The preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll is officially out, and unfortunately for Florida football fans, the Gators were excluded from the initial rankings for the upcoming 2022 season.
The Orange and Blue are coming off a disappointing campaign that saw the end of the [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag] era thanks to some egregious underperformances by the team, which led to the program’s worst record in Southeastern Conference play since 1986. While the hiring of former Lousiana Ragin’ Cajuns head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] instilled a good deal of confidence in the fanbase so far, he has yet to prove himself at a Power Five school — much less, the grueling gauntlet of the SEC.
Subsequently, it comes as no surprise that the Gators sit outside of the top 25 with only 17 votes, but the bearish early outlook really amounts to nothing more than an educated guess. A convincing win in Week 1 over the Utah Utes, who come to Gainesville ranked No. 8 in the Coaches Poll, would do wonders for the team’s standing and would likely have them sneaking into the rankings.
There are six SEC schools in the top 25, with the Alabama Crimson Tide coming in at No. 1, the defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs at No. 3 and the Texas A&M Aggies at No. 7, while the Kentucky Wildcats, Arkansas Razorbacks and Ole Miss Rebels help close out the top 25 at Nos. 21, 23 and 24, respectively.
A look at the full preseason AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:
| Rank | Team | Points | 1st Place Votes |
| 1 | Alabama | 1,634 | 54 |
| 2 | Ohio State | 1,564 | 5 |
| 3 | Georgia | 1,542 | 6 |
| 4 | Clemson | 1,356 | – |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 1,284 | – |
| 6 | Michigan | 1,232 | – |
| 7 | Texas A&M | 1,219 | – |
| 8 | Utah | 1,134 | – |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 1,027 | – |
| 10 | Baylor | 891 | – |
| 11 | Oklahoma State | 859 | – |
| 12 | Oregon | 734 | – |
| 13 | North Carolina State | 726 | – |
| 14 | Michigan State | 711 | – |
| 15 | Southern California | 602 | – |
| 16 | Pittsburgh | 450 | – |
| 17 | Miami (Fl) | 433 | – |
| 18 | Texas | 383 | 1 |
| 19 | Wake Forest | 381 | – |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 369 | – |
| 21 | Kentucky | 353 | – |
| 22 | Cincinnati | 339 | – |
| 23 | Arkansas | 334 | – |
| 24 | Ole Miss | 327 | – |
| 25 | Houston | 257 | – |
Others Receiving Votes
Iowa 248; Penn State 246; Tennessee 163; Brigham Young 152; Louisiana State 143; Auburn 98; Central Florida 55; North Carolina 34; San Diego State 25; Fresno State 21; Mississippi State 19; Florida 17; Utah State 12; Air Force 12; UCLA 10; Boise State 10; Appalachian State 10; Minnesota 6; South Carolina 5; Kansas State 4; Iowa State 3; Army 3; UL Lafayette 2; Southern Methodist 2; Purdue 2; Oregon State 2; Coastal Carolina 2; Texas-San Antonio 1; Louisville 1; Florida State 1
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