BCS Standings 2011: Bowl Outlook for Florida Gators Football

The Florida Gators are reeling after their latest loss to Auburn this past weekend, marking their second-straight year with a three-game losing streak.

The losses to Alabama and LSU were expected because the Gators were considered underdogs in both match-ups. However, the loss to Auburn could be the worse of the three because of how the Gators performed, only scoring a mere six points throughout the game.

With three losses on the season, the Gators have fallen even further away from the top 25 and now the BCS rankings. It would take a miracle for the Gators to reach a BCS bowl. They would have to finish undefeated in the SEC, and also get some help through another loss for Georgia or South Carolina. Then they would need to defeat most likely LSU or Alabama in the SEC Championship, which would seem highly unlikely.

In their current situation, a probable bowl outlook for the Gators will be either the Gator Bowl or the Outback Bowl.

At this point last season, the Gators were faced with the same three-game losing streak and ended up at the Outback Bowl. Looking ahead at the schedule, I expect the Gators to win their games against Furman and Vanderbilt, while upsetting at least one out Florida State, Georgia or South Carolina. That would give the Gators a 7-5 record heading into the bowl season and a good chance of receiving a bid to an early January bowl game.

What gives the Gators an extra advantage for the Outback Bowl or Gator Bowl is the amount of ticket sales the University of Florida would bring to those cities. With the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville and the Outback Bowl in Tampa, the local draw of Gator fans to these games will make the Gators a first option for the respective bowl committees. 

There is still a lot of football left to be played, and the Gators' performance in their last half of the schedule is tough to predict. However, the games are favorable for the Gators to win at least three games and if that happens, expect Florida to be in the Gator Bowl or the Outback Bowl at season's end.