Paul Finebaum Names Former College Football Powerhouse with Lowered Expectations

It has been almost 15 years since Urban Meyer coached the Florida Gators. Meyer led the Gators to become one of the top programs in college football.

He won two national championships in a three-year span and was a constant contender. Since then, the Gators have had seven coaches, five full-time and two interim. They have also only had four 10-plus-win seasons during that time.

Billy Napier is the current head coach for the Gators, but he could be in danger of losing his job if the team has another poor season. In his first two years, Napier has not had a winning season. ESPN's Paul Finebaum believes Napier must show progress this year, or he may be fired at the end of the season.

"I think the expectations are not that high, so if Billy Napier can show progress, then I think he'll survive," Finebaum said. "I'm not saying he will survive with a bad season, but this is not Urban Meyer any longer. They're just trying to get to a bowl game and survive the brutal schedule."

Unfortunately, ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI), a measure of team strength meant to be the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season, isn't favoring the Gators this season either. It has the Gators ranked No. 11 in the SEC.

However, the FPI projects Florida to head back to a bowl game at 6-6 for the first time since Napier's first season in 2022. It remains to be seen whether this progress would be enough for Napier to keep his job.

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