It was a rollercoaster 2024 campaign for the Florida football program, one that saw its head coach on the verge of an exit at one point during the season only to turn things around in 180-degree fashion during the late stretch.
By the end of the 12-game regular-season schedule and a Gasparilla Bowl appearance, the Gators defied many prognostications by finishing with a robust 8-5 overall record. Billy Napier and Co. began the fall with many expecting half of that win total, but he and his team proved the naysayers wrong with a four-game winning streak to close things out.
Those results pushed Florida up to No. 17 in the SP+ and No. 19 in the Football Power Index while climbing the other metrics. The strong finish also did not go unnoticed by USA TODAY Sports writer Paul Myerberg, who mentioned the Orange and Blue in his bowl season winners and losers column.
Florida among USA TODAY Sports winners
“It’s been quite a postseason for the SEC — more on that in a minute — but Florida’s win against Tulane caps a terrific second half and should inflate the Gators’ bandwagon heading into next season. Once on the brink of throwing in the towel on the Billy Napier era, the school’s decision to bring Napier back in 2025 sparked a major turnaround,” Myerberg notes.
“One of the biggest reasons for optimism, rising sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway, threw for 305 yards as Florida pulled away from the Green Wave in the third and fourth quarters to win eight games for the first since 2020.”
Other winners include the final four teams in the College Football Playoff, the American Athletic Conference, the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Michigan Wolverines.
SEC, other USA TODAY Sports losers
The losers from the bowl season were headlined by the Southeastern Conference, which saw its dominance evaporate in the opening two rounds of the CFP.
“The league is 8-6 overall in the postseason, joining the Big Ten as the only Power Four leagues with a winning record in bowl play. The SEC can tout strong bowl wins by Florida, Arkansas (Texas Tech in the Liberty Bowl), LSU (Baylor in the Texas Bowl) and Mississippi (Duke in the Gator Bowl), not to mention two playoff wins by Texas,” Myerberg points out.
“But the head-to-head results against the Big Ten are embarrassing: Missouri beat Iowa, but South Carolina lost to Illinois, the Alabama lost to Michigan, Texas A&M lost to Southern California and Ohio State creamed Tennessee.”
Other losers include the Atlantic Coast Conference, Alabama and the Colorado Buffaloes.
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