Florida may have missed a New Year’s Six Bowl for the first time since 2017 this year, but unlike that season, this team will at least be playing during bowl season. After reaching bowl eligibility with a win over Florida State, the 6-6 Gators were placed in the Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, where they will take on the UCF Knights on Thursday night.
This game carries some intrigue, as some controversy arose between the two schools a couple years ago while attempting to schedule future non-conference matchups. The Knights wanted a home-and-home, while UF wanted a two-for-one. The schools eventually agreed on the latter and will play in Gainesville in 2024 and 2033 and Orlando in 2030.
However, we’ll see an early preview of that series on Thursday night, though neither program is at its best. UCF went 8-4 this season in Gus Malzahn’s first year at the helm, losing four games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2014-15.
Here’s what you need to know about this Central Florida team.