Everything you need to know as the Gators and Green Wave meet in the Gasparilla Bowl on Friday
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Florida and Tulane are set to clash in this year’s Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. It’s the seventh time the game will be played under the name — it was canceled in 2020 — and the sixth time since moving from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.
No offense to Tropicana Field, but any time you can play a bowl game named after a mythical pirate in a football stadium that has a pirate ship, it’s a move you need to make.
As for the matchup itself, this will be Florida’s second appearance in the game after losing to UCF 29-17 in 2021. Tulane has never appeared in the game but does have familiarity with the Gators. These two programs have met 21 times before, and Florida holds a 13-6-2 edge while having won the last 11 straight meetings.
Of course, it’s been a while since the last one, which came 40 years ago in 1984. We’ll see if old feelings die hard and how salty Tulane remains about that 63-21 defeat.
How to watch Gasparilla Bowl live
Date: Friday, Dec. 20 | Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Raymond James Stadium — Tampa, Florida
TV: ESPN2 | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Florida vs. Tulane: Need to know
Florida played one of the most difficult schedules in the country: All strength of schedule metrics are a little different and weigh certain factors more than others, but no matter which SOS ranking you consult, Florida finds itself near the top when it comes to most difficult schedules. The Gators played five games against teams in the final College Football Playoff Rankings, as well as games against Texas A&M and LSU, teams that spent most of the season ranked. All in all, a 7-5 mark against that slate is an impressive result.
Tulane will be without its starting quarterback: Tulane was in the running for a playoff spot until the final weeks of the season. The Wave had won eight straight games to get to 9-2 before suffering an upset home loss to Memphis 34-24 on Thanksgiving, and they followed it up with a 35-14 loss to Army in the AAC Championship Game. Things have only gone downhill from there. While coach Jon Sumrall will return to lead the program again next season, he’ll need to find a new QB. Darian Mensah had an impressive freshman season, throwing for 22 touchdowns to only six interceptions, but he has since transferred to Duke. Making matters worse, both second- and third-string QBs Ty Thompson and Kai Horton have entered the portal as well, though Thompson plans to start for the Green Wave in this game.
Florida went 5-0 in games started and finished by DJ Lagway: The plan to start the season was for Graham Mertz to be the Gators QB with freshman phenom DJ Lagway sprinkled in. That plan came to an abrupt end when Mertz was lost for the season. It may have proved to be a blessing in disquise for the Gators, however, because five of Florida’s wins came in the games Lagway started and finished (Samford, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State). The only game Lagway started that Florida lost was the Georgia game that the freshman phenom left due to an injury.
Gasparilla Bowl prediction, picks
The current plan is for DJ Lagway to play under center, so it’s hard to go against the Gators in this spot. He’s had this team surging since he was handed the reins during the season, and this game should provide one last final preview of what to expect from him next season in Gainesville after some improvement over the offseason. Mensah was the key cog for the Tulane offense during its impressive run this season to the conference title game, and without him, it’s difficult to see the Green Wave remaining within the large spread in this one. Pick: Florida -14
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