Things did not go well for Florida football in its season opener against the Miami Hurricanes in the Swamp last Saturday. In a matchup that many felt favored the Gators, the ‘Canes flat-out embarrassed the Orange and Blue on their own field.
The fallout from the defeat has been disastrous, to the point that the fanbase and media have attacked some of head coach Billy Napier’s quotes from his press conferences. It should come as no surprise, then that CBS Sports’ Will Backus included Florida in his first bottom 25 rankings of the 2024 season.
Napier and Co. find themselves ranked eighth in the tally, noting that the closer they are to No. 1, the worse off they are. The top spot is currently occupied by the Western Illinois Leathernecks, who are mired in a 25-game losing streak — the longest of any FBS or FCS school.
“Billy Napier is on a mission to find out how hot a seat can truly get before one is forcibly dethroned. We’re reaching volcanic-level temperatures after a 41-17 loss to Miami,” Backus offers.
“Hey, at least there are some nice basements in central Florida that he could lay low in if the pressure becomes too much to handle,” he jokingly adds.
Other notable programs in the bottom 25
Florida has it worse off than any other Southeastern Conference or rival school in the bottom 25 but there is still some company down below.
The LSU Tigers are ranked 18th on the list after their loss to the USC Trojans in Week 1 followed by the 19th-ranked Florida State Seminoles, who started 0-2 against a pair of mediocre ACC teams.
The Texas A&M Aggies check in at No. 21, putting three SEC teams in the FBS cellar.
Next up for the Gators
The Gators will get a chance to even up their 2024 regular season record against the Samford Bulldogs next Saturday inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the SEC Network+.
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