2024 Florida Football Schedule Preview (GAME-BY-GAME ANALYSIS)

all right guys back here on South Easter 14 with Chase Robinson we continue our look at all the SEC football schedules ending the 2024 season and boy are we about to get to a a good one um and we'll tell you why this may be the toughest schedule in the country maybe one of the toughest schedules I've seen in the SEC in a while Chase uh as we we start to get into it talking about the Florida Gators before we do that let's tell you about our friends bet online here quickly your number one source for all the games uh that you want to keep keep an eye on um certainly if you're watching this the NBA finals are over uh Stanley Cup playoffs still going as of right the second but may not be but of course there's baseball soccer everything else you need there so they've got every stat every matchup live odds and spreads while gamer being played when it's over you can head to the online casino get on a game of blackjack or poker unwind with one of over 150 slots games all you got to do is head to the website today get on the action use that promo code believe bav for your 50% welcome bonus on your first deposit bet online the game starts here all right Chase here we go the Florida Gators uh they are certainly entering a a big season for Billy Napier we know the importance of this year uh and we also know that they are staring down one of like I said the toughest schedules I mean Phil still has it ranked as the toughest schedule in the country no surprise there probably no surprise for Florida fans either because it seems like this has just been the way it has worked in recent years which if you think about it it's not just the SEC schedule uh but it is you know always having FL Florida State on the schedule who is certainly taken a big step forward as we know last year you know they had that road trip to Utah um but now you look at this schedule as a whole we're going to go through it uh game by game here I mean there is there is no letup anywhere when you look at this schedule there's not and you know that if you're a Florida fan like you mentioned you're kind of used to tough schedules but I feel like this is this is tougher than it normally is and and I think that part of that is you're starting out uh against Miami a team from your home state uh you you get that one at home but still I think Miami is going to be much improved just from what I'm hearing about the hurricane so that's a tough game right off the bat now Billy Napier has performed somewhat well in openers that he's coached in even if they haven't won them they played well but uh still I mean this is a a really tough game against a good Miami team to start things out for the year and uh yeah you mention you you have some smaller schools mixed in there but they're not they're not pushovers I mean Sanford was a team in the they're an FCS team but two years ago they were a semifinal team in the FCS I mean uh and you'll see UCF down down the road there they got some good so this is a even the what what some people would call the pushover game pushover teams the the cupcake games well they're they're not that easy as well for Florida and that's part of it uh this year for for the Gators but yeah star off with with Miami I feels like is a really tough draw especially with being an instate game somewhat of a a rivalry there with with the team inate who's going to be pretty good as well yeah like you said I think it's certainly a a Miami program feels like it's moving in the right direction last time they played that was um what was that August 24th that was 2019 Florida won that game 2420 uh Miami had kind of had their number in the previous meetings before that but they hadn't met a ton uh you'd have to what go back to probably the the mid 80s when they were playing more frequently they did play four years in a row um from 2001 to 2004 but after that kind of bounced around everywhere um and yeah I mean this is kind of a series where you've seen some pretty close games you've seen some blowouts this is one as we said will be very important for the Gators and um you know you mentioned that you got Samer after that program that's had success in recent years uh and then you know you've got Texas A&M and we talk about just the importance of of home games on this schedule for Florida I mean it is so important to serve hold at home because you look at you know the games they're going to play against again teams like Miami teams like Texas A&M UCF Kentucky games like that I mean we know the agies are loaded with talent but this does feel like one of those games where depending on how the Miami game goes you know if it doesn't go your way you're looking at the possibility of like a one and two start if you lose at home to A&M here then you got to go on the road uh even against the team that you know Mississippi state's probably going to be picked last if we were still doing the divisions they would be picked probably behind most of those teams but I think you look at it from this standpoint I mean this is we talk about swing games here's one right here very early on yeah and this is this is so important this this game right here I mean you've got it at home it's the first conference game a lot of unknowns about A&M I think they're going to be pretty good under Mike Elco but still I mean if you're able to get this win at home to start conference play out with a win I think that's going to totally change kind of the narrative around this season for Florida you know there's a lot of negativity about Florida about this schedule but if you can get A&M at home win that game before going on the road to Mississippi State that'd be a huge statement for kind of where for Billy Napier and where he's got the program I think Florida's going to be going to be better than they were last year I think they they've got some better players but with the schedule it's hard to tell what's going to happen and and A&M I think it's really good they have this one at home if you have a road game your first conference game especially for a team like Florida that's tough but being able to have your first three games at home but your first conference game at home against A&M who we don't know a lot about I think that could be really big and again it could be a statement win for Florida if they're able to get this one yeah Gator got that big win a couple years ago uh in College Station but um we we'll see how this one plays out new start for the agies with Mike Elco and yeah we'll see again how things play out with this one again kind of the same theme for the next game they're going to play at Mississippi State like we said I think a team that will be picked lower by a lot of people probably a year where you feel like you know Jeff lebby is going to have to put some pieces in place and try to get the most um you know you know out of the the roster he has as they continue to rebuild the roster moving forward uh but it is a road game you know an SEC play and you know as I said before even before even going any further on the schedule I feel like this is the