CBS Sports predicts brutal 2024 season for Florida football

It is no secret that the Florida football program has one of, if not the most, difficult schedules among all of the Football Bowl Subdivision schools this coming fall. While some of the more favorable prognostications call for a .500 finish, others are not so bullish on the Gators.

CBS Sports writer Will Backus put together his predictions for the Southeastern Conference’s win totals, with the Orange and Blue expected to win just four of their 12 scheduled regular-season games.

“Poor Gators, and poor Billy Napier,” Backus laments. “This schedule isn’t doing anybody in Gainesville any favors. Florida could be a lot better than it was last year, and I personally think it will be… yet still finish with a worse record.

“Miami and Texas A&M are two early winnable games that could change the narrative around this team, but the Hurricanes have the better quarterback in Cameron Ward and Mike Elko will be hungry to make his own impression with the Aggies,” he continues. “Maybe Napier can sell his recruiting chops and the difficulty of this schedule to buy another year, but it’s going to be a struggle.”

Which games will the Gators win and lose?

Backus expects Napier and Co. to prevail at home against the Samford Bulldogs, UCF Knights and Kentucky Wildcats while winning just one on the road at the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Conversely, he predicts losses at home to the Miami Hurricanes, Texas A&M Aggies, LSU Tigers and Ole Miss Rebels. Away from the Swamp, Backus projects losses at the Tennessee Volunteers, Texas Longhorns and Florida State Seminoles, along with a neutral-ground loss in Jacksonville to the Georgia Bulldogs.

He ultimately picked the under for the Gators at 4.5 wins (+122).