Florida football is preparing to embark upon its second season with head coach Billy Napier at the helm of the program, looking to snap a two-season sub-.500 streak that has mired the Gators in mediocrity.
Unfortunately, the outlook for the coming campaign is pretty grim, with the Orange and Blue possessing one of the toughest schedules among Power Five schools and arguably the most difficult in the Southeastern Conference. As such, the prognostications have been tempered by low expectations while also putting Napier’s employment on the Swamp’s sidelines in peril.
The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel looked at the SEC’s upcoming 2023 season and cast his predictions for the 14-school conference, including Florida. His projection is among the most bearish among the sports media, calling for the Gators to finish last in the SEC East with a 1-7 record in conference play while going a paltry 3-9 overall.
Mandel also foresees the possibility of Napier getting the axe after yet another unsuccessful season in Gainesville, with the call coming in Week 11. Here is what he had to offer.
Big-brand SEC programs don’t let coaches have two bad seasons, and Napier, 6-7 in his first one, has the makings of a last-place team this fall. That former Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz is his best option at that position does not bode well. If he really goes 3-9, the boosters will find $32 million to pull the plug.
As for the Gators’ conference peers, the Georgia Bulldogs are expected to go undefeated in both SEC and overall regular season play while taking the East division while the LSU Tigers are projected to outlast the Alabama Crimson Tide to take the West title with just one loss in SEC play overall.
To add insult to injury, the Gators are listed behind the Vanderbilt Commodores with a last-place finish in their division.
Florida opens its 2023 schedule on the road against the Utah Utes on Thursday, Aug. 31, with a kickoff time of 8 p.m. EDT.
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