Is Florida Bowl eligible? Exploring Gators' bowl chances after loss to Mizzou

Florida has been underwhelming in the 2023 college football season. The Gators don't seem to have gotten any better than last season despite their recruitment efforts, especially in the transfer portal. This places Billy Napier's job under serious threat at the program.

The 33-31 loss to No. 9 Missouri on Saturday marks the program’s sixth defeat of the 2023 season. The Gators have now recorded three consecutive seasons with six regular season losses, showcasing their struggles in returning to the top of college football.

Their opponent for Week 13 will be Florida State who will be playing without their starting quarterback, Jordan Travis. Travis exited the Seminole's last game after a gruesome foot injury.

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Is Florida bowl eligible?

No, Florida is not bowl eligible. With their loss against Florida State, the Gators ended the season with a 5-7 record, knocking them out of contention for bowl eligibility. The Gators will look to come back next season to build on this, and hopefully be bowl eligible.

Teams must achieve a minimum of six wins with at least a .500 winning percentage to qualify for a bowl game in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Gators, holding a 5-6 record, would need to win their final matchup to meet this eligibility requirement. The team is 3-5 in Southeastern Conference play.

Florida will play in-state rival and College Football Playoff hopefuls, Florida State, in the final week of the 2023 season. This makes the chance of the Gators playing a bowl game a bit low, considering the No. 4 Seminoles have been brilliant this season, maintaining an unbeaten run.

However, an upset is possible in the Week 13 game in Gainesville. The Gators are playing at home and have won three of the last four contests in the series, two of which were played at the Swamp. Nonetheless, the Seminoles are determined to secure a place in the playoff.

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The Gators' bowl game appearance streak

Over the years, Florida has established itself as a regular participant in bowl games. The Gators have played in a bowl game consecutively in the last five seasons and have only failed to secure bowl eligibility two times in the last 20 college football seasons.

Missing out on a bowl game in 2023 will be one of the few times the program has been awful in a college football season. This makes the game against the Seminoles a big one for the Gators as they will try their best to protect the program's image.