PFF highlights how difficult the crucial Florida season will be for Billy Napier

The Florida Gators have a really tough schedule in 2025; however, that tough schedule could also be their ticket to the College Football Playoff.
Apr 12, 2025; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier looks on during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
Apr 12, 2025; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier looks on during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

The Florida Gators are heading into the 2025 season already seeing an uphill battle. Looking at their schedule this season, the Gators have one of the toughest, if not the toughest, schedules not just in the SEC, but in college football.

Pro Football Focus, better known as PFF, released their rankings of the teams with the toughest schedule si the 2025 season, and the Gators come in ranked No. 4 behind Wisconsin at No. 1, Arkansas at No. 2, and UCLA at No. 3.

For reference, here is Florida's 2025 football schedule:

  • Home vs. Long Island University
  • Home vs. USF
  • Away vs. LSU
  • Away vs. Miami
  • Home vs. Texas
  • Away vs. Texas A&M
  • Home vs. Mississippi State
  • Home vs. Georgia
  • Away vs. Kentucky
  • Away vs. Ole Miss
  • Home vs. Tennessee
  • Home vs. Florida State

For starters, the Gators will be playing against three teams that made it to the College Football Playoff last season with Texas, Georgia, and Tennessee. The good news about those games is that they are all at home in the Swamp, well, the Georgia game is at a neutral site in Jacksonville.

When looking at the rest of the schedule, last season, Miami and Ole Miss were also teams threatening to make the College Football Playoff. LSU and Texas A&M are looking to be bigger threats this season, and Kentucky is always a wild card at times.

So the Gators certainly will have their work cut out for them this season, but that technically may not be a bad thing. The biggest thing the College Football Playoff Selection Committee always wants is the strength of wins, and if Florida can pull off some big wins, especially against those teams that were in the playoff last season, then that could be their ticket this season.

Florida has what they need this season to be a playoff team and maybe even win it all if they want. They have the quarterback, they have the defense, and it seems like they have the coach to lead them back to the championship.