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

The Miami Hurricanes are traveling to Gainesville for a Week 1 game against the Florida Gators. It’s going to be a big game and analyst Paul Finebaum knows there’s plenty at stake for the Gators.

As Finebaum explained on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, the opening game of the season is going to set the tone for the season and that first half of the season is going to be vital for Florida as it looks to have a successful season.

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“I think you have to start in Gainesville,” Paul Finebaum said. “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.”

The second half of Florida’s schedule looks incredibly difficult on paper. That means that Florida probably needs to find most of its wins in the first half. However, a loss to Miami could set the Gators down the wrong path.

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“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,” Finebaum said.

“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.”

It’s now year three for head coach Billy Napier at Florida. Through two seasons, he has a record of 11-14. With that, there is more than a little bit of pressure to show improvement during the 2024 season. That starts with finding a way to beat a seemingly improved Miami team.

The Gators are going to be entering the opener against Miami as a slight underdog. So, they’ll need to surprise some people to come out with a win.