Florida football spent a week in the thick of the College Football Playoff discussion. However, after a systematic collapse on the road against Missouri on Saturday, the Gators have fallen out of the top 12 and back with the rest of the postseason pack, according to many publications.
Among those who have demoted Florida from CFP contention are ESPN writers Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach, whose bowl game projections now have the Gators headed to a pair of in-state venues for December matchups.
Much like in some of his previous predictions, Schlabach is fixed on Florida taking on SMU — a school UF has split its four prior meetings with — in the Gator Bowl held in Jacksonville. The Mustangs have won both games between the two schools played on a neutral
field, with a 35-25 victory in 1978 (Orlando) and a 21-14 triumph in 1972 (Tampa), while the Gators prevailed in Gainesville in 1964, 24-8, and 1975, 40-14.
Florida has played in the Gator Bowl nine times dating back to 1952, with seven wins over that span. The last time UF participated in the in-state event was in 2012 during Will Muschamp's first season on the sidelines, beating Ohio State, 24-17. The last time Florida lost a Gator Bowl game was in 1975, when Maryland snuck by Doug Dickey's squad, 17-13.
As for Bonagura, he now foresees the Orange and Blue taking on Wisconsin — a team Florida has never faced on the collegiate gridiron — in the ReliaQuest Bowl held in Tampa.
Originally called the Cigar Bowl from 1947 to 1954, the game was later rebranded as the Hall of Fame Bowl from 1977 to 1985 before becoming the Outback Bowl from 1995 to 2022, when it adopted its current sponsor. Florida has never played in the ReliaQuest, Cigar or Hall of Fame Bowl, but has played in six editions of the Outback Bowl, winning four of those games.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: ESPN has mixed opinions on where Florida will play its bowl game
