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The Florida Gators are among the top 10 of every college football poll and rankings after Week 12 while sporting a 6-1 record over the course of its Southeastern Conference-only schedule this season.
Despite a loss to the Texas A&M Aggies in their third week of action, UF has managed to maintain its place in the upper echelon of collegiate football with the help of a statement win over its fiercest rival the Georgia Bulldogs on Nov. 7. Subsequently, a plurality of the press still sees Florida as a top-five team, though there are plenty of outliers out there.
Sports Illustrated has vacillated on the Gators this year and their latest assessment represents one of the lower points in the ebb and flow. The latest college football rankings from the publication have Florida at No. 8 in the nation — much lower than most other outlets currently.
Here is how SI’s columnist Pat Forde broke down UF’s ranking for Week 12.
8. Florida
Last game: Beat Vanderbilt, 38-17
Next game: Kentucky SaturdayThe Gators haven’t led any of their past three games after one quarter, but they’ve led by a bunch at the end. Florida has scored 38 or more points every game, maintaining Kyle Trask’s stature as a top Heisman Trophy candidate. The path to Atlanta and an SEC championship game against Alabama remains fairly smooth and straightforward.
Florida, along with the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide and the Aggies — who sit just one spot above the Gators — represent the SEC in the top 10 of Forde’s rankings.
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