The Florida Gators seized defeat from the jaws of victory for the second time in three weeks last Saturday against the Missouri Tigers despite a back-and-forth slugfest. Unfortunately, the Orange and Blue came up on the short end, losing 33-31 on a last-second field goal that gave the team a 5-6 record with just one game to go.
The matchup also represented the final Southeastern Conference opponent for Billy Napier and Co. in 2023 and a penultimate opportunity to earn that elusive sixth win to give the Gators a bowl berth.
While things did not go as many had hoped on that cold midwestern night it could have been worse. The Auburn Tigers took a brutal loss at home against the New Mexico State Aggies which sent them tumbling down 247Sports’ SEC rankings following Week 12’s action.
That gave room for Florida to move up despite the defeat; UF now occupies the No. 8 spot — up two from last week’s rankings. Otherwise, the top of the rankings saw no changes while some of the lower-midrange teams played musical chairs.
Next up for the Gators in what could be the final game of the 2023 campaign are the Florida State Seminoles, who travel to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 25, for a matchup between two in-state rivals. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET and the game can be watched on ESPN.
Here’s a look at the entire Week 13 SEC poll from 247Sports.
| Rank | Team |
| 1 | Georgia |
| 2 | Alabama |
| 3 | Missouri |
| 4 | LSU |
| 5 | Ole Miss |
| 6 | Tennessee |
| 7 | Texas A&M |
| 8 | Florida |
| 9 | Kentucky |
| 10 | South Carolina |
| 11 | Auburn |
| 12 | Arkansas |
| 13 | Mississippi State |
| 14 | Vanderbilt |
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