The Florida Gators face Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa

Just a month ago, the Florida Gators’ season seemed to end in turmoil.

Instead, it will end in Tampa.

The Gators will face American Athletic Conference runner-up Tulane (9-4) in the Gasparilla Bowl on Dec. 20 at Raymond James Stadium. Florida also appeared in the 2021 Gasparilla Bowl, losing 29-17 to UCF.

The 3:30 p.m. game will be televised on ESPN and will serve as a prelude of sorts to that evening’s College Football Playoff opening-round game between Notre Dame and Indiana.

Miami’s consolation prize for narrowly missing out on a spot in the College Football Playoff will be a trip to Orlando on Dec. 28 to face Big 12 runner-up Iowa State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

The Gators (7-5) won their last three games — including home upsets of then-No. 1-21 LSU and then-No. 9 Ole Miss — to achieve their first winning season since 2020. The season-ending surge led most to believe that they were destined for the Gator or ReliaQuest Bowl, both of which are slightly higher up in the SEC’s bowl pecking order.

But the Gator Bowl chose Ole Miss, while the ReliaQuest brings Alabama (formerly Outback) into its game for the first time in 28 years. The Crimson Tide will face Michigan in a rematch of the January 1, 1997 Outback Bowl, Gene Stallings’ last as Tide coach.

The catalyst for UF’s resurgence was DJ Lagway, a true freshman quarterback who had nine touchdown passes in six starts and, in the season finale at FSU, led all Football Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks with a passing grade of 97.3 on deep balls ( 20 or more yards).

Tulane (9-4) lost to Army 35-14 in the AAC title game Friday night. Green Wave leader Mario Williams (54 catches, 940 yards, five touchdowns) is a graduate of Plant City High.

The Hurricanes (10-2), who lost 42-38 in the regular season finale at Syracuse, finished 13th in the final CFP rankings and were ranked as the first team out of the 12-team playoff field by the selection committee on Tuesday night. At that time, committee chairman Warde Manuel said there would be no reevaluation of teams that did not participate in conference title games.

Iowa State’s playoff hopes were dashed with a 45-19 loss to Arizona State in the Big 12 title game on Saturday.

The Pop-Tarts Bowl represents a de facto homecoming for Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht, a Wiregrass Ranch graduate who has thrown at least one touchdown pass in a school-record 17 consecutive games. An All-Big 12 honorable mention selection, Becht’s 45 TD passes over the last two seasons are the most in the conference during that span.

USF’s trip to the Hawaii Bowl – for a Christmas Eve clash with San Jose State – was announced earlier this week.

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