Season-opening victory catapults Florida into Sports Illustrated’s top 10

Sports Illustrated is very bullish on the Gators in its rankings after the season-opening win.

An extended Week 1 of college football finally came to a close on Monday night, and now that the dust has settled, it is time for the rankings updates. The Florida Gators were among the biggest beneficiaries of their big win over the Utah Utes to open the season, with a near-unanimous consensus that the Orange and Blue will land in the top 25.

Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellinger published his rankings after the SEC schedule wrapped up, with Florida taking a huge leap not just into the top 25, but into his top 10. He put the Gators at No. 8 following [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s impressive debut in the Swamp and offered the following explanation for his decision.

In arguably the best game of the day, the Gators got the job done against a Utes team that didn’t handle the cross-country trip and humidity very well. Oh, and they didn’t handle Florida’s athletic quarterback well, either.

Florida’s inclusion gives the SEC four teams in SI’s top 10, with the Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs leading the way at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, while the Arkansas Razorbacks take the No. 9 spot.

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