Somehow, someway, Billy Napier survived another week as head coach of the Florida Gators. In Week 6, Florida upset Arch Manning and No. 9 Texas 29-21 in Gainesville to move to 2-3 on the season.
How Napier keeps pulling these midseason tricks and treats is something of pure wickedness, sorcery even. But it’s spooky season, after all — and nothing is scarier than a head coach needing wins just to stay alive. The only thing that could possibly save this version of Frankenstein’s monster may be a berth, and perhaps even a run, in the College Football Playoff.
According to On3’s Brett McMurphy, Napier would need to lead Florida on a “miracle finish” to save his job.
“There’s still a divided camp at Florida,” a source told McMurphy. “The administration would love for Billy to win and be successful, but the people that pay the bills – the big money boosters – they know he’s not the guy. They’re over him. There’s too much evidence he’s not the guy that can win a national championship.”
Now in his fourth season at Florida, Napier is 21-22 with just one winning season on his résumé. That came last year, when the Gators closed on a four-game win streak, including wins over No. 21 LSU and No. 9 Ole Miss.
Is that to be expected again this season after the upset of the Longhorns?
Florida Faces Challenging Schedule Ahead
Like last year, Florida entered the season with one of the most daunting schedules in college football. And by the end, the Gators managed to outperform projections, finishing on the positive side of the win column.
This time, the road ahead is no less difficult. In Week 7, Florida travels to face No. 5 Texas A&M at Kyle Field, one of the toughest environments in the SEC. Then comes a home game against an improved Mississippi State squad, followed by No. 10 Georgia. The final stretch includes road trips to Kentucky and No. 4 Ole Miss before closing at The Swamp against No. 12 Tennessee and No. 25 Florida State.
That’s five of the last seven games against ranked opponents, with two on the road. Yikes.
What’s Good Enough For Billy Napier to Keep His Job?
For Napier, every week is a fight for survival. The win over Texas was a step toward recovery, but he’s still clinging to life support. At this point, every game will be judged in its own context.
Losing to USF at home by two points wasn’t damning enough. Falling by 10 to LSU on the road didn’t draw the line. Getting pummeled by rival Miami, now the nation’s No. 2 team, wasn’t the final straw either. But what happens if Florida is blown out by Texas A&M? Or will the “road game against a top-10 team” narrative provide an excuse? What about the annual Georgia game, who the Gators haven’t beat in their last four tries?
“Billy does most everything right Sunday through Friday. It’s just a nightmare on Saturdays,” a source told McMurphy.
Is Florida’s brutal schedule actually saving him? Maybe. But eventually, Napier has to string together wins against both ranked and unranked opponents, rivals and non-rivals, to put together another winning season.
For Florida, it ultimately comes down to timing. When is the right moment to pull the trigger and fire him? For now, as long as Napier keeps pulling out magic wins like a rabbit out of a hat, the Gators keep running out of chances to move on.
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