Five biggest "What Ifs" for Florida Football over the last ten seasons

The Gators have had some interesting inflection points over the past decade

Oct 3, 2015; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators quarterback Will Grier (7) calls a play against the Mississippi Rebels during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports / Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

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What if Marco Wilson doesn’t throw a shoe?

Well you knew this one had to make the list.

In one of the most infamous blunders in college football history, the Gators were stuck in a tussle with LSU on a foggy night in Gainesville. Nothing was going right for the Gators, but it seemed they were getting their act together, and we’re gonna pull it out against the Tigers.

The Gators had gotten a stop on third down, Kyle Trask was going to get the ball back, and all Florida had to do was drive down the field, take a field goal, and get ready for the SEC title game.

Except then, a flag was thrown.

Then on replay, it was shown a shoe was thrown.

Unsportsmanlike conduct, 15 yard penalty, first down LSU.

There are plenty of other what-ifs from this game, including LSU going on to drill a long field goal, followed by Evan McPherson missing a potential game-time field goal of his own.

So what if Wilson never threw out the shoe? The Gators were still gonna have to beat Alabama in the SEC title game in order to make it to the college football playoff in 2020, and they did not. Would having a chance at the playoff have provided the Gators just an extra ounce of motivation in that title game?

We will never know because the shoe got thrown.

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