Bracketology 2024: Latest Bubble Watch of key teams in mid-February
By Joey Loose
Florida (16-7) (NET: 33)
2-7 (Q1), 3-0 (Q2), 7-0 (Q3), 4-0 (Q4)
Would you believe that it took the Gators until the final day of January to grab their first Quad 1 win of the season? They had some solid performances earlier in the year, but a road win at Kentucky and a more recent win against Auburn represent their two Quad 1 victories.
Fortunately for the Gators, they possess a resume that lacks any bad losses, with all seven coming against Quad 1 competition. They dropped a heartbreaker at Texas A&M less than two weeks ago interrupting a recent hot streak, though the worst loss was probably a 19-point defeat at Tennessee.
Winners of six of their last seven, it’s impossible to deny that Florida isn’t trending in the right direction. They’ll need to keep this momentum going through the end of the season, especially if they want to secure their spot in the Dance. They still have a pair of games with Alabama; there are still opportunities ahead to prove their worth.
Gonzaga (17-6) (NET: 24)
1-5 (Q1), 2-1 (Q2), 5-0 (Q3), 9-0 (Q4)
Things look much bleaker for Gonzaga now than in recent seasons, though the Bulldogs got a glimmer of hope this past weekend. They picked up their first Quad 1 win of the season with a great performance on the road against Kentucky, taking advantage of a rare February nonconference matchup.
The Quad 2 loss was at Santa Clara in a shocker back in early January. Generally, the Bulldogs have been playing better ball since then, though sit two games behind Saint Mary’s in the league standings thanks to a home loss to the Gaels a few weeks ago.
Make no mistake about it, Gonzaga had chances earlier this season to make an impact and fell flat, losing to some solid teams back in November and December. They pulled themselves back into the mix with that win in Lexington, but the work is far from done. Even with that nice NET figure, Gonzaga might need to win out in the regular season, including potential Quad 1 road dates at San Francisco and Saint Mary’s.