part where you know let's let's look up and say let's say Florida's 3 and one somewhere in here you should be thrilled I think if you're a Florida fan coming out of this at three and one whether it's in in any combination that you get those three wins um you know it's two and two if you put the betting odds on it right now would two and two be the more likely possibility maybe uh but I I think when you start to look Beyond this game in Mississippi State you also understand how important this game is because it is one where I think Florida's more talented but it is a road game Davis Wade Stadium it's an early kickoff as we see here on the schedule so another kind of tricky spot for the Gator it is and again they at this point like you know yeah a lot of teams it takes a few weeks to kind of learn about your team and especially some of these schedules who have the easier teams at the beginning but foren is going to know what they have by this Mississippi State game because they would have played Miami and and a& and Samford and so you're going to know uh kind of what this what this Florida Gator team is when they go to Stark so I think this again is a another really important game your first road game how do they handle that where's their head at if they have dropped a couple at this point like are they still motivated to play at this point because you got a lot of football left you got a byee coming up I think uh the byee comes at a good point after this Mississippi State game for them to then take a deep breath whatever happens the first kind of four games first little section of the Season take a deep breath and and kind of figure out what's next you know where are we at at this point again they'll know by this point what they have and how they're playing how they're executing yep I think so too and then um we talk about the week off and now I think is where things really start to to pick up considerably uh with the schedule and not to say that you already potentially are looking at two top 25 teams in the first several games but now I think is where again things start to get a little uh interesting and um perilous I guess depending on uh how you navigate this so UCF comes up after the bye week now UCF considered probably I would say they're not going to be a preseason top 25 team but they're they're not that far away from it probably for most people when you look at what um they have there coming into the season and so the last time these two teams played that would have been the gas Barilla Bowl uh in 2021 UCF won that game 29 17 they've only played three I think times all all time between these teams uh and Florida won the first two meetings 1999 2006 that was long ago but um man you want talk about a game that you've already you're already good in Miami you play UCF two inate teams here and the importance of winning those kind of games like we said Chase no clue where Florida's at on October 5th but um you would expect this to be a very tough game no matter what what an interesting game you know KJ Jefferson's the quarterback at UCF now they've they've struggled with KJ Jefferson in his time at Arkansas Gus malan uh is the head coach there at UCF this is this is brewing to be a really good UCF team uh I think so I I've always been a gus Malon fan I think he's a great offensive mind and so and when he has a quarterback like KJ Jefferson a guy who can run and throw I mean that's just a perfect storm for for Mazon um so this could to be a tough game for Florida I really I really think so um but again if you're if you're able to win this one it's at home again it's against a instate team I think that'll that'll be really big you look at that game and you think well that's not going to be big if Florida went beats UCF I think it is this season I think so I mean this is just adding to the toughness of this schedule that Florida has uh I mean because because you look ahead you you go on a trip to Knoxville the next week so this is a game you you got to buckle up you got to play good because again if if you drop a game like this any team if you drop a game like this especially with a team in your state that really deflates your season so you win this game you get a little momentum heading into the next week in Knoxville all right so we're GNA talk about these games but let's just the visual of the rest of this schedule um if we just take it from October 12th on and like we said we're not discounting any of the games we've already talked about but if you look at October the 12th on at Tennessee Kentucky Georgia at Texas LSU oh miss at Florida State I simply don't I don't know Chase like I'm sure I could probably look back but I don't remember a team playing this kind of schedule now we know the addition of Texas and Oklahoma that makes you're going to get more of these because of the way the schedule can fall but I mean realistically if you look at the rest of the teams that Florida is going to play here it is not out of the realm of possibility that Florida is going to be the underdog in every game in these right I mean oh yeah may maybe a couple Point favored against Kentucky depending on where things are all the road games you would think probably not going to be the favorite unless like we said maybe who knows Florida starts 5 and0 something like that then things can change but if you're just going on the expectations right now based on how the schedule Falls it seems like a very tough thing and now you start things off of this stretch which like we said you probably throw UCF into that given how good they're going to be but you go to Tennessee who's going to have revenge on their minds we all know what happened last year in the swamp and now you got a Tennessee team that will want some Revenge here and again that starts the next set of the schedule which is just incredible to think um that it all starts here the unusual spot for Florida and Tennessee we're used to seeing it earlier in the season now it's going to be played you know mid October this year but man I just it's hard not to just talk it's hard to talk about just one game when you look at the the entire schedule as a whole here because every game looks like it is just the most intimidating game you know that you've see on the schedule so yeah uh it's crazy uh it's crazy how they got all these teams on the schedule you know that Tennessee game uh if this was in Gainesville I would have a different opinion on this game I don't know what it is Tennessee just struggles in the swamp we saw it last year uh Florida won that game 29-6 over Tennessee over a decent Tennessee team uh but with it being in Knoxville and again Tennessee uh that's the last thing they wanted to do last year was drop a game to Florida so I think it'll like you said be a Revenge game for for Tennessee at home so that that's a really a tough game to go into I think the Kentucky matchup uh when they they get Kentucky at home I think this may be one of we talked about A&M being a huge game I think this may be one of the biggest games of the year for Florida uh because again you get it at home at this point