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Paul Finebaum Names Resurgent College Football Program That's 'Upbeat'

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 6:00 PM ET

The 2024 college football season marked a resurgence for one of the most prominent programs in the SEC after several years of disappointment. The Florida Gators finished the season with an 8-5 record, bouncing back from three consecutive losing seasons.

At one point, the Gators appeared to be headed for another disappointing year, sitting at 4-5. However, the team rallied under the leadership of true freshman quarterback DJ Lagway, who took over for the injured starter, Graham Mertz. Lagway led the Gators to four straight victories to conclude the season.

He finished the year with impressive statistics, passing for 1,915 yards and 12 touchdowns. This strong performance sparked excitement among fans, as noted by ESPN's Paul Finebaum on his show, "The Paul Finebaum Show."

"Florida fans are really upbeat because of DJ Lagway," Finebaum said while discussing the relative difficulty of SEC teams' schedules. "South Florida to me, not that difficult. But here's where it gets almost untenable, I think, at LSU, at Miami. Both are expected to have very good teams — Texas at home. We know Texas will be the favorite. Then at (Texas) A&M."

Kyle Wood from Athlon Sports shares Finebaum's assessment, ranking Florida's schedule as one of the toughest in the country, placing it as the third-most difficult in the conference. He notes that the Gators will start the season with two consecutive home games against non-Power Four teams before facing the grueling four-game stretch Finebaum mentioned — at LSU, at Miami, a home game against Texas and then a game at Texas A&M. Last season, Florida lost three of those four matchups.

Wood further emphasizes that the second half of the season does not offer much relief, as Florida faces three more teams in playoff contention in November. This includes a rivalry game against the Georgia Bulldogs in Jacksonville, a trip to face the Ole Miss Rebels and a home game against the Tennessee Volunteers. The Gators will conclude the season with a home game against their in-state rival, the Florida State Seminoles.

ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) is not optimistic about Florida's prospects this year, predicting the Gators will finish the season with a record of 6-6, down from last year's 8-5. This would place Florida at No. 11 in the conference standings.

The Gators kick off their season against the Long Island Sharks at 7 p.m. ET on Aug. 30.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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