Florida Football Season Preview & Predictions l Graham Mertz, Billy Napier, Eugene Wilson III l CFB

the chase Thomas podcast for people who have nothing but time to kill in the back end of the schedule grah Merz is a really good quarterback grm mer settled in um at Florida this past year I think Florida's still I mean they're a blue chip team in the top 15 blue CH he really good I think grem merch is really good I think he was I think grem merch is a really good college quarterback this good okay I didn't say Elite I didn't say Elite I didn't say great I said really good like he's a b plus quarterback I think B+ is 8 is really good right he's a B+ quarterback um yeah I'll give you that he was second in completion percentage behind Bo Knicks in Oregon last year they were 70th in rushing though which was weird I thought it was a lot better with the two Adat with uh Johnson and etm they were 16th in Red Zone conversions nationally so they were really good in the Red Zone but the defense 122nd in defens yards per play the defense got obliterated all year long and that's got to get fixed um for Florida to have any chance um to get bowling and to survive this year because I think everyone who put keeps putting Billy Napier on the hot seat I just look at this situation and I think if you're Scott Strickland the ad you know what the schedule is everyone knows so if you're looking at Billy Napier and you have DJ lague ready to go next year and you're still going to end up with a top 10 top 15 class at worst you're developing well like as long as you go bowling and it's not like a tire fire down the stretch I think you roll in next year and be like all right let's really see what we have with a superstar quarterback potentially a lot of talent um returning and let's just get through this year I think it should just be get through this year bowling and we'll we'll have much better schedule luck better like just more more reasons for optimism in 2025 I mean I just and even different conversations though yeah but I just I'm Tak conversations like you're you're go ahead no I was just going to say like I think this offense is going to be a top 30 top 25 offense and I think the defense will improve a little bit so I don't know I just think gr Mer's smart quarterback doesn't turn it over um I think they're going to be fine at running back I think the offensive line should be better um I still like some of their pass catchers losing Rickie purol hurts a little bit but they get another Arizona State transfer he'll probably be good seems like they have a good back ear there but um I don't know I just I'm I'm not saying Florida's going to go 9 and3 10 and two and Joe gr Merz is going to be Joe burrow uh in year two in the swamp but I think they're going to be better than people are anticipating they're going to get some wins especially at home in the swamp so give me the Gators like six and six seven and five um this year and I think Billy Napier keeps his job and goes in next year with a lot more optimism is is my guess so give me the gator over see I think there's there's two different things at play there because yeah everyone is taking this schedule into account and also I feel like we're talking about this Florida schedule a little too much like I understand this schedule is just absurd like the last like five weeks of it it's like five top like 12 teams right now like we'll see how good how good these teams turn out to be but if Florida was better like we would not be talking about the schedule like this like we just talked about Oklahoma's schedule we talked about Georgia's schedule like Georgia's got the schedule they have and they're 10 and a half uh is their preseason win total It's like because they're they're one of the really good teams for one if Florida is a really good team then one of these teams is probably not as good like right off the bat you know Georgia's probably a little worse or Tennesse or or Florida or um LSU or maybe someone is probably just not as insurmountable if Florida's actually a good team so it's just kind of the zero some game that comes with with sports but obviously not not completely taking away from the schedule it's still tough but I just don't know like everyone's saying the right things right now right but at the end of the season if they go four and eight five and seven no one is gonna care at all about how difficult the schedule was like I heard I saw some clip of Danny worle talking this a few weeks ago on some radio show where he's talking about like yeah the schedule's brutal like I mean if this team you know they go eight and four you know there's no reason to like worry and it's like whoa Danny Danny eight and four is that what you're talking about being a disappointing season like I they these guys have to almost recalibrate what to expect because I just it's as as much as everyone knows this is a difficult schedule I just find it hard to believe that Florida Gator fans can see their team have a losing record for a third year in a row and I guess it could be losing in terms of six and six and lose the bowl game like he did year one that's not nearly as bad as five- seven missing a bowl game but if they go five and seven and miss a bowl game I just I have a hard time believing that the University of Florida is not gonna fire their head football coach after three straight losing Seasons but like you said four and a half I think with with so many of these these games on the schedule like it's not going to be easy but they're GNA beat somebody and four and a half just feels too low so five five seems like I'm going over on Florida but but five doesn't doesn't save his job by any means interesting okay final one here Matt Green we don't spend a lot of time on this one and I also know you're going to hate this line a solid three for Vanderbilt not a half we're just doing three for garbage line what say you about the Vanderbilt commodor M green they knew exactly what they were doing when they set this line because they looked at Vanderbilt's schedule and they were like okay corn state Georgia State Ball State there's the three right there you gonna have the balls to pick vanderville to beat anyone else um I don't know I don't think I do they got obviously Virginia Tech out of out of conference in the season opener um don't have to play Georgia this year but this team this nicely done nephew the chase Thomas podcast hell yeah [Music]