Florida football: Post-spring game-by-game predictions for 2023

Billy Napier has had an interesting tenure with Florida football thus far. Fans were excited about his hire before the 2022 season but he went just 6-7 with losses to rivals Kentucky and Florida State, ending the year on a three-game losing skid as well.

Heading into the 2023 season without Anthony Richardson, the Gators have to temper their expectations, but I think this team finishes even better.

Following spring ball, how do I see Florida’s season playing out?

Last year, Florida was able to upset Utah in Gainesville and it really kicked off the Billy Napier era on the right foot. However, I don’t see that happening this time around in Salt Lake City. The Utes are just too tough to beat at home, even for a team from the SEC.

The Gators will also be breaking in a new quarterback and Graham Mertz will have a lot of proving to do after this one.

Napier’s first season started with a big ranked win over Utah but his second year will yield a big ranked loss to the same Utes.

Prediction: Loss (0-1)

This one will obviously conclude with a win for the Gators. McNeese won’t pose much of a threat as a visiting FCS school, but Florida will need this tune-up as it’ll be facing an SEC rival the following week.

This is a chance for Mertz to get back on track. And he will.

Prediction: Win (1-1)