Florida football had a bye during Week 8, getting a much-needed breather ahead of the Gators' annual rivalry game against Georgia in Atlanta this coming Saturday.
For the past three weeks, USA TODAY Sports writer Erick Smith has projected Florida to play in the Gator Bowl and once again predicted the same venue after the bye. Just like in his last update after Florida beat Texas in Austin, he still predicts that the Gators will take on Wake Forest in December.
Florida has played in the Gator Bowl nine times since 1952 with seven wins. UF previously participated in the Sunshine State event during Will Muschamp's first season on the sidelines in 2012, beating Ohio State, 24-17. Florida's last loss in a Gator Bowl game was in 1975, when Maryland
shut out Doug Dickey's squad, 13-0.
The Gators and Demon Deacons have faced off just four times on the collegiate gridiron since 1923 — but not since 1957 — with Florida prevailing in all four matchups. Two of those wins came in Tampa in 1923 (16-7) and 1924 (34-0), while the other pair happened in Gainesville in 1925 (24-3) and 1957 (27-0).
USA TODAY Sports' Week 7 bowl projection
- Bowl: Gator Bowl
- Opponent: Wake Forest
- Date: Dec. 30
- Time: 11:30 a.m. ET
- Location: Jacksonville, Florida
- Conference matchup: SEC vs. ACC
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: USA TODAY Sports projects same bowl game, opponent for Florida after bye
