Florida’s 29-17 loss to UCF at the Gasparilla Bowl felt a lot like what I said could happen if the Gators didn’t take the Knights seriously.
The Knights are now the best team in Florida after beating the team that took down FSU, FAU and USF this year, and there isn’t a chance that the UCF fandom forgets about this game until at least 2024. It doesn’t sound like UCF coach Gus Malzahn will be forgetting about the win either when it comes time to recruit kids from the state.
“Yeah, this is just the beginning,” Malzahn said to ESPN’s Taylor Davis after the game. “I really believe it. We got big dreams. We got big goals. We can win the whole thing here and I think tonight was just the first step. Recruiting is going to go really well, man.”
This is why I said Florida needs to take UCF seriously moving forward. The Knights get those bragging rights for another two years, and Florida isn’t in the best place right now despite Billy Napier‘s early efforts. That could all change with some more great recruiting and a win in a few years, but both teams will be Power Five programs by then and it will be a totally different kind of rivalry.
The Gasparilla Bowl was the last chance for Florida to pick on little brother and the team came up short. Even worse, they may have jumpstarted UCF for next year and beyond.
Napier will have a lot to address at Florida in his first few years, but the first thing he needs to make sure of is that the team is consistent and disciplined in what they do on the field. The Gators had the talent to win on Thursday, but a sloppy second half led to the lead slipping and a loss.
A post-game brawl proved how much the game meant to both teams, but it might have taken a close half of football for everyone in Gator Nation to get on board. I expect the 2024 showdown in the Swamp to have even more energy, similar to what we would see against FSU.
Like it or not, UCF is here to stay and Florida officially has a new in-state rival to worry about. If Malzahn continues what he’s doing at UCF and Napier manages to whip the Gators back into form, we should be in for some great matchups down the road (just hopefully not in the Gasparilla Bowl again).
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