Greg McElroy outlines high stakes for Billy Napier, Mario Cristobal in Week 1 matchup
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Greg McElroy discussed the upcoming Miami-Florida showdown on the latest episode of Always College Football this week.
Florida will be hosting the Hurricanes, but Billy Napier’s squad is a small underdog going into this game against Miami. Florida is a 2.5-point dog in this season-opening matchup, per FanDuel.
McElroy laid out the case for a Florida upset and then shared his thoughts on what that would mean for Napier’s standing in Gainesville.
“Wouldn’t that cool things off a bit for Billy Napier?” McElroy said. “I mean, wouldn’t that just kind of calm things down a little bit and kind of prove, ‘hey, we might not be where we want to be … but we’re moving in the right direction.'”
The consensus nationally seems to be that Napier is on the hot seat as he enters Year 3 at Florida. The Gators are just 6-10 in SEC play over Napier’s first 2 campaigns in Gainesville.
Miami has a lot to play for, too. Mario Cristobal is also entering Year 3 with sky-high expectations after a slow start to his tenure in Coral Gables. Cristobal may not be on the hot seat — his contract still has 8 years remaining — but whether or not he can continue the momentum that Miami built this offseason could depend on the outcome of this game against Florida.
“I think there would be a lot of fallout for this game [if Miami loses],” McElroy said. “I think this is the most significant game in Week 1 in terms of writing a narrative for each coach.
“Billy Napier loses the game, oh ‘he’s a dead man walking.’ He wins the game, he’s everybody’s all-american. The same could be said for Mario Cristobal. He wins the game, ‘Miami’s back!’ He loses the game, ‘Mario can’t get it done.'”
These programs have not met since 2019. Miami is 29-27 all-time against Florida.
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 31.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
