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Gators in the playoffs? Josh Pate calls his shot

On3 imageby: Keith Niebuhr08/18/25On3Keith
Billy Napier Kirby Smart
USA TODAY Sports

The Florida Gators are getting more preseason respect than they have in years. They’re 15th in the AP Top 25, 17th in the AFCA Coaches Poll and were picked to finish sixth in the rugged SEC.

But now, the hype for 2025 has reached a whole new level.

Sunday, Josh Pate, host of Josh Pate’s College Football Show, revealed his College Football Playoff picks and—you guessed it—UF is on his list. Pate’s 12-team CFP projection with seeds looks like this:

  1. Penn State
  2. Alabama
  3. Texas
  4. Oregon
  5. Clemson
  6. Notre Dame
  7. Ohio State
  8. Florida
  9. Georgia
  10. Arizona State
  11. Nebraska
  12. Boise State

Why is Pate, one the biggest voices in college football, so high on Billy Napier’s Gators?

“Too many are focused on strength of schedule with not enough focus on strength of team. Florida needs nine wins here and they’re in,” Pate told Gators Online. ‘I believe Napier has one of the few teams in the country I could trust to win 19-13 one week and 38-31 the next week. And I think they’ll be dynamic enough to win makes in different ways if they need to.”

Not only does Pate have the Gators in the playoffs, but he provided a little more sauce to get Gator Nation fired up. With Pate’s seeding, Florida would host longtime rival Georgia at The Swamp in a first-round matchup. The Dawgs haven’t played at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium since 1994, when UF won 52–14. The game was held in Gainesville that season while Jacksonville while renovating its stadium.

“The matchup vs UGA in the first round would be the most chaotic way to start the playoffs we may ever see,” Pate said.

The Florida Gators, who finished 8-5 in 2024 and ended the season with a four-game winning streak, return more than a dozen starters this year, including eight on offense. The following UF players were preseason All-SEC picks at SEC Media Days.

FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC SELECTIONS FROM FLORIDA

Jake Slaughter, C, senior: Slaughter started all 13 games at center last season and led the Gators offensive line in snaps with 800. He was a consensus First-Team All-American in 2024.
Austin Barber, OT, senior: Barber started all 13 games at left tackle in 2024. He has made 26 career starts for the Gators

SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC SELECTIONS FROM FLORIDA

Caleb Banks, DL, senior: —Banks finished 2024 with 10 starts, 21 tackles (10 solo), including seven tackles-for-loss, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and a recovered fumble.
Trey Smack, PK & Kickoff specialist, senior: Smack made 18 out of 21 field goal attempts (with a long of 55 yards) and all 44 extra point attempts last year. He was a Lou Groza Semifinalist in 2023.
Rocco Underwood, LS, senior: Underwood was a second-team All-SEC pick after the 2024 season.

THIRD-TEAM ALL-SEC SELECTIONS FROM FLORIDA

Jadan Baugh, RB, sophomore: Baugh was a freshman All-SEC choice in 2024 after leading the team in rushing yards (673) and total touchdowns (eight) while averaging 5.1 yards per carry.
Tyreak Sapp, EDGE, senior: Sapp led the Gators with seven sacks and 13 tackles-for-loss last season.
Eugene Wilson, WR, redshirt-sophomore: Wilson had 19 receptions for 266 yards before an injury ended his season in 2024. He hauled in 61 catches for 538 yards the previous year as a true freshman.

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