As noted by Saturday Down South, ESPN analyst and former Florida head coach Dan Mullen thinks Billy Napier is on the hot seat going into their game against Tennessee. Napier is going into this game after an unsuccessful season where the Gators only won six games and lost their bowl game. Fans of the Gators have been pushing for a buyout after the lack of success.
If the Gators need to beat Tennessee in order to save Napier and keep his seat cold, then the coach better not wear a sweater going forward. Tennessee has had its own struggles this season, but this is a Gators team that was unable to beat a Cam-Rising less Utah. Florida was able to destroy their tune-up opponent the following week but still, it's hard to see a world where the Gators are able to beat the Volunteers.
If the Gators lose to the Volunteers, what can Billy Napier do to save his job?
Assuming that Florida is able to beat Charlotte the following college football week, the Gators will be 2-2 with the bulk of conference play coming up. In the following weeks, Florida is facing off against Kentucky, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Arkansas, LSU, Missouri, and Florida St. The games against Georgia, LSU, and Florida St. are virtually unwinnable. These programs have better teams than the Gators have.
That leaves Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Missouri as the games that the Gators could have a chance to win. With that in mind, the Gators have to go 4-1 in their winnable games to get to bowl eligibility. If Florida is able to get to a bowl game and win, Napier might be able to save his job. Vanderbilt and Missouri are the easier wins on their schedule but with the struggles regarding their offense, it is not absolutely guaranteed that the Gators win.
Arkansas, Kentucky, and South Carolina all have their own issues (see the Gamecocks' offensive line, Kentucky's offensive struggles, and Arkansas was lackluster against Kent State), These teams are pretty solid teams. As a whole, these schools are average in the SEC. Billy Napier will need to make sure that the Gators are in top-tier shape if they want to beat any of the SEC middle class.
