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Welcome to a Labor Day edition of Gators News! With the first week of college football nearly in the books — the BYU Cougars play the Navy Midshipmen tonight to finish off Week 1 — it is time to take a look at what fall football looks like here in 2020 despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
In the top story today, Paul Myerberg at USA TODAY Sports takes a look at five things he learned from Week 1 of gridiron action. As a gauge of how the season will play out, Saturday’s slate provided the first real glimpse at football amid a pandemic but won’t help settle arguments over which teams will reach the College Football Playoff.
In other news, Oklahoma State football parents in the medical field are trusting the school to care for their sons. “I had faith that OSU was taking all the necessary safety precautions,” one mother said.
Finally, “College GameDay” commentator Kirk Herbstreit breaks down in tears during an emotional message on racial injustice on Saturday. Herbstreit, a former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback and father of two Clemson Tigers football players, broke down in tears during the show’s segment on the intersection of the country’s racial justice movement and college football.
Around the Swamp
- Transparency will be key if the college football season is to survive: If the season is to run its course, schools must be accountable and transparent, especially when it comes to testing results.
- Lane Kiffin: ‘No way they could play’ this week according to two SEC coaches: On Thursday, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin joined the Pat McAfee Show to talk turkey about the upcoming football season.
- Former Florida Gators receiver Freddie Swain makes Seahawks’ initial roster: It is likely that Swain will be relegated to special teams duties during his rookie campaign, but he might see some throws out at the receiver position as well depending on how things shake out.
- The Athletic predicts Florida to finish 2nd in SEC East behind Georgia: They once again expect the Gators to fall short of rival Georgia in the SEC East, projecting Florida to finish second behind the Bulldogs.
- Florida Gators No. 4 in ESPN’s Week 1 college football power rankings: Despite sitting out until their Sept. 26 matchup on the road with the Ole Miss Rebels, the Florida Gators are ranked fourth in the nation in ESPN’s college football power rankings for Week 1.
- Florida Gators among ESPN’s top College Football Playoff picks after Week 1: Now that the 2020 college football season is fully underway, the writing staff at ESPN released its Week 1 College Football Playoff picks on Sunday.
- We may see Roses or Oranges in Florida Gators’ 2020 football postseason: Writers Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach both take a stab at their bowl projections in an article published on Sunday, with the former giving the nod to the Florida Gators for a College Football Playoff appearance, while the latter sees a New Year’s Six matchup at the end of the season.
- CBS Sports has a bullish outlook for the Florida Gators in 2020: While the scales ultimately tipped in favor of the Georgia Bulldogs, who won out the vote for the East Division, they were also named among the most overrated teams.
It’s great to be a Florida Gator!
This is why we stick together. #GoGators@GatorsFB pic.twitter.com/hy41lUtWAF
— Florida Gators (@FloridaGators) September 6, 2020
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