2. Mid-season gauntlet of a schedule
The SEC released an updated schedule with conference-only matchups a few weeks ago and Florida’s slate looks relatively manageable outside of a handful of games in the middle of the season.
In fact, there’s an absolute gauntlet facing Florida in the middle of the year after a start that should more than likely lead to a 2-0 record.
Florida will travel to Texas A&M on Oct. 10 for its third contest of the year and then the Gators follow that up with a home game against defending national champion LSU. Even though this game comes at home and Joe Burrow is gone, it’s going to be difficult to pull this one off, especially after a potential first loss of the year.
The Gators will get a break with another home game against Missouri before getting back into that gauntlet with a battle against Georgia in Jacksonville after a bye two weeks later.
And that’s not even it. The season ends with a tough two-game stretch against Kentucky and at Tennessee. Even if the Gators win at least two during that rough mid-season stretch, they could fall apart in the final two weeks.