Florida’s postseason picture took a sharp turn after Saturday’s loss to Oklahoma, and USA TODAY Sports now has the Gators headed somewhere a lot farther west.
In Erick Smith’s latest bowl projections, released Tuesday, Florida is slotted to play Arizona in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 31. The Gators are 5-4, and the new projection replaces a previous spot in the Gator Bowl, where Florida had been matched with Louisville.
That shift came after Florida’s 23-7 loss to Oklahoma. Smith’s updated bracket now sends Clemson to face Oklahoma in the Gator Bowl on Dec. 30, while Louisville is projected to meet Houston in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
The Las Vegas Bowl would pair an SEC team with a Pac-12-affiliated opponent, and legacy Pac-12 schools are still working through existing bowl agreements through the 2026 season. Arizona, now in the Big 12, remains eligible for those arrangements.
Florida still has work to do before any bowl trip becomes official. Jon Sumrall’s team needs one more win to reach the six victories typically required for bowl eligibility, and it has three regular-season games left to get there.
That stretch starts Saturday on the road against No. 13 Kentucky.
The Wildcats are 7-2 after a 34-6 loss to Tennessee last weekend. Florida also still has Tennessee and Florida State on the schedule before the regular season ends.
Even with the inconsistency of Sumrall’s first season, Smith’s projection suggests Florida could still keep its postseason streak alive. If the Gators do, the destination would look a lot different than it did just a week ago.
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Florida Just Proved Something Bigger Than Another Win Over FSU
Floridas 81-72 win over Florida State did more than keep the early-season record spotless. It showed a team that can win in different ways, even when the offense is clunky for long stretches. The Gators were out of rhythm in the first half, but they found enough shot-making from deep and at the line to take control after halftime and move to 3-0, while also stretching their winning streak over the Seminoles to six straight.
Thomas Haugh led the way with 21 points, and Boogie Fland added 14 after returning from an injury scare, a reassuring development for a Florida team still sorting out its early identity. The bigger takeaway may be the way the Gators finished, turning a shaky start into a comfortable result against a rivalry opponent and giving themselves another sign that this group has some resilience before the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Floridas Bowl Outlook Suddenly Includes A Reunion Fans Will Notice
Floridas loss to Oklahoma left the Gators at 5-4 and officially shifted the conversation from playoff dreams to bowl possibilities, with the focus now on what kind of matchup they might draw when the postseason picture comes into view. For a team that still has work to do to steady its season, the next few weeks are about finding a way to finish strong and get back on the right side of the ledger.
One projected bowl pairing has a wrinkle fans would notice right away: a possible reunion with former Florida quarterback DJ Lagway, now at Baylor. Lagway arrived in Gainesville as a highly rated recruit and had an uneven run with the Gators before transferring, and his first season in Waco has brought its own turbulence, including an ankle injury and coaching changes. If the projection holds, Floridas bowl trip could come with a familiar face across the field. [Read more 🡒]
Floridas Offense Has A Problem Tramell Jones Didnt Dodge
After the loss to Oklahoma, Tramell Jones Jr. did not try to dress up Floridas offensive issues. The Gators quarterback pointed to the kind of self-inflicted problems that have been dragging drives off schedule, especially penalties and turnovers, and said the unit has to be better about sustaining momentum when it gets a chance to build it.
Jones also took responsibility for a costly interception and said Florida needs more consistency from the running game if it wants to finish possessions the right way. The emphasis now is on cleaner execution, better red-zone results and using the final three games to tighten things up through practice and film study, with Jones still sounding confident the offense can respond. [Read more 🡒]