Paul Finebaum: 2023 season could end 'very badly' for Florida, Billy Napier

Paul Finebaum of the SEC Network has concerns about the Florida Gators and head coach Billy Napier. In particular, he’s worried that the season could end very badly for Napier.

This comes after Florida struggled in a loss on the road against Kentucky, destroying the goodwill that Napier and the Gators earned after their home win over Tennessee. As Finebaum explained on The Matt Barrie Show, there is very little room for error going forward for Florida.

“You play the schedule game for a second, two losses already,” Paul Finebaum said. “Back end of the schedule, Florida State, Georgia just for starters, and at LSU. So, if you’re doing the math, the games against Missouri and South Carolina, games that are not going to interest the country at all, are going to determine their season.”

Ultimately, Finebaum expects those difficult games against Georgia, Florida State, and LSU to go against the Gators. That will leave them with very little margin for error and without excuses. In particular, Finebaum highlighted the Georgia game as one to watch for as the season marches on.

“I haven’t seen much from this team. So, they can’t be talking about Utah as much as they used to,” Finebaum said.

“So, they’re really at the precipice and they’ve got a fairly comfortable path into Georgia but that’s going to be a defining game, the tone and tenor of it because the season could end very badly for them.”

Florida currently sits at 3-2 with a 1-1 record in SEC play. Losses against Georgia, LSU, and Florida State would leave Florida with very little margin for error if bowl eligibility is going to be on the table down the home stretch.

Of course, in the 33-14 loss on the road against Kentucky, Florida looked a long way from bowl eligibility. The Gators struggled on the ground and could not stop the run, even when they accidentally had 13 defenders on the field.

Kentucky LB JJ Weaver: ‘Florida wasn’t ready for us’

After the game, Kentucky linebacker JJ Weaver made his thoughts clear. He didn’t think Florida was ready to play against Kentucky.

“We’re going to see next week. We’re going to see next week. Florida’s a good team, but they wasn’t that good to be honest with you. They wasn’t,” Weaver said.

“Nothing really. I mean I trust my guys. We watch film. We was on it. Practice all week we was flying around, being dominant. So at a point I already knew Florida wasn’t ready for us.”