The 2024 season hasn't gone according to plan for Florida Football. The Gators are 2-2 and when one peeks at the rest of their schedule there are few game left where one would favor Florida to win.
But even with the season already at risk of being a wash, last Saturday proved the logo for Florida still carries weight around the country.
Florida Football: Watch This
If one were to conjure up the recipe for a widely watched college football game, a battle between two 1-2 teams who will probably finish towards the bottom of their conference isn't the traditional recipe.
And yet, when looking at the ten most watched games from Saturday, take a wild guess which game wound up sneaking in as the 7th most watched college football game from the weekend?
Top 10 most-watched College Football games of Week 4 via @PeteNakos_📺
— On3 (@On3sports) September 24, 2024
1. USC at Michigan - 6.32M
2. Tennessee at Oklahoma - 6.27M
3. Illinois at Nebraska - 4.21M
4. Marshall at Ohio State - 3.96M
5. Baylor at Colorado - 3.63M
6. UCLA at LSU - 2.73M
7. Florida at Mississippi… pic.twitter.com/5TzJWx3AYx
Then today, still over a week away from their matchup with UCF, Florida announced that next Saturday's game in The Swamp is officially a sell out.
Sold out! See you in The Swamp! 🐊
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) September 25, 2024
📰: https://t.co/tsNMHUungS#GoGators pic.twitter.com/nHm943sFor
Will fan support magically turn around Florida's season? Of course not.
But TV ratings and constant sell outs are a reminder that despite what some may say about the toxicity of the Gator fansbase, fan support has yet to wane for a team who could wind up 2-10 by the time the season is over.
Which is more than can be said for other areas of the country, some of whom are actually good.
Looking at you Oxford, Mississippi.
You know, just in case there is a coach there who may want to come to Gainesville.
Just another layer to think about. The main bar here advertises their product like this. This is a town, institutional, and cultural issue that extends far larger than the students. Blame the students if it makes you feel better, but they’re just the surface level of the problem. pic.twitter.com/e1fvBgS2H2
— Cade Smith (@cadesmith_3) September 22, 2024