Billy Napier, Florida not lacking in respect for Miami ahead of Week 1 battle

The Florida Gators are opening with a game against the Miami Hurricanes in Week 1. That’s expected to be a battle and it’s an opponent that Florida head coach Billy Napier has plenty of respect for.

While Napier chose not to share how Florida has worked to teach the team about this rivalry, he did share that the team understands how important winning this game is.

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“Nothing to talk publicly about,” Billy Napier said. “I think, ultimately for me, we understand. I think one of the things about this group of players is I think they’ve got pretty good awareness and I think they’ve got some experience and they understand the magnitude of the game, not only just for the season as a whole but also it being an in-state opponent.”

Coming into the season, the Miami Hurricanes are ranked 19th in the preseason AP Poll. That’s after a season where Miami went 7-6 and an offseason where the Hurricanes added several marquee names through the Transfer Portal.

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“Look, our opponent this week is highly regarded,” Napier said. “They’re ranked in both polls. They’ve got several All-American, all-conference players. They’re picked to make the Playoff. They’re picked to win their conference, right? So, I don’t think we’re lacking in regards to respect for the opponent.”

The last time Miami and Florida played was in 2019. That was a neutral site game in Orlando that Florida won. The last time the two teams played in Gainesville was in 2008 and ended in another Gators win. However, Miami leads the all-time series 29-27.

Both Miami head coach Mario Cristobal and Billy Napier are looking to take a leap forward this season after struggling through two seasons with their respective programs. That starts with a key game against one another.

Paul Finebaum previews what’s at stake for Florida against Miami in Week 1

Ahead of Florida’s game against Miami, SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum shared his thoughts on what’s at stake for the Gators.

“I think you have to start in Gainesville. There’s so much uncertainty about that Florida staff and the Florida future. Most of it’s because of two things. The results of the first two seasons and the schedule. Miami is an ascending team. I happen to think, on paper, they look really good this year,” Finebaum said.

“So, if Florida does not come out of that game with a win then you have to start asking the question, where are they gonna find wins? And I’m not talking about the back half of the schedule, which we talked about ad nauseam. I’m talking about the front half. Texas A&M in two weeks. UCF, I mean that’s a really good team that could score a win there. So, if they lose anything before they get to Tennessee, then they need to pull some upsets on the way home and I’m not sure that’s possible. If they lose more than one game, it’s hard to imagine this season going well for Billy Napier.”