Reports of the Florida Gators Demise have been Greatly Exaggerated

The Florida Gators may have suffered through three-straight seven-loss season, but there's a sleeping giant in Gainesville.

The Florida Gators have been down, but not out. There's a sleeping giant in Gainesville / Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

If you peruse the headlines and endless discussion points, people outside of the Florida Gators football sphere of influence, quietly dismiss them. With a daunting schedule, some pride themselves on writing off a team before the season starts. 

In the State of Florida, people understand.

Now, people outside the Sunshine State follow trends. Many firmly believe that the University of Florida football team needs to lay down and accept defeat after three-straight seven-loss seasons.

Moreover, the notion of the Gators losing relevance with each passing year, falling behind, FSU and Miami with UCF, FIU and FAU gaining gr Now, with all due respect to these respective universities, let's breakdown the state football programs.

Florida State

Currently in the ACC, Florida State aims to leave the conference. If they leave the Atlantic Coast Conference, all signs point to the SEC. Automatically, the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party becomes secondary. 

Florida and Florida State fanbases despise each other. They play each season. Now, provided that FSU bounces to the SEC, the rivalry will settle the best team in Florida. On this level, with this level of enmity, every snap matters. 

On the field, Mike Norvell finally righted the ship after disappointing seasons. For a program that struggled and regaining their prestige, their success provides a blueprint for the Gators to shake back. 

Miami

The fanbase that proclaims their school is back after an early-season win, only to lose a disappointing three games late. Miami once captivated the state. 

With elite levels of talent and swagger, The U became a must-see football. Now, an ACC afterthought, Miami struggles to solidify their current standing. After decades of lawlessness from 1983-2003, the NCAA and the school administration cracked down, neutering what made the Hurricanes stand out. Miami is the kid that achieved popularity in high school, but peaked way too early. 

UCF

Outside of Florida and FSU, the third-most important program in the state. To their credit, the Knights built a program out of proverbial thin air. People flock to Orlando and watch a school that slowly built themselves into a respectable program on the serious upswing. 

After raising their occasionally-debated national championship, the Knights play in the Big 12, reaping the rewards of constructing a program the correct way. Never taking a shortcut, UCF made true progress in a competitive football landscape. UCF became a model of college football program construction.

USF/FIU/FAU

Absolutely three teams, on the outside looking in, trying to figure out a way forward. In their favor, the state will always produce enough talent at the skill positions to stock their rosters. On top of that, the transfer portal sees players that could not get on to the field at UF, FSU, UCF, or Miami. 

Now, what keeps them back from joining the top three? Part of it looks like coaching transience and a lack of national exposure. While each of the three schools boast either a metropolitan-adjacent or actual city location, none of them found a way to capitalize. 

FIU, based on a five-year study conducted by College Football News, plays in a stadium that's 46 percent filled, ranking 129th out of 133 teams. Over the next few years, these three schools need to look in the mirror to assess where they want to go.

Overview

Florida plays in the best conference in college football, hands down. Did the football program fall on rough times? Of course. Yet, through the missteps, poor coaching hires and inconsistent play, a few things remain. 

Eighty percent of the capacity of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, at a minimum, is filled on Saturdays. According to College Football HQ, the Florida fanbase hovers around six million, good enough for the sixth-most in college football.

Times occasionally look dark for the Florida Gators, but with each season/ recruiting cycle, hope spring eternal.