As we here at Hail Florida Hail have stated over the last five weeks, every day is a good day to inform Billy Napier that he is no longer the head coach of Florida Football.
Despite the fact that the majority of Gator Nation had wish lists of adjustments for Florida after last season, Napier made nearly none of them and instead gave Gator fans a large lump of coal to start the 2024 season.
But, even if you want Napier gone and believe that the only way to heal is to get rid of what caused Florida’s illness in the first place, you should still want Florida to win today, even if a defeat is what ultimately delivers the pink slip.
Florida Football: The Emperor Has No Clothes
At 7:45 p.m., the University of Florida Gators will face the University of Central Florida Golden Knights in a spirited football game.
Officially, Florida is taking on the UCF Knights. Don’t ask what the name stands for.
This emphasis on calling UCF by its initials is consistent with their brand. As they progressed from a Division 3 to a Power 4 team, they became a program that is continuously seeking attention.
They transformed their stadium-themed aluminum erector set into an identity. They’ve turned a random individual saying he thought they won the national championship into an identity. They have incorporated the fact that Cape Canaveral is an hour away into their identity.
And if they beat Florida today, they, too, will develop an identity.
Make no mistake: even if you want Billy Napier fired, today’s loss to UCF will be discussed till the end of time. And, unlike the Gasparilla Bowl, Gator fans will not have the opportunity to play the card of it happening in a meaningless game.
The fact that Florida is considered the underdog in this game demonstrates how far the Gators have fallen during the Napier era.
Last year, Kansas defeated UCF by 29 points. West Virginia defeated them by 13 points. Texas Tech and Georgia Tech also beat them last year. Colorado just defeated them by 27 points.
However, the University of Florida, which has the supposed 12th-best roster in the NCAA according to 247 Sports, is a 1.5-point underdog.
A win today will be forgotten in the long run, as Florida will travel to Knoxville next week with the threat of a 20-plus point loss. Hopefully, that will be the tipping moment that leads to Napier’s dismissal.
However, a loss today will go down in history as one of the most memorable games against Georgia Southern.
