Florida football: Gators projected to play Illinois in Music City Bowl

Florida football was thought in the preseason to be right on the edge of bowl contention, and maybe not even qualify for one at all.

But after a 3-1 start they seem well on their way to making a respectable bowl game in year two under Billy Napier.

The Action Network posted their bowl game projections as we head into week five of the college football season, where they had the Gators facing off against a Big Ten opponent.

If their predictions are correct, Florida would face off against Illinois in the Music City Bowl on December 30th.

Florida football: A favorable postseason matchup

Per Action Network, the Gators would be favored by 6.5 points in this hypothetical matchup at the end of the season.

This makes sense, as Illinois hasn’t looked to be elite by any standard so far this season. They’re currently 2-2 under Bret Bielema with losses to Kansas and Penn State, and they just barely beat both of their cupcakes Toledo (30-28) and FAU (23-17).

Matching the Gators up with Illinois in Nashville would also provide a nice middle ground between the two schools in a great city for a bowl game.

Plus, if Florida could line up against a struggling Big Ten team without much to play for, it could bode very well for them.

After an embarrassing 30-3 loss in the Las Vegas Bowl last season to the Oregon State Beavers, bouncing back with a bowl win this season would create a lot of momentum heading into the 2024 season.

Now, being that we’re only in week five and there’s a lot of football left to be played, this projection is far from a certainty.

But it gives us an idea of where the Gators could land when bowl season rolls around, and the type of opponent they could square off against.