Several big Week 1 results shook up the College Football Playoff projections, but Florida’s 55-0 win over Long Island didn’t do much for the Gators’ postseason hopes.
USA TODAY Sports college sports editor Erick Smith placed Florida in the all-too-familiar Gasparilla Bowl against Memphis in the Week 2 update to his bowl projections. Two of the Gators’ last three bowl appearances have come at Raymond James Stadium, a 29-17 Gasparilla Bowl loss to UCF in 2021 amid the Mullen-Napier coaching transition and a 33-8 steamrolling of Tulane last season.
Although the prestige of various non-CFP bowl games can be somewhat subjective, the Gasparilla Bowl is generally considered a tier (or more) below the Reliaquest Bowl, which was Smith’s preseason projection.
Scheduling an FCS team for the opener has its pros and cons. Florida didn’t have to play starters more than two quarters while allowing guys like DJ Lagway to shake off the rust. At the same time, no one is praising the Orange and Blue for doing what an SEC team is supposed to do in that situation. It’s a much different start to the year compared to the last three openers — hosting Miami in 2024 and a home-and-home with Utah the two prior years.
That’s likely to change with the one slam-dunk win on the schedule out of the way. Florida faces the toughest schedule in the country once again this year, and even next week’s matchup with South Florida isn’t guaranteed following the Bulls’ upset win against Boise State.
Other preseason bowl predictions for Florida
It’s still very early in the season, and opinions vary across the community of experts who make these weekly bowl projections. CBS Sports has the Gators sneaking into the College Football Playoff picture this week.
“The Gators’ schedule is absolutely loaded and getting to nine wins should be the magic number depending on where those losses come,” writer Brad Crawford said.
The Athletic is less bullish on Florida’s ability to get through the grueling season, giving the Gators 4% odds to reach the CFP field in its latest update. It’s the same percentage that Florida had heading into Week 1, but UF moves into a tie for 42nd place on The Athletic’s list sorted by playoff chances.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: USA TODAY Sports projects Florida football to land in familiar bowl game ahead of Week 2
Reporting by David Rosenberg, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
