Florida Gators Football

Florida tight end Kyle Pitts announced Sunday that he has declared for the 2021 NFL draft and will not participate in his team's bowl game.

Dreams are turning into reality..🙏🏽 #ForeverFlorida🐊 pic.twitter.com/lfNAfZMu2m

— Kyle Pitts👑 (@kylepitts__) December 20, 2020

Pitts had been dealing with an injury that kept him out of his team's loss to LSU in Week 15, but he returned for Saturday's SEC Championship Game and came through with seven catches for 129 yards and a touchdown in the 52-46 loss to Alabama.

The junior had 43 catches for 770 yards and 12 touchdowns in eight games this season.

The Florida coaching staff was impressed by Pitts' performance this season, including tight ends coach Tim Brewster:

There is zero question who the absolute best TE in the Nation is @kylepitts__ this guy is so special!! Go Gators!! 🐊🐊

— Tim Brewster (@TimBrewster) December 20, 2020

"He's worked his tail off to put himself in the position he's in," head coach Dan Mullen said after Saturday's loss. "He's a great young guy to be able to even play today and then come out and have a huge game."

The Gators had a chance to reach the College Football Playoff with a win over Alabama but will now await an announcement of their bowl Sunday.

Pitts, meanwhile, is headed to the next level, and he is expected to be a first-round pick in the NFL draft.

Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN rated the tight end as the No. 7 overall player in the class thanks to Pitts' 6'6", 239-pound frame and soft hands as a receiver.

After no tight ends went in Round 1 last year, Pitts could be a top-10 selection in April.

Florida Gators head coach Dan Mullen is blocking out all of the College Football Playoff noise this week as his team prepares to face No. 1 Alabama in the SEC Championship game. That doesn't mean he isn't confident the No. 7 Gators won't have a strong postseason case come Sunday.

Asked about his team's chances of reaching the national semifinals, Mullen said he'll worry about that after defeating the Crimson Tide. 

"We'll think about that on Saturday night after we win," Mullen told reporters Thursday. 

At 8-2, and coming off a dramatic home loss to LSU, Florida's place in the CFP rankings had college fans questioning the committee's decision. 

The Gators only dropped one spot in the rankings after a home loss to the then 3-5 Tigers despite Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina and USC remaining undefeated.

Mullen isn't paying much attention to that debate now—especially since playing in the SEC has afforded him a strong schedule. 

"I think it showed respect for us and for this league, the quality of the opponents in this league, the grind and the demand of playing," Mullen said of dropping to No. 7. "This is our 11th SEC game in a season. I think that's certainly a challenge. Other conferences haven't been through that."

Texas A&M, who defeated Florida earlier in the year, moved up to No. 5 but the Aggies finished second in the SEC West behind Alabama and missed out on the conference championship game. That leaves Florida with an opportunity to knock off the top team in the country and kick off a fierce playoff debate. 

"A team that has played [six or seven games] is going to be fresher, healthier this late in the season and probably have more depth than a team that's on Game 11" Mullen said. "... I think everybody that knows the game of football understands that. People that really know the game of football understand that. That would be my guess. I don't know. That would be a question for the committee."

 

Who knew a single shoe could take the shine off the SEC Championship Game? 

When Florida defensive back Marco Wilson tossed an LSU player's cleat 20 yards downfield in the fourth quarter of Saturday night's game—eventually leading to a game-winning field goal for the Tigers—every last bit of hope the Gators had of making the College Football Playoff went with it. 

The loss deflates some of the intrigue around Saturday's title game in Atlanta, but the Gators are still in contention for a New Year's Six bowl game and have a chance to play spoiler to Alabama's undefeated season and CFP aspirations.

Even with a loss to the Gators, though, it's hard to believe Alabama—the most dominant team in the country this season—would miss the playoff completely. 

Ahead of the showdown, we're breaking down the key matchups that will decide who walks out of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium with the SEC championship trophy in hand. 

        

Key Matchups

Alabama Offense vs. Florida Defense

The Crimson Tide are arguably the only team in the country with two legitimate Heisman contenders in quarterback Mac Jones and wide receiver DeVonta Smith.

