Billy Napier's job is hanging by a thread right now, even with the big win over a ranked Texas team in Week 5. The Longhorns certainly aren't the team everyone thought they would be under quarterback Arch Manning, but a ranked win is a ranked win either way. Napier always seems to have one key game each season to save his job for a couple more weeks, and that seemed to be it.
While the Gators would love to just forget about USF and the embarrassing loss they were handed by the Bulls earlier this season, they can't. USF is currently ranked No. 24 and has two ranked wins this season, and their only loss has come at the hands of now No. 2 Miami; however, they are set to play North Texas in an American Athletic Conference showdown on Friday, and it matters to Florida fans way more than anyone thought it would.
If USF were to lose to the 5-0 North Texas Mean Green, that would certainly drop them from the rankings, and the Mean Green would potentially be considered the best Group of Five team in the country, knocking the Bulls out of serious contention, and potentially making things even work for Napier.
Massive game for Billy Napier tonight. Obviously, USF’s season should not be a barometer of success for the University of Florida. But it probably will be used to justify one of the most embarrassing losses in Florida football history.
— Will Norris (@Will_Norris11) October 10, 2025
Who would have thought that USF's season was going to be the measuring point for the success of the Gators? Certainly, UF fans didn't think life would come to this, but it certainly has.
If the Bulls crash and burn for the rest of the season, it just makes things look even worse for Napier, and while the Texas win bought him time, it didn't buy him a lot of time, especially with a tough matchup against No. 5 Texas A&M on the docket for the Gators.
Florida has to go into College Station to take on the Aggies, and it is going to be a tougher matchup than what USF will have to face tonight, but at this point, if fans want Napier around, they will be going for the Bulls. If they want Napier gone, then they are pulling for the Mean Green against USF.