The Florida Gators are set to face Georgia on 1st November and have a bye week in hand. They also fired their head coach, Billy Napier, after the Gators escaped a narrow loss against Mississippi State. The interim head coach, Billy Gonzales, surely brings renewed energy. But can that help against Georgia? According to Kirby Smart, even with a bye week, it would take a miracle for the Gators to win. And the UGA head coach’s reasons are clear as day.

Billy Napier, before getting fired from the Gators’ head coaching job, accumulated a 22-23 record. This was the worst in his tenure as head coach, though Napier faced one of the toughest schedules in 2024 and 2025 as well. However, without Napier, who called the offensive plays, it’s uncertain how the team can find its rhythm back and turn around the season to winning ways. That’s exactly what Kirby Smart highlighted.

“It probably affects (the matchup) more than a one-week window, but even in a two-week window, there’s only so much you can do. They’ll make changes. … When you look across the country at guys that have had interim coaches, they’ve had some really big wins and a lot of energy. I know Coach Gonzales is going to do a great job. I have a lot of respect for him, going against him for many years; they have a really good staff,” said Kirby Smart. Despite Smart not expecting Florida to win against his team, he still expressed respect for Billy Napier.

“First of all, I have a lot of respect for Billy,” said Kirby Smart. The UGA head coach then outlined how the two worked together and had known Napier for a long time. Despite that, Smart accepted the harsh nature of the job where results are paramount. “His attention to detail is at a really high level, and he’s a guy who thinks things out really well. I think they’ve recruited well and done a good job. I hate it in this profession, but we all know what we sign up for, and Billy understands that,” said Smart.

Billy Napier and Kirby Smart worked together at Alabama under Nick Saban from 2013 to 2015 and were pivotal in the team’s dominance. However, now that Napier is fired from Florida, Kirby Smart is feeling at ease with the prospect of facing the Gators. That said, Billy Gonzales can’t be underestimated either. The now-interim head coach has experience working under CFB hall of famer Urban Meyer from 2005 to 2009 and has also worked with Dan Mullen in recent years. Not to mention, we have also seen interim head coaches win, like UCLA is doing right now with Tim Skipper. That said, defeating Georgia won’t be a walk in the park either.

Can Billy Gonzales do the unexpected against Kirby Smart on November 1st?

The game will be played in EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida, and Florida carries just 19.9% of win probability as per ESPN. That has a lot to do with UGA’s record and the way the team is playing this season. The Bulldogs are 6-1 in the SEC and have lost just one game against Alabama, narrowly. Apart from that, the team is coming off a statement win against Ole Miss, where Gunner Stockton passed for 289 yards. Kirby Smart surely has the momentum and the quality to defeat the Gators.

Florida, on the other hand, is in a major transition as outlined by its AD, Scott Stricklin. “We want people who can win championships at the University of Florida. That’s going to be our goal. We want somebody who can come in here, be a strong leader, and win championships. And, like I said, there are probably people from a lot of different backgrounds who could have the potential to do that,” said Stricklin. This transition also comes with massive immediate costs.

We can see players exiting the program since the transfer portal opens after any head coach’s firing. Moreover, without Billy Napier calling plays, Ryan O’Hara calls the plays, and we haven’t seen much of him. That said, O’ Hara does have a past connection with DJ Lagway as they have known each other since high school. That surely can help the team, and we can see Lagway finally finding his potential. However, for now, all bets are off on the Gators’ success, owing to the transition and uncertainty in the coaching staff. As for the UGA game? UGA should cruise past the Gators easily!!