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Grading top bowl game possibilities for Florida Football ahead of bowl season

The Gators won't get anything amazing, but some options are better than others

By Benjamin Henderson

Nov 23, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators defensive back Jordan Castell (14) celebrates after Bryce Thornton’s (18) interception in the fourth quarter against the Mississippi Rebels during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
Nov 23, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators defensive back Jordan Castell (14) celebrates after Bryce Thornton’s (18) interception in the fourth quarter against the Mississippi Rebels during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
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Two weeks ago the idea that Florida Football would make a bowl game seemed farfetched, but after wins over LSU and Ole Miss that Gators will not only make a bowl game but could actually make one that is at least repectable to be at.

We have scoured the internet to see where various media entities think the Gators could wind up and here is our feeling of which game we would most like to see Florida get slotted into.

247 Sports - Gasparilla Bowl vs Viginia Tech

The last time the Gators played in the Gasparilla Bowl they were forced to hear about it for ages after UCF won a game that half of Florida's roster had opted off.

Virginia Tech this season should have beaten Miami on a Hail Mary that was overturned due to, well, reasons. Since then, they have been a middling ACC team that needs to beat Virginia this weekend just to be bowl-eligible themselves.

It would be an opponent Florida almost never sees. And even in their current three-game losing streak, the Hokies have been competitive, so this could be a decent matchup.

CBS Sports - Gasparilla Bowl vs West Virginia

Another projection that has Florida coming to Tampa, West Virginia would be another uncommon opponent the Gators haven't seen since 1994. Of course both schools are intertwined when Will Grier was suspended in 2015 and eventually left for West Virginia, but that's a tale for a different day.

The Mountaineers are 6-5 on the season and just beat UCF 31-21 to get their sixth win of the season. Given the Big 12 has been a hodgepodge of a conference in 2024, it's hard to say whether this matchup would be competitive or not.

ESPN - Birmingham Bowl vs NC State

NC State has to beat UNC this weekend to become bowl-eligible, a drop off from when they finished last season ranked 18th. Five of their last seven games have been decided by seven points or less, but they were also run off the field by Tennessee 51-10 at the start of the season.

Florida was supposed to play NC State down the road in a home and home but that got axed, so this would be another non-common opponent. Whether or not playing in Birmingham will excite anyone is up for debate.

ESPN - Liberty Bowl vs TCU

The fact that TCU lost to UCF this season doesn't bode well for this being a competitive matchup, even if TCU beats Cincinnati this weekend to move to 8-4.

What would make this a potentially wild matchup, though, is that TCU can score points and are 24th in points per game, so there is a pathway a matchup in Memphis could turn into a shootout.

Sports Illustrated - Gator Bowl vs Syracuse

I don't know that playing in Jacksonville for the second time this season would excite Florida, but it would be a convenient spot for the bulk of the fanbase to spend a day.

Plus, a matchup against Syracuse, who have a chance to play spoilers against Miami this Saturday, would be the most competitive squad among those who have been projected as potential matchups.

Of course, Syracuse got railroaded by USF last year in a bowl game, so who knows how motivated the Orange are during bowl season.

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