a number of things could have happened uh but but you go out and get this win a team who also you know in the past has has struggled down in the um in the swamp so you you take advantage of that you get a win here I think that could be huge maybe a momentum swing for the season again they could have be on a great start at this point um but if they're not you win this game and I think that can totally change your mindset going into what could be a very or what is going to be a very tough last stretch of game so I kind of circle that game against Kentucky as being really really important as far as confidence goes for the rest of the year yeah I agree because keep in mind too kuy's now won three in a row in this series and that is just not something that we're used to seeing um with with Florida and Kentucky because again you kind of look back before that and Florida just dominated I mean absolutely dominated the series for the past whatever 30 years or so Kentucky had won they won in 2018 um but before that they had not beaten Florida since 1986 and so but now they've got all the momentum and so you know Kentucky a lot more confident in this series and like you said this is kind of That Swing type game on the schedule for Florida and very important I'm sure for Billy Napier at this point in the season because as we he needs to be he's never beaten Kentucky he's never beaten Kentucky has got to do that uh as Florida's head coach that's just something that that they expect you to do you you said the history and he hasn't done that yet so this this game another reason why it's very important yeah and like if you are projecting like we said if you're projecting ahead knowing you're probably going to drop a game or two or more before that game like that is so important because like we mentioned look at the final five games on the schedule here after this bye Georgia Texas LSU Old Miss Florida State all teams that feel like they have a great chance to make the college football playoff and you've already played a couple of those I mean and so now you've got this many left on your schedule we all know kind of you know the Florida Georgia game what it means all of that and then you talk about you know like game at Texas and then LSU and Old Miss like these are just I don't know how you sort of differentiate the challenges of each of these because they all are just so intimidating and it's like you know you have two of those at home LSU all Miss games youve course got the one in Jacksonville against Georgia but you got to go to Austin you got to go to Tallahassee and like I said it's just as of right now you know if they put the way too early spreads which I'm sure someone has I don't know if our friends at bet online do we have to look at it but Florida's an underdog in all these games and couple of these maybe significant underdogs so yeah LSU is the only team on this list that is borderline playoff Georg is going to be in it barring something crazy Texas barring something crazy will be in same for Old Miss same for Florida State I I expect them to win the ACC uh or or come close to it LSU is the only team where I'm like well they could or could not make the playoff depending on how their defense is so that is four pretty probable playoff teams in there that is that is crazy that they get those four teams and then a really good LSU team in the last five games of the Season you know I it's bizarre how they ended up with all these uh on their schedule but yeah it's hard to differentiate because they're all really good teams um I I'm looking at the the schedule here they they do get LSU at home uh they do get Old Miss at home um and you know four of the five are in the state of Florida at least uh so they can get a good crowd there but uh still I mean that's that's tough again um I think it's good they don't have to go to LSU they don't have to go to all Miss uh I think that's two positives but a long trip to Texas against your really good Texas team I mean this is it's uh yeah it's it's just a brutal last stretch here I mean you would think they could spread him out or something yeah and and that's the thing like when you look at just the way this this schedule sets up and remember too we talk about teams that that have winning streaks against Florida right now LSU also has a big winning streak against Florida like they have won five in a row now against um you know the Gators and all these all those games have been high scoring like the lowest either team has scored in those games been 28 points um so a lot of high-scoring games the past five years between these two um but but LSU has kind of had Florida's number even probably over the last decade I think Florida only got a couple wins in there so when you just think about it and like I know to some Florida fans it's going to sound like Hey we're being pessimistic or whatever like it's just the facts that this is I mean you can kind of pride yourself on it like we are playing the toughest schedule in the country and I think we could look at any other schedule out there there's just at least going into the season now it could change very quickly you know Miami could be disappointing A&M could be disappointing you know teams like that that just could maybe not be what you think they're going to be maybe another one of those big teams like we said colge football playoff type teams maybe there's a big injury somewhere or something it completely throws up you just don't know but going into the season I just I've not seen a schedule set up like this um and even like you said I think the expectation Florida is going to be better but it's just a matter of you can be better and still not get the amount of wins you think you should get based on having to play a gauntlet like this of all these really really good teams yeah it's uh it it's tough and uh but I mean you know hopefully I I hope the best for every SEC team and I hope we see a lot of good talent that they they've worked in there at Florida and I know they they've made some staff changes you know they they've got some guys in out of the portal and and everything that you need to do to to make a better team so we'll see if it happens and you know they may farewell in a lot of these games better than we think but we'll just have to wait and see and I think there still a lot of questions about Florida and then we'll have to wait till August 31st when they take the field at home against Miami to kind of see where this team is at yep we will find out what happens with the Gators and uh see where things go from here but as always guys we appreciate you watching check out all the other scheduled previews we've done here at South Eastern 14 to get you ready for the start of SEC football season we also have our show the SEC football hour Chase and Chris Lee um have fun on that each week so you can check out all the episodes already three up on that and as always if you want to sponsor the show reach out you can do that caroline. Smith at southeaster 14.com and uh we appreciate you watching as always and we'll talk to you again here soon at South easter4