For Billy Napier to turn doubters into believers, the Gators will need to win at least a couple rivalry games this football season. Pat Dooley points out key games.

by Pat Dooley (BSJ ’76)

It was a long time ago in a place not far away. … Actually, it was only 20 months ago when Billy Napier was introduced as Florida’s new football coach in the same room at the stadium where his predecessor had been introduced.

Late in the presser, I asked Napier a question from the back of the room: How important are rivalry games? We’d been through coaches who’d made them a huge priority (Urban Meyer) and coaches who hadn’t (Jim McElwain).

Napier’s answer? He was already feeling the weight of the next few months cobbling together a roster, a coaching staff and, eventually, a move into a new building.

“We’ll get to the games. Right now, that’s the least of my concerns,” he said on Dec. 5, 2021.

OK, so maybe it was too soon to ask. A veteran scribe should have known better. But I really wanted to know because I miss the days of Meyer putting Tennessee logos on the urinal cakes in the locker room and Steve Spurrier making the Georgia game a personal vendetta.

Of course, part of the issue with rivalries is the Gators have so many. Too many, probably — because the losses hurt twice as much.

After one season, Napier now has a better idea of which games mean the most around here. At the same time, however, his 2023 team is picked to finish fifth in the seven-team SEC East. Recruiting is on fire to ease some concerns, but recently I heard a couple of national radio guys talking about how the Gators are “irrelevant.” That comment itself feels like a loss.

The Gator Nation’s fanbase is mixed right now. Nobody wants another 6-7 season, but when the over/under in Vegas is 5.5 wins, it feels like a real possibility. So, how does the latest version of Billy Ball get fans on the same orange-and-blue page?

Simple. Win these five games.

Tennessee (Sept. 16)

Even when Florida won 16 of 17 against the Vols with troubled coaches, it felt like a rivalry. Now that Tennessee won last year and seemingly zoomed past Florida in the East, this game is huge. The third game of the season will be in the Swamp, in front of a packed house.

Kentucky (Sept. 30)

Man, that 31-game winning streak against the Wildcats feels like decades ago. Kentucky has won three of the last five, although I’m not sure that qualifies as a true rivalry. But it is the kind of game we want to win, like we did in the old days. The last time UF went to Lexington, the Gators committed, like, 100 penalties and lost. Last year, Anthony Richardson had a miserable game, and Florida lost. We need to win this one.

Georgia (Oct. 28)

It’s funny because many fans and sportswriters in 2020 believed Florida was doomed that season against Georgia. After Dan Mullen beat the Bulldogs, he didn’t think he had to recruit because he could coach anybody to be successful. At least that was the theory. If Napier pulls this off in Jacksonville, the bandwagon will be stuffed, and fans will be hanging from the sides.

LSU (Nov. 11)

Gators fans are tired of losing to the Tigers. It’s that simple. This rivalry has also escalated dramatically since the hurricane-postponed game in 2016. Winning in Baton Rouge won’t be easy, especially against a team that has playoff hopes. When Florida beat Utah last year, talk of Florida being back was way too premature. A win in Red Stick, and the Gators are back.

FSU (Nov. 25)

This one is in the Swamp, and who knows where FSU will be in terms of the playoffs? The Seminoles held on to win last year to end a three-game losing streak and are poised for a big year in 2023. This could be a make-or-break game for FSU … and for the Florida fanbase.

I’m not saying Napier needs to win all five games. I’m saying he needs to win some of them. This is a tough fanbase, and I always say that nobody suffers winning like Gators. I can’t see anybody suffering with any of these five wins.

Sportswriter Pat Dooley (BSJ ’76) covered the Florida Gators for The Gainesville Sun for 33 years until his retirement in 2020. He still shares his love for Gator sports through his podcast, “Another Dooley Noted,” and WRUF radio program, “Dooley’s Back 9.” His Gator Nation News column does not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Florida.