Why the stakes are sky high for Billy Napier, Mario Cristobal in Week 1 matchup

One of the most eclectic matchups to start college football season takes place in The Swap on August 31 when Miami visits Florida in an in-state rivalry to kick off the season. Which also represents a high-stakes moment for both opposing head coaches in the Sunshine State.

Billy Napier and Mario Cristobal will both be looking to start off the season on the right foot in a crucial matchup that has the potential to impact the futures of both respective head coaches. Which Gators Online‘s Nick de la Torre recently discussed Monday on the On3 Roundtable.

“I think Mario Cristobal and Billy Napier are intertwined,” de la Torre said. “They were both hired the same offseason, they’re both under .500 after two years. I’ve been calling this Week 1 matchup the Hope Bowl because I think Mario and Billy are both selling their fan bases hope. ‘Hey, we’ve got this thing in the right direction and recruiting will get us where we need to go. Just trust us.'”

Both Cristobal and Napier had 3-5 records in conference play for both of their first two seasons at Miami and Florida. And while a loss from wither team in Week 1 won’t keep either team out of conference title contention, per usual, in-state bragging rights come with an elevated level of importance.

“This is a rivalry game that used to be yearly, you don’t really get it yearly anymore with conference expansion. Florida will play Miami to start the year this year, they’ll play again in Coral Gables next year. But after that I don’t know the next time Florida and Miami will play so this this year and next year really the last two times for the foreseeable future that we’ll get a Florida-Miami game,” de la Torre explained. “It’s a rivalry that means so much to both fan bases. So good luck to the losing coach selling hope the rest of the year.”

Miami enters the season with the highest expectations they’ve had in quite some time following a slew of impactful transfer portal additions. But given the difficulty of Florida’s schedule, regarded as one of the most challenging in the country, an early win in the season could go a long way for Napier and the Gators.

“For Florida specifically because this game is at home, it’s even more important to start. Because of the schedule Florida has, Florida I think would take Miami’s schedule in a heartbeat,” de la Torre said. “But the schedule of Florida has, they need to get wins early and I think starting the year off with a win against Miami really kind of solidifies and cements the belief that you build up throughout the offseason. So it’s a critical game for both the Florida Gators and for Billy Napier.”

It’s safe to say a Week 1 win for either head coach will be crucial regardless of who comes on out top, as the Gators and Hurricanes will square off on August 31 at 3:30 p.m. in a rivalry game airing on ABC.