CFB Program In 'Make-Or-Break' Season Faces Uphill Climb After Latest Power Rankings

Florida head coach Billy Napier is facing an uphill climb in "a potential make-or-break season," with On3 ranking the Gators 10th in its updated SEC power rankings.

The program recently added prized transfer cornerback Cormani McClain, a former five-star recruit out of high school, to bolster its chances in the stacked SEC, which welcomes Texas and Oklahoma this season.

Napier is 11-14 in his first two seasons as Florida head coach. The Gators have had three consecutive losing seasons, the program's longest streak since 1945-47. It hasn't had four losing seasons in a row since 1935-38.

In addition to McClain, the Gators have arguably the most overlooked quarterback in the country, Graham Mertz. The former Wisconsin Badger ranked third in completion percentage (72.9 percent) in 2023, throwing for 2,903 yards (8.1 yards per attempt), 20 touchdowns and three interceptions in 11 games.

Florida begins its regular season with a huge out-of-conference game against Miami and has one of the toughest November slates of any team in the nation.

The Gators play five games in November, including road dates against Georgia (Nov. 2), Texas (Nov. 9) and Florida State (Nov. 30) and home games against LSU (Nov. 16) and Ole Miss (Nov. 23).

Napier might need more than a 10th-place finish in the SEC to save his job, and if he does so, he'll certainly have earned it.