Florida's College Football Playoff hopes have all but vanished after a second straight blowout loss in SEC play. First, it was a rout on the road against Missouri that hobbled the Gators, followed by a devastating homecoming loss to a South Carolina squad that had lost eight straight conference matchups.
Now 4-2 and facing a pair of the nation's best teams to wrap up October, Jon Sumrall's squad finds itself back among the mix of mediocre bowl games in CBS Sports writer Brad Crawford's postseason predictions. He now has Florida facing North Carolina in the Birmingham Bowl — the same venue he picked after Week 1 — on Dec. 29.
"Disaster has struck the Gators during Jon Sumrall's first season," Crawford begins. "Florida has unraveled quickly since
a 4-0 start skyrocketed aspirations and pushed the team to a top-10 ranking. Lopsided losses to Missouri and now South Carolina have completely altered the trajectory of the campaign for a staff searching for answers."
The Orange and Blue has played in the Birmingham Bowl just once before, back in 2014 at the end of Will Muschamp's final season in Gainesville — which happens to be the same year that South Carolina last beat UF in the Swamp. The Gators prevailed over East Carolina, 28-20, behind interim head coach D.J. Durkin and an MVP performance by running back Adam Lane.
Florida has faced North Carolina 10 times on the collegiate gridiron, winning just twice while dropping seven — including two straight — and tying once. The last time the Gators beat the Tar Heels was at home in 1969, blowing out the visitors, 52-2. Both wins in the all-time series came in Gainesville, with the first in 1933 by a final score of 9-0.
CBS Sports' Week 6 bowl projection
- Bowl: Birmingham Bowl
- Opponent: North Carolina
- Date: Dec. 29
- Time: 2 p.m. ET
- Location: Birmingham, Alabama
- Conference matchup: SEC vs. ACC
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida now projected for this bowl game after South Carolina loss
