponents over the final five weeks of the regular season — Georgia, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State. Call the LSU rivalry battle as the upset.”
UF has reached a nadir unseen since the 1940s since the start of the decade, stringing together three straight losing seasons punctuated by its first missed bowl appearance since 2017 last season. A .500 finish would give the Gators an opportunity to snap the schneid by winning its bowl game.
Florida’s 2024 season opener
The Florida and Miami open the schedule on Aug. 31 in Gainesville, Florida. Kickoff time is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/projecting-florida-football-final-record-162439958.html
Author : Gators Wire
Publish date : 2024-06-19 16:24:39
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