The good news for Florida Gator fans this weekend is that, in theory, Florida can't lose. After a 1-3 start, the first for Florida since 1986, Gator fans are probably happy that they don't have to slog through 3+ hours of watching opposing defenses sit on every slant and hitch route the Gators run.
But this is Billy Napier we are talking about. If anyone could make a bye week difficult, it's Napier.
Florida vs. Bye Week Odds and Predictions
Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
|---|---|---|
Florida -6.5 | 35.5 Points | Florida -150 |
Rewind two years ago to when Florida had their bye week leading into the Georgia game, and Florida won that week. The Gators were 5-2 and were coming off a dramatic win over South Carolina. To top it off, then five-star EDGE LJ McCray committed to Florida, cementing at the time what was a top-five class.
The problem is now that Florida has next to zero momentum, and its mid-range class of 2026 is in danger of having players poached from it. There have definitely been some attempts from other schools to kick the tires at current Gator commits, and so one flip is all it takes to lose the bye week.
The other thing that hasn't gone well for Napier this bye week has been the day-after-day narrative that keeps painting a picture that he is not the guy Florida boosters believe in.
There was a report this week that the Florida booster claimed they could have raised the money last year to land Lane Kiffin. There was Pete Thamel's report that Napier was essentially told he needed to hire an OC this offseason and bawked at that.
Urban Meyer came out and said the only reason Napier still has a job is because of his buyout, and Paul Finebaum called Napier a "mediocre coach."
Add in DJ Lagway winding up in a boot again, Dijon Johnson getting knee surgery, and the fact that Florida isn't going to play Tennessee annually for the foreseeable future.
Bye Week has hit the Gators hard. As of now, we think Florida should squeak this out, but it's probably going to be too close for comfort.
Final Prediction
- Florida 17
- Bye Week 13