Not too long ago, Florida football was a punchline and Billy Napier was considered to be a dead man walking. Now, they have just taken a fatal bite out of an SEC squad's season for the second week in a row. Despite being big underdogs at home against the soaring Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday afternoon, the Gators successfully defended The Swamp.

Quarterback DJ Lagway flashed his big arm once again, Montrell Johnson Jr. rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown and the defense flummoxed star quarterback Jaxson Dart (two interceptions in final minute and a half of the game). Florida's 24-17 win ends Ole Miss' supposedly surefire College Football Playoff hopes and further energizes a fan base that has been beaten down by mediocrity the last three-plus years.

The Gators are reveling in their newfound role as spoilers, making sure to hand out the receipts to all those who doubted them. Feeling extra brazen after the exhilarating win, the team's official X account opted to troll the most prominent college football television show in the land.

Florida posted an image of ESPN's College GameDay analysts and guest picker Justin Fields predicting an Ole Miss road victory. If Napier and company happened to catch the lopsided prognostication, it is safe to say they used it as fuel.

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The team is now 6-5 overall and back to .500 in conference play. It will be bowl-eligible and still has an opportunity to finish in the top-half of the league standings. Those type of results are not worthy of celebration on their own, but the change is evident.

Florida pushed Georgia to the brink, nearly upset Tennessee in Knoxville and have now vanquished two ranked SEC foes. The skies above Ben Hill Griffin Stadium might finally be clearing up, as Lagway continues to develop his game and confidence under center.

Assuming they can survive the Sunshine Showdown in Week 14 against the 2-9 Florida State Seminoles, the Gators will conclude a once dreary campaign on a three-game winning streak. Most importantly, though, they can send their fans into 2025 with a definitively new outlook for the future of Florida football.

The College GameDay crew will also have to think twice before underestimating this gritty group again.