The 2023 college football season officially kicked off last week(end) with a full slate of Week 1 games to satiate the thirsty gridiron game fans who have been awaiting its return. Unfortunately for the Gator Nation, Florida fell flat in the opening matchup against the Utah Utes on the road, 24-11.
The final score far from tells the story of what transpired that Thursday night in Salt Lake City, which featured a visiting squad that was completely out of sync and made far too many mistakes to win a game that needed a near-perfect performance to prevail. Both the fans and the media took note, resulting in a precipitous fall in most of the polls and rankings.
Among those presenting their opinions is 247Sports, which compiled its second SEC poll taken from the network’s writers who cover the conference. The Orange and Blue tumbled from No. 10 in the preseason rankings to No. 13 following the bitter defeat.
The only school that stands between Florida and the conference cellar is the perennial doormat, the Vanderbilt Commodores; the Missouri Tigers are just a spot ahead of them at No. 12. The top five consist of the Georgia Bulldogs, Alabama Crimson Tide, Tennessee Volunteers, LSU Tigers and Texas A&M Aggies, respectively.
The SEC poll for Week 2 is as follows:
- Georgia (14)
- Alabama (1)
- Tennessee (1)
- LSU
- Texas A&M
- Ole Miss
- Kentucky
- Arkansas
- Auburn
- Mississippi State
- South Carolina
- Missouri
- Florida
- Vanderbilt
The Gators have an opportunity to even up their overall record before conference play begins against the McNeese State Cowboys, who travel to Gainesville on Saturday, Sept. 9. Kickoff time is slated for 7:30 p.m. EDT inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.