After a tough defeat to LSU on Saturday, the Florida Gators dropped four places to No. 35 in The Athletic’s latest ranking of all 131 FBS college football teams. They are seven spots behind the Tigers, four spots behind in-state UCF, and two spots ahead of in-state rival and future 2022 opponent Florida State.
The ranking makes sense from a national perspective. They catapulted into the national spotlight after a primetime upset over Utah in [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s first game as coach. The expectations for the Orange and Blue skyrocketed, and their subsequent loss to Kentucky and a close win against USF brought them back to reality.
Despite losing, the Tennessee game put the team back on track. The offense found its groove and the defense seemed at least competent in stretches of the game. A win over Eastern Washington was a step in the right direction. They followed that up with a close win over Missouri, their first SEC win of the season. They had hoped to continue their winning ways against LSU, but an underwhelming defensive performance ultimately gave way to a 45-35 loss, their 4th straight in the rivalry.
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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