The start of the 2023 college football campaign is just around the corner as Billy Napier and the Florida Gators prepare for what is expected to be one of the most difficult schedules in the sport. The second-year skipper is looking to break out of a funk that has held the Orange and Blue under the .500 mark the past two seasons but the look is pretty grim.
The Athletic’s Seth Emerson and Kennington Smith III recently cast their projections for this season’s win totals among the Southeastern Conference’s schools, and the news is not great for Florida fans. The pair set their prediction for the Gators’ win total at 5.5 — ranked No. 13 in the league just ahead of the last-place Vanderbilt Commodores (3.5 wins).
Here is what the two had to offer on the topic.
Emerson: At the risk of buying too much into the brand name, the over seems a solid bet here: There are three almost guaranteed wins (including Vanderbilt), and as tough as the other nine are, Billy Napier’s team should be able to scrounge three more wins. Most likely are Arkansas at home, at Missouri, South Carolina or Kentucky, maybe even home against Florida State.
Smith: Florida’s 2022 season ended unceremoniously, and the roster has questions, but I won’t bet on the Gators missing out on the bowl game. Quarterback aside, the 1-2 running back punch of Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne should pace the offense.
While the prediction is not necessarily the end of the world — after all, Smith still thinks this is a bowl-eligible team — Napier’s gang has a steep uphill battle ahead of them. If they split the non-conference schedule at 2-2 and win five SEC games, that would be a 7-5 record heading into the postseason, good enough to ensure the first winning season in three years.
The Georgia Bulldogs lead the way with a projected 11.5 wins, followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide (10), LSU Tigers (9.5), Tennessee Volunteers (9.5), Texas A&M Aggies (8), Ole Miss Rebels (7.5), Auburn Tigers (7), Kentucky Wildcats (6.5), Arkansas Razorbacks (6.5), Missouri Tigers (6.5), South Carolina Gamecocks (6.5) and Mississippi State (6.5).
Florida opens its 2023 schedule on the road against the Utah Utes on Aug. 31, with a kickoff time of 8 p.m. EDT.
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