Billy Napier was hired as the head coach of Florida football, but the Gators and their supporters had higher expectations than a 6-7 record.
After an early-season surprise victory against Utah, Florida football had a decent start, but things rapidly fell apart as the Gators struggled in the SEC, finishing 3-5 in the league. Florida State completely destroyed them, and Florida lost their bowl game.
Even worse, because standout quarterback Anthony Richardson left for the NFL draft, Florida might start former Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz in Week 1 in place of previous top-100 quarterback Jaden Rashada.
The Gators’ No. 13 recruiting class for 2023 is chock full of A-listers. It’s difficult to predict how those guys will affect things straight quickly, though. Along with the offensive line, Florida football has added a number of four-star transfers and a plethora of defenders via the portal.
Florida football isn’t in a great position, though, with Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and South Carolina all appearing deep and talented moving into 2023.
Expectations for Florida football in 2023 should be reasonable
The timetable is a pain, to be honest. For the first game of the season, Florida will go to Utah, and defeating the Pac-12 champions twice over with Cameron Rising won’t be simple at all.
Additionally, there are away contests against Kentucky, LSU, and South Carolina. It is possible to win those games, but doing so will be more challenging if you play away from the swamp. Florida State and Tennessee both visit the Swamp, but both of those teams are ranked in the top 10 heading into the season.
The following five games on Florida’s football schedule—against McNeese State, Charlotte, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and Missouri—should be won by the Gators next year.
Florida over-under wins for 2023 season is 5.5 wins. Free football picks has them finishing just slightly over the 5.5 wins.
To get into the 6-7 area for bowl eligibility, they will need to find a way to beat Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Utah, Kentucky, LSU, or Florida State.