They have connected 83 times this season for 1,327 yards and 15 touchdowns, and Smith might have made his case as the best player in the country, regardless of position. 

Alabama's other skill players are no slouches, either. Running back Najee Harris has rushed for 1,083 yards and 22 touchdowns, and six others have at least 10 catches on the season. Only North Carolina has scored more touchdowns this season, and the Tide's 537.8 yards per game are the fifth best in the Football Bowl Subdivision. 

The Gators' defense, meanwhile, hasn't exactly set the world on fire, but it hasn't been awful, either. It has held four opponents under 20 points, but this weekend's loss to LSU, in which they gave up 37 points and 420 yards of offense, showed how vulnerable it can be. 

Unlike most teams Alabama has faced this season, Florida has the offensive horsepower to keep this game competitive, but the Gators will have to make enough stops to keep the Tide from hanging 60 on them.

           

Florida Offense vs. Alabama Defense 

Even with Alabama's vaunted passing attack, there has been no more potent throwing offense in the country than Florida's this season.

After a stellar junior season in which he threw 25 touchdowns, quarterback Kyle Trask has been on a completely different level in 2020, throwing for 371 yards per game, 40 touchdowns and just five interceptions. 

The 22-year-old has a bevy of weapons, including All-American tight end Kyle Pitts, who has reeled in 11 touchdowns on 36 catches, and do-it-all wideout Kadarius Toney with nine touchdowns of his own. Even more mind-boggling than that is the offensive balance the Gators possess, with eight players amassing more than 240 yards from scrimmage this season. 

On the other side, Alabama boasts a good—though not elite—defense that ranks 27th nationally in total yards allowed.

The Tide are, arguably, most vulnerable against the pass, but they are still only giving up 227 yards and one passing touchdown per game. They haven't faced an offense with nearly the level of weapons Florida possesses, though, and if Trask can find time in the pocket, he'll be able to dissect Alabama's secondary. 

        

Prediction

As it always does, Alabama will show up in a big way for the SEC Championship Game. The Tide haven't lost in one since 2008, and this year won't break that trend. Alabama 42, Florida 31. 

             

Follow Keegan on Twitter @ByKeeganPope. 

The Florida Gators saw their College Football Playoff hopes almost fade completely with a stunning 37-34 loss to the 4-5 LSU Tigers on Saturday after Marco Wilson's unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for throwing an opponent's shoe helped set up Cade York's winning field goal in the final 30 seconds.

It was a shocking development, but Florida head coach Dan Mullen appeared to defend it by calling it a "football move":

Dan Mullen said Marco Wilson made a football move, the shoe was in his hand and he threw it and it wasn’t meant to taunt LSU.

— Michael Casagrande (@ByCasagrande) December 13, 2020

"That's not the reason we lost the game," Mullen told reporters. "He's disappointed. It's a shame. I went back and watched the play. I don't think there was any intention to taunt. He threw a shoe and went to celebrate with his teammates."

That penalty came after a third-down stop and kept LSU's drive alive. Instead of getting Heisman Trophy contender Kyle Trask the ball back in a tie game with a chance to win, the Gators defense gave up more points following the penalty.

To Trask's credit, he drove Florida into field-goal range in just 23 seconds on the ensuing possession only to watch Evan McPherson miss from 51 yards out.

Florida was in a situation where it essentially controlled its own destiny at 8-1 entering play.

It already clinched the SEC East title and was No. 6 in the College Football Playoff. A victory over LSU and then No. 1 Alabama in the conference title game would have surely propelled the Gators into the four-team playoff field for the first time in program history.

Instead, they are coming off one of the worst losses of the entire season.

The Tigers may be the defending national champions, but this year's version is a shell of the one that had Joe Burrow leading the way. The best they can finish is 5-5 with a win over Ole Miss, and this will be a bad loss on Florida's resume even if it did stun Alabama.

The loss has reverberations for Texas A&M as well, as its marquee win over Florida now doesn't look nearly as impressive as it did before Wilson threw the shoe.

Florida head coach Dan Mullen took an apparent shot at Ohio State after his team suffered a 37-34 loss to LSU Saturday night.

When asked about the team's playoff hopes, the coach argued the Gators (8-2) were hurt by their schedule compared to the Buckeyes (5-0).

