Many college football analysts believe the clock has already struck midnight on Billy Napier’s head coaching stint with the Florida Gators.
Two games into his third season, Napier is 12-15 overall and has failed to live up to expectations in Gainesville. The Gators host the Texas A&M Aggies in Week 3 and college football analyst Paul Finebaum says a loss here would ensure this as Billy Napier’s last season as Florida’s head coach.
“I think ‘must-win’ is really an understatement,” Finebaum said while talking to Greg McElroy on “Always College Football.” “I think should Billy Napier fail to win this game and Florida loses again, I don’t see how he can survive.”
Napier faces off against another head coach who’s starting out his season 1-1 in Mike Elko. However, Finebaum says there is much more pressure on Florida’s head coach than on the Aggies.
“All the goodwill Napier found in the offseason, and he found a lot, went out the window,” Finebaum said. “There’s virtually no confidence in this program without a win and a win against Texas A&M doesn’t really mean anything, but it stops the hemorrhaging.”
Saturday’s matchup will be the conference opener for both teams. Kickoff is set for September 14 at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.