Graham Mertz on Florida having the toughest schedule: 'That's a good thing'

Florida enters the 2024 college football season with a chip on its shoulder after falling just short of bowl contention one year ago.

However, the Gators are staring at the reality of having the hardest schedule in the country this fall. While this can certainly be looked at in a negative light, Florida quarterback Graham Mertz explained why he’s looking forward to the task at hand this season.

“I love it,” Mertz said. “No, you don’t want the easiest schedule. I mean, I think that if you’re a competitor, and you love the game of football and if you love the big time games on the biggest stages — you don’t want to have the easiest schedule in the world.

“So for us, we have the quote, unquote hardest schedule in the world That’s a good thing. Because if you go out there and you execute, you play good football and you win, then it’s like, okay, it’s the hardest schedule in the world. As a competitor, you want that.”

Mertz will get a taste of that right away when the Gators kick off their slate against Miami, the Gators will also do battle with UCF and Florida State in non-conference action. They will play Samford during Week 2 as their lone FCS matchup this season.

As for Florida’s SEC schedule, they match up against the likes of Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Texas, LSU and Ole Miss during the final six-game stretch of their conference slate heading into the season final against the Seminoles. Florida will begin its SEC schedule against Texas A&M and at Mississippi State during Weeks 3 and 4.

After 2023’s 5-7 finish, the Gators will certainly have their work cut out for them in 2024.

Of course, last season saw Florida drop its last five games of the year after a strong 5-2 start under then second-year head coach Billy Napier. During the five-game stretch, Florida lost two games by a field goal or less and was faced with the tall task of battling undefeated rival Florida State in the season finale while other teams were scheduling FCS matchups around that stretch. They also had to face Georgia and LSU’s No. 1 offense during the span.

If a couple of plays or calls had gone Florida’s way in those two close matchups, which were against Arkansas and Missouri, respectively, the Gators would have been at least 6-6 to end the season and would’ve been in a bowl game. A 7-5 finish to last season would shine an entirely different light on Florida’s upcoming schedule in 2024.

However, that wasn’t the case and Florida missed out on the postseason for the third time since 2013. With Mertz’s mindset leading the charge, it appears the Gators are looking forward to what’s ahead.