Despite finishing with their worst conference record in program history, the Gators reached bowl eligibility on Saturday by beating Florida State. Considering this is a team that reached bowl season by the skin of its teeth, even mid-tier bowls like the Outback Bowl or Gator Bowl are practically out of reach.
There are a few different possible landing spots, but the latest projection from Sports Illustrated’s Richard Johnson (a UF alumnus) reflects the most commonly predicted outcome. Johnson has the Gators staying in-state and playing at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, but not for the Outback Bowl.
Instead, he has the team in the Gasparilla Bowl taking on a Virginia Tech team that also had to pull off an upset during rivalry week with an interim coach to reach bowl eligibility. The Hokies fired Justin Fuente a few weeks ago, but with a win over Virginia on Saturday led by interim coach JC Price, they moved to 6-6 on the year.
VT has already hired Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry to replace Fuente, but Price will coach the bowl game. The two schools have played just twice, with the last one coming in in 1985. The Gators have won both matchups.
Though the Gasparilla Bowl is far from a premier bowl destination, most projections have Florida drawing a Group of Five team. This would at least present an opponent with more name recognition, and it could be an interesting matchup between teams in similar situations.
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