CBS Sports Pulls Back Gators Playoff Prediction After Upset Loss

Just like that, those who were predicting the Florida Gators would break through and reach the College Football Playoff are starting to pull back. Following the upset loss to the USF Bulls, CBS Sports changed its bowl projection from reaching the playoff to playing in the ReliaQuest Bowl. 

Since it’s still a relatively recent change, for those who may not know, the ReliaQuest Bowl used to be known as the Outback Bowl. 

Florida would play Nebraska in this updated projection. A once dominant program, just ask Gen X Florida fans, the Cornhuskers are starting to find their way a bit after being lost for over a decade. 

Let this projection serve the following takeaway. Florida is still being projected to have a good season, just not one that comes with a chance at a national championship. 

It’s still a solid bowl game. Ranked teams are consistently playing in this game. So, a Florida team that falls short has a high chance of playing in this game. 

However, it’s still a major blow for the Gators, having previously been projected for the playoff. 

Before the loss, CBS had them playing Georgia at home in the first round. Georgia has played in Gainesville just twice (1931, 1994), so a historic game that would also be a rematch of the game in Jacksonville is out the window for this year. 

Sure enough, the projection now has Georgia hosting USF. Florida is seen to have handed a fellow in-state school a playoff berth.  

Perhaps CBS Sports set its expectations high. They were the only early projectors. Neither ESPN nor USA Today had the Gators in the playoff. 

The former had the Gators in either the Liberty Bowl or the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, while the latter had them back in the Gaparilla Bowl. At least the venue is the same as the ReliaQuest Bowl in the latter bowl’s case. 

However, it shows that even with all the hype, Florida wasn’t expected to survive their schedule. They probably didn’t expect a loss to USF either, so if the playoff projection took a hit, who knows where this team will end up in the eyes of others. 

The Gators are no strangers to the ReliaQuest Bowl, though it’s been a few years since they were participants. They have played in the bowl five times, with the last time coming in 2016, when it was still the Outback Bowl. 

They have a 3-2 record overall in the game, but have won their last three appearances.  

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