Florida football: How the Gators’ 2019 opponents fared in week 5

Florida football easily dispatched of another FCS opponent on Saturday, earning their second shutout of the season.

No more FCS games – for 2019, at least…Eastern Washington is the lone FCS team on future UF schedules.

The Gators are set to go into the meat of their schedule with three potential showdowns with unbeaten SEC squads over the next month.

This was the week of the bye for Florida’s opponents: Miami, Tennessee, LSU, Georgia, and Missouri all rested on Saturday.

Carolina finally broke the Kentucky curse.

Auburn comes to visit after continuing to build upon the most impressive resume in college football. UF will rock some great throwbacks against the Tigers.

Vandy is on the board with a win and FSU played its first complete game.

Past opponents – helping or hurting Strength of Schedule (SOS)?

Miami (2-2), Bye

The Hurricanes spent the bye week preparing for three straight ACC home games against Virginia Tech, Virginia, and Georgia Tech.
Next game: vs Virginia Tech
Helping or hurting  UF SOS perception: Helping – despite a quality game against Clemson, it’s difficult to see a scenario where North Carolina runs the table this season meaning the Canes should be in total control of their ACC destiny. Miami in the ACC Championship Game is a plus for the Gators this season.

UT-Martin (2-2), W 40-7 vs Murray State

UTM jumped out to a 24-0 first-half lead and cruised to a second-half shutout in their Ohio Valley Conference opener. QB John Bachus III threw for 312 yards and 1 touchdown and RB Peyton Logan ran for 95 yards on 14 carries for one touchdown.
Next game: at Eastern Kentucky
Helping or hurting  UF SOS perception: FCS opponent always hurts the strength of schedule perception.

Kentucky (2-3, 0-2), L 24-7 at South Carolina

UK’s five-game win-streak over the Cocks was put to rest on Saturday. Carolina completely shut down the Kentucky offense, holding the Cats to 212 total yards of offense and not allowing a touchdown until Kentucky’s final drive of the game.
Next game: vs Arkansas
Helping or hurting  UF SOS perception: Hurting – the Wildcats face a must-win this Saturday if they want to keep their bowl hopes alive.

Tennessee (1-3, 0-1), Bye

The Vols face an upcoming stretch of #3 UGA, Mississippi State, and #1 Bama meaning we’re looking at a 2-5 start at best, but the schedule softens down the stretch. Can Tennessee go 4-1 in their final five games: vs South Carolina, vs UAB, at Kentucky, at Mizzou, and vs Vandy to qualify for a bowl game? It seems unlikely at this point, but it’s not entirely impossible.
Next game: vs #3 Georgia
Helping or hurting  UF SOS perception: Hurting – the Vols have held off on naming a starter for Georgia. I’m guessing it won’t have much impact on the 25.5 point spread.

Towson (3-2), L 38-0 at #9 Florida

Despite Dan Mullen railing against the defensive performance in his halftime interview, the Gators defense stood up when it mattered most and posted its second shutout of the year against their second FCS opponent of the year. The Tigers converted on five of their first seven third downs, but only converted three of their final eight third downs.
Next game: vs Albany
Helping or hurting  UF SOS perception: FCS opponent always hurts the strength of schedule perception.

Next up for the Gators

#7 Auburn (5-0, 2-0), W 56-23 vs Mississippi State

The Tigers were expected to win, but was I the only one who expected Mississippi State to put up more of a fight? Auburn scored touchdowns on their first five drives and the game was over by halftime. Next up: a trip to The Swamp for an unbeaten showdown with Gators. College GameDay announced they will be coming to Gainesville for the first time since 2012.

https://twitter.com/CollegeGameDay/status/1178152014427099142

Next game:  at #9 Florida

#5 LSU  (4-0, 1-0), Bye

The Tigers play host to a scrappy Aggies team that gave undefeated Wake Forest all it could handle in their first game. QB Joe Burrow should light up the scoreboard and this should serve as a nice prep for a potential undefeated showdown with the Gators next week in Death Valley at 8:00 PM ET on ESPN.
Next game: vs Utah State

South Carolina (2-3, 1-2), W 24-7 vs Kentucky

The Cocks have to win these coin-flip games in order to have a shot at a bowl bid and after dropping two against UNC and Mizzou, Muschamp finally delivered a win. If we write off games against Georgia, Florida, and Clemson as losses, Carolina must be perfect in a slate of three coin-flip games at Tennessee, vs Vandy, and vs App State as well as pull off an upset in Kyle Field against Texas A&M.
Next game: at #3 Georgia (10/12)

#3 Georgia (4-0, 1-0), Bye

Tennessee, South Carolina, and Kentucky stand in the way of Florida playing its third unbeaten opponent within the span of a month. If Florida survives Auburn and LSU, the World’s Largest Cocktail Party could be monstrous.
Next game: at Tennessee

Vanderbilt (1-3, 0-2), W 24-18 vs Northern Illinois

After a brutal three-game stretch to open the season, Vanderbilt secured a win at home against NIU. If the ‘Dores take down Ole Miss this weekend, they should be able to run their record to .500 against UNLV next week.
Next game: at Ole Miss

Missouri (3-1, 1-0), Bye

Mizzou is the wild card lurking at the end of Florida’s schedule and could prove to be a tough test. Games against Troy, Ole Miss, Vandy, and Kentucky have the Tigers primed to run their record to 7-1 if things play out in a predictable manner.
Next game: vs Troy

Florida State (3-2), W 31-13 vs North Carolina State

I’m not to sure how good NC State will end up being this year, but FSU took care of business at home in this one. Jim Leavitt’s addition to the FSU defensive staff seems to have given the Noles the shot in the arm that they needed before heading into Clemson in two weeks.
Next game: at #2 Clemson (10/12)

No. 9 Florida will take on No. 7 Auburn at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.