Saturday was the latest in a season full of bad looks for Florida. In the first game since parting ways with head coach Jim McElwain, the Gators looked uninterested in even being present, stumbling through a 45–16 blowout loss to Missouri, which entered Saturday winless in SEC play.
These were two teams heading in opposite directions in the middle of the mediocre SEC East: Florida went from the AP’s preseason No. 17 team to the first SEC program to let its coach go in the middle of the season; Missouri was picked in a preseason media poll to finish last in the East but has played better in recent weeks, and with the victory over Florida, the Tigers have a three-game winning streak and a realistic shot at bowl eligibility.