The Gators’ season opener against Florida Atlantic was a bit of a mixed bag. The team cruised to a 35-14 victory behind an unstoppable rushing attack and a solid overall defensive performance. But there are still areas of concern, namely at quarterback.
Emory Jones struggled at times passing the ball, tossing two interceptions on bad decisions, and it marred his starting debut. In spite of the questions at the quarterback spot, ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura still thinks the Gators are New Year’s Six bound.
In the latest bowl projections from ESPN, Bonagura predicts that the Gators will snag an at-large spot in the Fiesta Bowl and face Cincinnati. The Bearcats are expected to be among the best teams in the Group of Five yet again after losing to Georgia in the NY6 last season.
However, his colleague Mark Schlabach is less bullish on Florida. He still projects a solid bowl destination for coach Dan Mullen‘s squad, but it’s outside the New Year’s Six. Instead, Schlabach has UF facing Penn State in the Vrbo Citrus Bowl in Orlando.
Florida’s last appearance in the Citrus Bowl was one it would like to forget, as the team lost 41-7 to Michigan in 2016 at the conclusion of former coach Jim McElwain’s first season. Penn State is coming off a Week 1 victory in a defensive slugfest on the road at Wisconsin.
The Gators took care of business in their opener, but the first real test comes against Alabama in two weeks. That game will give us a much better idea if this is going to be another New Year’s Six caliber team.
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