![Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier looks on during spring football practice at Heavener Football Complex at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, March 6, 2025. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_5195,h_2922/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/213/01jzxaz6a3k641yrfj1t.jpg "Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier looks on during spring football practice at Heavener Football Complex at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, March 6, 2025. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]")
The Florida Gators are going to enter the 2025 season with some wind at their sails after closing the 2024 season with a four-game winning streak. Florida has been getting love in some preseason rankings, and there is hope the Gators can make a push to the playoffs.
But for Florida to actually get over the hump in 2025 and prove that things have changed under Billy Napier, there is one key "archvillian" who may just be the exact litmus test of how much progress Florida has made.
Georgia named Florida's "archvillian" for 2025
ESPN made a list of "anticipated archvillains" for everyone they have ranked in the top 25. On this list, some archvillians were a player, coach, or, in the case of LSU, it was "Daytime home games."
But Florida, ranked No. 19, their archvillian was none other than the Georgia Bulldogs.
ESPN noted that Florida tends to have a ton of rivals, but they said of Georgia that:
"We all know the Gators closed last season strong with big wins over LSU and Ole Miss, but the true litmus test for where this program is -- and whether it can return to elite status under coach Billy Napier -- is the Georgia game."
One can squit and map out a pathway where Florida loses to Texas and Georgia, wins the rest of their games, makes the playoff, and still has a successful season.
But Napier was brought to town to do what Jim McElwain and Dan Mullen struggled to do, and that's beat Kirby Smart. Both the coaches even had a win under their belt over Smart, and were still run out of town. Napier came close last year, but DJ Lagway went down with his hamstring injury, and Napier fell to 0-3 against Smart.
Fair or unfair, the reality is that at some point, for Napier to prove he is "the guy" in Gainesville, he is going to have to beat Georgia. If the goal is to win an SEC title and eventually a national title, then Georgia is the gatekeeper Florida has to get past.
Georgia feels as vulnerable as ever after Florida had them on the ropes last year, and the Bulldogs are having to break in Gunner Stockton at QB, who didn't look great in Georgia's playoff loss to Notre Dame.
Combined with Florida finally feeling like it has the roster to hang with the big boys, 2025 is as good a year as ever for Florida to get past their archvillian.