Greg McElroy explains why Week 1 vs. Miami 'feels like a must-win' for Billy Napier, Florida

As college football makes its long-awaited return this weekend, one of the most notable games on a loaded slate is in Gainesville. Florida and Miami will renew their rivalry at The Swamp in a matchup filled with storylines on both sides.

To ESPN analyst Greg McElroy, though, Billy Napier and the Gators have the most on the line. The pressure is ramping up ahead of Napier’s third season as head coach, and the former Alabama star said it’s nearly a “must-win” for UF.

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Speaking on SportsCenter Thursday evening, McElroy told Kevin Negandhi Napier is likely facing the most pressure as Week 1 gets underway. That might not end when the horn sounds on Saturday’s game considering Florida’s schedule, and he said getting a win would be huge to kick off the season.

“I don’t think it’s just this weekend, Kev. I think Billy Napier all season long’s gonna be feeling the heat in the event in which his team underperforms,” McElroy said. “If you look at Florida’s schedule, it’s one of the most difficult in the sport. And knowing what they bring back – it’s not a bare cupboard, but there are some unknowns. It’s a defense that struggled last year. They’re hoping they made improvements. They were really young last year, they’re now a year under their belt, playing a lot of freshmen. Now, they’re sophomores and juniors. So they’re hoping that they take a big step this year.

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“But if you look at the schedule, man, the wins are hard to come by for the Florida Gators. So to have a ranked Miami team, your rival in your building on opening weekend, it feels like a must-win. There’s very few that feel like a slam-dunk possibility for Billy Napier this year. Every win will be earned. So to have this opportunity sitting right in front of them, they almost have to have it.”

Napier has an 11-14 record over his first two seasons at Florida, including back-to-back 3-5 marks in SEC play. The hope is the Gators take a leap forward this year after so many young players started last year, but it won’t be an easy road.

UF has the hardest schedule in the country this year, according to ESPN. That includes eight teams ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 poll – led by No. 1 Georgia, No. 4 Texas, No. 6 Ole Miss and No. 10 Florida State.