Athlon Sports has Florida football in SEC cellar ahead of Week 2

There’s only one direction for the Gators to go and that is up.

The Southeastern Conference boasts one of — if not the — strongest collection of college football programs in the nation this season, including the Georgia Bulldogs who are seeking their third-straight national championship.

Unfortunately, the Florida Gators have fallen to the bottom of the league thanks to its unforgiving regular-season schedule as well as its embarrassing Week 1 loss at the Utah Utes. It is a steep hill for Billy Napier and Co. to climb in an effort to avoid the Orange and Blue’s third-straight losing season, and the sports media has been unforgiving in its rankings so far.

Athlon Sports’ Zack McKinney published his SEC power rankings ahead of Week 2’s action, with Napier’s squad sitting in the cellar at No. 14. Six conference teams faced FCS programs and another four had games against Group of Five programs, which did not lead to major changes in the power rankings.

Take a look at the full rankings below.

14. Florida (0-1)

13. Missouri (1-0)

12. South Carolina (0-1)

11. Mississippi State (1-0)

10. Vanderbilt (2-0)

9. Kentucky (1-0)

8. Arkansas (1-0)

7. Auburn (1-0)

6. LSU (0-1)

5. Texas A&M (1-0)

4. Ole Miss (1-0)

3. Tennessee (1-0)

2. Alabama (1-0)

1. Georgia (1-0)

The Gators look to even up their overall record before conference play begins against the Cowboys, who travel to Gainesville on Saturday, Sept. 9. Kickoff time is slated for 7:30 p.m. EDT inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.