Florida football a candidate for first College Football Playoff berth in 2025
Florida football a candidate for first College Football Playoff berth in 2025
Florida football is earning national attention as one of the top programs poised to make their first College Football Playoff appearance in 2025, according to CBS Sports' Carter Bahns.
Following the CFP's expansion to a 12-team format in 2024, the door has opened wider than ever for rising programs to break through.
The Gators' late-season surge–powered by DJ Lagway's rapid development, a veteran offensive line and improved defense–helped shift the narrative surrounding Billy Napier's tenure as Florida's skipper.
Entering his fourth season with the Orange and Blue, Napier now leads one of the SEC's most intriguing rosters heading into the fall.
With the CFP now allowing multiple teams from power conferences like the SEC, Florida doesn't need to win the league to earn a postseason spot. Instead, a top-three finish in the conference could be enough to secure a long-awaited playoff berth.
Here is everything Bahns wrote about the Florida Gators and why they could have a real shot at the playoffs next season.
Everything CBS Sports said about the Gators
"Florida sure looked like it turned a corner last November. Consecutive wins over ranked opponents, a four-game winning streak to close the year and a freshman-year breakout from DJ Lagway could not have come at a more opportune time for Billy Napier," Bahns notes.
"If the last month of 2024 was a harbinger of success to come, the Gators coach could go from the hot seat to the playoff in just over a calendar year. It does not take much imagination to envision a breakthrough season, especially since Lagway has a talented receiving corps and one of college football's strongest offensive lines at his side."
CBS Sports' teams poised to make 2025 playoff debut appearance
Miami Hurricanes
Illinois Fighting Illini
South Carolina Gamecocks
Florida Gators
Louisville Cardinals
Texas A&M Aggies
Ole Miss Rebels
Auburn Tigers
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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