Florida has been inactive since a win over Stony Brook on Dec. 22 as a result of a COVID-19 outbreak within the program. That resulted in the postponement of Florida’s SEC opener at Ole Miss that was scheduled for last Wednesday evening, and now the Gators will hope to be ready to go for a home matchup against Alabama on Wednesday night.
UF is set to open conference play now with three-straight Quadrant 1 games, so it will certainly have a chance to buff its resume. However, with the inaction, it didn’t see much of a change in the Week 8 update of the USA TODAY Sports Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll. After receiving two votes last week, that doubled to four despite the team being sidelined.
However, the Gators are still on the outside looking in, unlike several other teams in the SEC. Auburn is the only team currently in the top 10, ranking No. 9. The Tigers are followed by No. 13 Kentucky, No. 18 Tennessee, No. 20 Alabama and No. 21 LSU. Arkansas also received 15 votes but couldn’t crack the top 25.
Here’s how the full poll breaks down this week.
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
| 1 | Baylor (32) | 13-0 | 800 | – |
| 2 | Duke | 11-1 | 760 | – |
| 3 | Purdue | 12-1 | 713 | – |
| 4 | Gonzaga | 11-2 | 693 | – |
| 5 | UCLA | 8-1 | 657 | – |
| 6 | Kansas | 11-1 | 654 | – |
| 7 | Arizona | 11-1 | 559 | – |
| 8 | USC | 12-0 | 517 | +1 |
| 9 | Auburn | 12-1 | 512 | +2 |
| 10 | Michigan State | 12-2 | 507 | – |
| 11 | Iowa State | 12-1 | 450 | -3 |
| 12 | Ohio St | 9-2 | 412 | – |
| 13 | Kentucky | 11-2 | 344 | +4 |
| 14 | Houston | 12-2 | 328 | – |
| 15 | Villanova | 9-4 | 286 | +7 |
| 16 | Texas | 11-2 | 285 | +2 |
| 17 | Providence | 13-1 | 284 | +4 |
| 18 | Tennessee | 9-3 | 253 | -3 |
| 19 | Colorado St | 10-0 | 229 | +1 |
| 20 | Alabama | 10-3 | 223 | -1 |
| 21 | LSU | 12-1 | 208 | -5 |
| 22 | Seton Hall | 9-3 | 160 | -9 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | 10-2 | 156 | – |
| 24 | Xavier | 11-2 | 136 | – |
| 25 | Texas Tech | 10-2 | 110 | – |
Schools Dropped Out
None
Others Receiving Votes
Illinois 37; Connecticut 30; Oklahoma 29; Loyola-Chicago 16; Arkansas 15; Minnesota 14; San Francisco 6; Brigham Young 5; Saint Mary’s 4; Florida 4; West Virginia 2; Florida State 1; Davidson 1.
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