ESPN projects these two bowl destinations for Florida football in 2025 postseason
However, the reality of the gridiron grind lurks just around the corner, when lofty aspirations are often dashed bringing everyone back to earth. The 12-game regular-season slate becomes a marathon rather than a sprint as each program paces itself for the postseason.
Among the goals every team sets ahead of a new campaign is earning a bowl game bid, which requires that a school finish at least with an even .500 mark. While this is one of the lower bars aimed for, it had been a struggle for the Florida Gators to reach up until last year.
This year, the Orange and Blue come in amid high expectations, with the possibility of cracking the College Football Playoff field if everything goes right. Of course, nothing ever goes perfectly to plan so there are still some doubts that Billy Napier can earn his first CFP bid.
ESPN projects Florida football's bowl games
So where will Florida play once the regular-season schedule and conference championships are played? ESPN's Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach both offered up their postseason predictions with the Gators landing in two different bowl games.
Bonagura forsees Florida playing in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee, against the Kansas Jayhawks on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. The Gators have never played in this game nor have they ever faced Kansas in a bowl matchup; the Jayhawks have made two prior appearances — in 2022 against the Arkansas Razorbacks (L, 55-53) and in 1973 against the North Carolina State Wolfpack (L, 31-18).
Schlabach has Napier and Co. playing on the same day in the Duke's Mayo Bowl held in Charlotte, North Carolina, against the Duke Blue Devils. Again, Florida has never played in this bowl game nor have they ever faced Duke in the postseason; despite the shared name, the Blue Devils have never played in the Mayo matchup either.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
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