SUBSCRIBE to our emails here.

Where does Florida go from here?

2025 was supposed to be the year. It was supposed to be the year that the Florida Gators rallied around head coach Billy Napier and shocked the SEC. However, many of the same issues that held back the program were seemingly accentuated in their shocking 18-16 loss to South Florida on Saturday afternoon.

In their most frustrating losses under Napier, the Gators have had game-altering penalties, missed tackles, failed assignments, and an overall lack of execution. Our Tyler Forness asked the only important question needed after the mind-blowing loss: How is a coach in year four still dealing with these problems?

“How are these things still an issue? Why are you having to deal with a second player get ejected for spitting on an opponent, and both of them are on the defensive line?

“It boils down to one thing: a lack of leadership. That was also evident in the underdiscussed offseason storyline of Napier refusing to bring in a legitimate offensive coordinator who can take play-calling duties from him. That would allow Napier to focus on game management, which was a very big issue. The offense continued to stutter across the board, with Napier focusing on calling plays east/west instead of attacking north/south.” —Tyler Forness

The sad truth for this Florida program is that Napier has done everything right, except within the white painted border of the field. He’s done an unheralded job of building up a roster through the trenches while adding explosive weapons with an elite quarterback prospect to lead his squad.

Once his teams step on the field, they’ve failed to have the attention to detail needed to win football games. If you can’t lock in against a G5 opponent, you don’t deserve to win against the top teams in the SEC. And that is no knock on South Florida, they’re a legitimate College Football Playoff threat. But with the gap in resources, Florida is supposed to be the team delivering the blows.

Florida fans are looking to Notre Dame’s 2024 CFP run after their loss to Northern Illinois in Week 2 as inspiration. It felt as though Notre Dame’s season was entirely over, and Marcus Freeman would be out of a job. But they used that loss as a galvanizing moment for the team to reach a national championship.

Sadly, there is a massive difference between the two circumstances, as the Fighting Irish had a comically easy schedule that allowed them to correct their mistakes. Florida has to turn around to face LSU this week, with matchups against Miami, Texas, Texas A&M, Georgia, Florida State, and Ole Miss down the line.

This loss to South Florida marks a clear inflection point for Billy Napier. Hopefully, this time around, they’ll make the right hire to replace him.

Oklahoma and John Mateer shine in Michigan win

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables had to start stacking big wins in 2025 if he wanted to remove himself from the hot seat. The performance the Sooners put on against Michigan was precisely what they needed to generate momentum before their SEC slate.

Success in 2025 for Oklahoma will run through their uber-talented transfer quarterback, John Mateer, and their offensive coordinator, Ben Arbuckle. Our A.J. Schulte highlighted how the gamble to bring the duo in from Washington State is already paying off.

“Venables took a risk when he gambled on hiring Ben Arbuckle to serve as Oklahoma’s new offensive coordinator. Arbuckle hadn’t coached against SEC or Big 10 competition. There were concerns that the “air raid” nature of his offense couldn’t handle the physicality of these defenses. Against Michigan, Arbuckle answered the call (and then some), making Venables’ gamble pay off in a statement victory.” —A.J. Schulte

It was going to be a multi-year process rebuilding the Oklahoma roster into one that can survive the physicality of the SEC. Right now, this team is still dealing with offensive line reshuffling and has struggled to get production from their running backs, as they didn’t have a running back top 25 yards against Michigan.

However, the play style of Mateer and the play-calling approach of Arbuckle can circumvent those issues. We witnessed Mateer improvise at an elite level, evading pressure and delivering jaw-dropping dimes to his speedy receivers. If Mateer can continue to make Manziel-esque plays, the Sooners’ offense will always be alive in any ball game.

Another risk that Venables made this year was taking over defensive playcalling. It felt like a no-brainer considering his background as a defensive savant at Clemson. The victory over Michigan was evidence that the right move was made, as they held the Wolverines to only 288 total yards of offense.

That defensive unit is fast, physical, and relentless. They were reminiscent of the past Clemson defenses we saw Venables coach with mauling bodies in the middle and athletic freaks coming off the edge. Although it was against a true freshman quarterback, they had future superstar Bryce Underwood in hell all game long.

A 24-13 victory doesn’t scream dominance. But if the Sooners continue to grind down opponents on defense and blast them with an upper cut from Mateer, they absolutely can win nine games this year.

Only A to Z Sports newsletter subscribers get the rest of this email, which has the latest CFB news and more.

Don’t miss out on our upcoming full newsletter: SUBSCRIBE to our FREE weekly CFB newsletter to receive updates on your favorite CFB team and the rest of the league straight to your inbox.