The Florida Gators are still outside the top 25 in USA TODAY Sports’s latest re-rank of all FBS college football teams. They come in at No. 43, a decrease of thirteen spots since the last update.
The Gators had an up-and-down first half of the season. They came out of the gate swinging with an upset win over the defending Pac-12 champion Utah Utes in [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s first game as Florida’s head coach. They went from unranked to No. 19 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll after the victory. They then lost to Kentucky and barely got a win over in-state rival USF, leaving them out of the top 25 entirely. Their close loss to Tennessee paired with their win over Eastern Washington caused expectations to stabilize.
What felt like positive momentum coming out of back-to-back home wins over Eastern Washington and Missouri rapidly evaporated. LSU‘s 45-35 victory over the Gators took the air out of the fan base, with the defensive showing not up to Florida fans’ standards. Ultimately, the re-rank felt the same way, with the 13-spot drop placing them behind programs like Troy, Coastal Carolina, and James Madison — three programs that the Gators should be better than.
With Florida on a bye this week, the next opportunity to improve their ranking will arguably be their toughest of the season. On Oct. 29, the Gators will take on Georgia in their annual neutral-site game. The game will be played at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida, with kickoff scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EDT. It will be broadcast on CBS Sports.
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