"I know we've played 10 games so I guess probably the best thing to do would've been play less games," Mullen said, per Clint Buckley of 247Sports. "Because you seem to get rewarded this year for not playing this year in college football."

The Big Ten only featured an eight-game schedule this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while Ohio State had three games canceled due to outbreaks. The College Football Playoff committee still had the team ranked No. 4 entering the week, two spots ahead of Florida.

The Gators also had an outbreak earlier this season, which led to the postponement of their game against LSU, but the matchup was rescheduled to Saturday. It resulted in a dramatic upset for LSU (4-5), which could sink Florida's playoff hopes. 

Both Ohio State and Florida will have another chance to impress the committee in their respective conference title games. The Buckeyes will face Northwestern for the Big Ten title while the Gators will take on Alabama for the SEC championship.

Florida Gators football player Clifford Taylor will honor Keyontae Johnson on senior day prior to their game against LSU. 

Per Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger, Taylor is going to carry Johnson's jersey after the Gators basketball star was hospitalized earlier in the day. 

Johnson collapsed on the court during Florida's game against Florida State on Saturday afternoon. The school announced the junior is in critical but stable condition after being taken to the hospital, and he will remain at Tallahassee Memorial overnight. 

Per ESPN's Myron Medcalf, Gators head coach Mike White canceled postgame interviews to join Johnson at the hospital. 

Dellenger noted that school officials have said it remains unknown what caused Johnson to collapse. 

Taylor, a sophomore tight end, made the Gators football team as a walk-on this year.

The 2020 college football season has seen some wild, unexpected results, in no small part because of the complications that have arisen from the COVID-19 pandemic. Strange enough for winless Vanderbilt to upset No. 6 Florida on Saturday, though?

Not quite. But it was a bit too close for comfort from Florida's perspective in the first half. 

Despite leading by just seven at halftime, the Gators moved to 6-1 on the year with a 38-17 win over the Commodores. Vanderbilt held a 10-7 lead after the first quarter before Florida reeled off 24 straight points to seize control of the game. 

It wasn't a signature win from the Gators, who looked sloppy at times, especially on offense. But they'll remain atop the SEC East with the win, leaving them three victories away from a berth in the conference title game. 

As for the Commodores, they moved to 0-7 with the loss. 

                  

Key Stats

Kyle Trask, Florida: 26-of-35 for 383 yards and three touchdowns

Kadarius Toney, Florida: six receptions for 107 yards and a score

Kemore Gamble, Florida: three catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns

Ken Seals, Vandy: 22-of-34 for 319 yards, two scores and an interception

Chris Pierce Jr., Vandy: four receptions for 97 yards and two touchdowns

Cam Johnson, Vandy: seven catches for 93 yards

                   

Kyle Trask Deserves to Be the Heisman Front-Runner

Trask shook off a shaky start to lead Florida to an ultimately convincing win, throwing three of Florida's four touchdown passes. His accuracy and poise kept Florida's offense cooking, keeping the team in the national championship conversation in the process.

What a throw. What a catch. @ktrask9 ➡️ @Trevongrimes8#GoGators 🐊 pic.twitter.com/uenLttEwFU

— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) November 21, 2020

It's time we start seriously considering the Heisman Trophy as Trask's to lose.

Kyle Trask is the first player in SEC history to throw 30+ touchdown passes through the first 7️⃣ games of the season 🐊 pic.twitter.com/CQGjaoXSGr

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) November 21, 2020

#Gators had three 300-yard passing games in nine seasons before Kyle Trask took over at Kentucky. https://t.co/c93LOo68QB

— Edgar Thompson (@osgators) November 21, 2020

Kyle Trask is unreal.

— Barrett Sallee 🇺🇸 (@BarrettSallee) November 21, 2020

No, he wasn't as big of a name as Justin Fields or Trevor Lawrence coming into the season. And it isn't as though those guys are having bad seasons. But Trask now has 31 touchdowns through seven games. Those are absurd numbers. If Trask keeps up this pace, he has to be the Heisman winner. 

And he's certainly made a strong case to be taken off the board in the early rounds come the 2021 NFL draft, too. 

