Florida’s 40-17 loss to South Carolina raised a lot of questions about the state of the program. Losing to Alabama and Georgia? That was to be expected. While losses to Kentucky and LSU were less justifiable, both came in one-score fashion on the road.
But there’s no excuse for what happened Saturday night. Against one of the weaker teams in the entire Power Five, the Gators were outright dominated on Saturday night.
With that loss, the team falls to just 4-5 on the season, and a bowl game may be tough to reach. But somehow, the analytics still like this team. ESPN’s Football Power Index had the team in the top 10 prior to the loss, and it still ranks 20th.
In the SP+ rankings from ESPN’s Bill Connelly, the Gators still rank in the top 15 after the loss, sitting at No. 14 to be specific.
Florida’s offense still ranks in the top 10 at No. 9, and its defense, which has been oft-maligned and has struggled significantly at times this season, ranks 33rd, higher than you might expect. Interestingly, what’s dragging the Gators down the most are their special teams, which SP+ ranks as just the No. 115 unit in the nation.
If nothing else, this shows that Florida could (and probably should) have a much better record right now. The fact that it doesn’t is more a negative reflection on the current staff than anything else.
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