Florida Football: Previewing Most Important Matchups on Gators Schedule

The Florida Gators were granted the good fortune of a No. 2 ranking in the initial BCS polls, but it’s going to be extremely hard for the team to maintain that position and compete for a National Championship.

Perhaps the greatest obstacle that UF must overcome is a brutal schedule. The Gators face No. 7 South Carolina next week and No. 11 Georgia the following Saturday. After some winnable contests, the team closes with a rivalry matchup against No. 14 Florida State.

Even if the Gators run the table, they still have an extremely likely showdown with the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship.

Let’s take a look at where and when all of these critical contests are taking place, as Gator fans aren’t going to want to miss a single minute from here on out.

Saturday, Oct. 20 at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS – UF vs. South Carolina

Saturday, Oct. 27 at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS – UF vs. Georgia

Saturday, Nov. 24 at TBD on TBD – UF at Florida State

Saturday, December 1 at 4:00 p.m. ET on CBS – TBD vs. TBD (SEC Championship)

 

Those are the four most critical games left on Florida’s schedule, and winning all of them will be instrumental in securing a BCS Championship spot.

While the Gators could get lucky and avoid the SEC Championship altogether (as Alabama did in 2011), it’s doubtful that the voters will give this team the benefit of the doubt.

It’s also unlikely that we’ll see another SEC vs. SEC national title game this soon (the Crimson Tide vs. LSU game last year left a sour taste in many mouths), especially not with Oregon marching towards an undefeated Pac-12 season.

All Florida fans must circle these matchups on their calendars and hope that the Gators can go in and win all of these games. Anything short of that could easily mean that coach Will Muschamp’s squad will have to settle for a lower-tier bowl appearance.