             

Vanderbilt Is Knocking on the Door

In most cases, a 21-point loss won't introduce many silver linings. But Vanderbilt played Florida tough for a half before the talent disparity reared its head in the second half. 

Vanderbilt played Kentucky (38-35 loss) and Mississippi State (24-17 loss) tough too in its past two games. While the Commodores will be heavy underdogs when they face Georgia, matchups against Tennessee and Missouri are winnable. 

Vanderbilt has gone from punching bag to competent in a hurry. Tennessee’s trip to Nashville next weekend looms strangely large.

— David Ubben (@davidubben) November 21, 2020

.@ChrisPierce02 COULD NOT BE STOPPED 💪 pic.twitter.com/a50uiVfidm

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) November 21, 2020

By no means is Vanderbilt a good football team. But it feels like a team that might have a win in it down the stretch. That's something for head coach Derek Mason and his Commodores to work for in an otherwise tough season. 

                        

What's Next?

Florida hosts Kentucky on Nov. 28 at noon ET on ESPN. Vanderbilt will host Tennessee that same day at 7:30 p.m. ET. 

If college football fans were expecting a weekend of upsets, they're sorely disappointed after Saturday.

Three of the game's top four teams—Alabama, Ohio State and Clemson—were idle, and outside of No. 19 SMU's defeat to Tulsa, there wasn't a single Top 25 team that lost in Week 11.

There were, however, a couple of impressive wins, namely in the Big Ten, and a few victories that came a little too close for comfort—we're talking about you, Miami. As such, there likely won't be much movement in this week's Top 25 polls, save for a few teams moving up or down a spot depending on how dominant their wins were.

                         

College Football Week 12 Top 25 Projections

1. Alabama 

2. Notre Dame 

3. Ohio State

4. Clemson

5. Florida

6. Texas A&M

7. Cincinnati

8. BYU

9. Indiana

10. Miami

11. Oregon

12. Wisconsin

13. Georgia

14. Oklahoma State

15. Marshall

16. Coastal Carolina

17. Iowa State

18. Oklahoma

19. Liberty

20. USC

21. Texas

22. Northwestern

23. Auburn

24. Louisiana-Lafayette

25. North Carolina

                

Badgers Bully Hapless Michigan

Wisconsin hadn't played since Oct. 24 because of COVID-19-related issues within the program, and the Badgers took out that frustration of Michigan, rolling up 341 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground. They led 28-0 at one point and never took their foot off the gas, as any hope of a midseason turnaround faded for Jim Harbaugh's squad.

Still remaining on the schedule are games against a surprisingly stout No. 23 Northwestern team, showdowns with Minnesota and Iowa and a meeting with No. 10 Indiana on Dec. 5. If the Badgers can run the table, they will face No. 3 Ohio State in the Big Ten title game, likely with a shot at the College Football Playoff on the line.

                    

Florida Offense Torches Arkansas

If there were any doubt about Kyle Trask's legitimacy as a Heisman candidate, he put it to bed in the first half of No. 5 Florida's dominant 63-35 win over Arkansas. Trask had five touchdown passes in the first half alone and ended the game with as many TD passes (six) as he had incompletions.

The Gators look well on their way to a meeting with No. 1 Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, and while those games haven't been kind to Florida in recent history, this team has an offense with weapons that none of the other Gator teams came close to.

Whether Florida's defense can slow down the Crimson Tide's own dominant offense is a different question, but don't expect there to be a shortage of points if these two teams end up in Atlanta.

                     

Indiana's Dream Season Continues

The last time the University of Indiana had a football team ranked in the top 10, head coach Tom Allen hadn't been born—and he's 50. For a program that has been mired in mediocrity for nearly all of its existence, 2020 has been a revelation. What started with a controversial last-second win over then-No. 8 Penn State has turned into four consecutive wins, with the latest being a 24-0 shutout of Michigan State.

The Hoosiers still have regular-season games against both No. 13 Wisconsin and No. 3 Ohio State left on the schedule, but even if the Hoosiers split them, they could make a significant case to be considered for a New Year's Six bowl game. And if they win both and beat Wisconsin in the rematch in the Big Ten title game? Well, you can do the math.

                  

Follow Keegan on Twitter, @ByKeeganPope.