Loss to Kentucky drops Florida 11 spots in Week 5 USA Today Sports re-rank

A one-sided loss to Kentucky on Saturday has the Florida Gators down more than 10 spots in the latest USA TODAY Sports re-rank

Florida’s loss to Kentucky on Saturday has the Gators moving down in most weekly polls and rankings, and the USA TODAY Sports re-rank is no exception.

The 33-14 loss sent Florida down 11 spots on the list to No. 46, behind teams such as Liberty, Ohio and Wisconsin — Graham Mertz’s former team. Still, the Gators remain ranked ahead of Auburn, Colorado and TCU on this list.

At the top, Michigan has taken over the No. 1 spot from Georgia. Ohio State, Washington and Penn State round out the top 5. Florida State is just outside that elite group at No. 6 and No. 11 Miami is knocking on the door on of the top 10.

Alabama remains the second-highest-ranked SEC program, but Kentucky’s win moved them just behind the Crimson Tide at No. 14. Tennessee remains at No. 22, Mississippi is at No. 24 and Texas A&M just missed the top 25.

The Vanderbilt Commodores are all the way down at No. 101 heading into a Week 6 matchup with Florida. South Carolina, which Florida faces the following week, plummeted 13 spots to No. 56, so the Gators should be favored there as well.

Take a look at the top 50 schools in this week’s re-rankings below.

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Gators nearing top 20 in latest CFB re-rank from The Athletic

Florida’s win over Charlotte on Saturday didn’t impress everyone, but the Gators did move up a few spots on The Athletic’s Week 4 re-rank.

It seems that the various polls and re-ranks around college football are having a tough time figuring out exactly how good (or bad) the Florida Gators are following four weeks of action.

Despite boasting a 3-1 record, including an upset win over Tennessee, the Gators looked shaky against a lesser UNC Charlotte 49ers squad on Saturday. The USA TODAY Sports re-rank punished UF by dropping the Gators three spots in its weekly re-rank, but the folks at The Athletic believe that a win is a win.

In The Athletic’s Week 4 re-rank, Florida is just one spot shy of a top-20 berth after moving up four spots to No. 21 overall. Georgia remains on top of the rankings this week, while No. 12 LSU and No. 15 Alabama continue to fight for a spot in the top 10.

Missouri moved up five spots from No. 24 to No. 19 this week. The Gators and Tigers won’t meet until the penultimate week of the season, but that matchup is shaping up to be an important one with both teams on an upward trajectory.

Florida’s upcoming opponent, Kentucky, is ranked No. 33 by The Athletic this week, but senior writer Chris Vannini thinks it will be one of the biggest matchups of the weekend.

Perhaps the Gators move into the top 20 with a win over the undefeated Wildcats.

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Gators fall a few spots in post-Week 4 USA TODAY college football re-rank

The Florida Gators might have won on Saturday, but it wasn’t convincing enough to move up in the USA TODAY Sports college football re-rank.

After taking care of the Charlotte 49ers, 22-7, on Saturday, the Florida Gators fell three spots in the USA Today Sports college football re-rank to No. 35 — one spot behind the in-state UCF Knights.

Despite recording another win, Florida’s offense was concerningly quiet on third down and in the red zone against Charlotte. With seven SEC games in a row coming up, the Gators have yet to solidify themselves as a true threat to the conference, but a win over Kentucky — which stands at No. 24 on the re-rank — could get UF over the hump.

Georgia, Florida’s Week 9 opponent on Oct. 28, remains at the top of the rankings this week, and the next SEC program on the list is LSU at No. 13. It’s rare to see just three SEC schools ranked in the top 20, but that’s the reality of 2023.

Alabama comes in at No. 17 on the re-rank, Tennessee is No. 22 and Ole Miss is just one spot outside the top 25. Texas A&M is the only other conference team ranked ahead of Florida at No. 30.

As far as the other in-state schools, Florida State fell a spot to No. 4 overall and Miami is just ahead of LSU at No. 12 following a win over now No. 50 Arkansas.

Here is where all 133 Division I FCS programs stand following Week 4, according to USA TODAY Sports:

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The Athletic matches AP Poll for Florida in Week 4 re-rank

The sports media as a whole is feeling more bullish on the Gators, including The Athletic.

The Florida Gators took down the Tennessee Volunteers in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium this past Saturday night, and now the media is acknowledging Billy Napier and his squad.

The Athletic’s Chris Vannini placed the Gators at No. 25, matching the latest poll from the Associated Press.

“Not much change in this group. LSU‘s 41-14 demolition of Mississippi State is the LSU team we expected entering the season,” Vannini wrote. “They jump up to No. 12. Alabama falls into this group after escaping USF. Missouri’s last-second win against Kansas State and Florida’s 29-16 win against Tennessee see the Tigers and Gators move into the top 25.”

The stock is slowly rising for the 2023 Florida Gators.

They’re receiving votes in the US LBM Coaches Poll and snuck into the No. 25 spot on the AP poll. The Gators will face off against Charlotte on Saturday night at 7 p.m. EDT.

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Gators leap in USA TODAY Sports’ Week 3 re-rank after Vols win

The Gators are on the move in the latest rankings.

Florida football made a statement on Saturday with an authoritative win over a highly-ranked Tennessee Volunteers team on Saturday in the Swamp and the national sports media has taken notice.

The Gators went from zero votes to 41 in the latest AP Poll — good enough for No. 29 overall — while cracking the top 25 in the US LBM Coaches Poll at No. 25. One of the more bearish rankings this season has been the USA TODAY Sports re-rank, which was still impressed enough to give the Orange and Blue a boost to No. 32, representing a 16-point improvement over last week.

The Southeastern Conference has five member schools among the top 25 in the re-rank, with the Georgia Bulldogs remaining at No. 1 followed by the LSU Tigers (No. 14), Ole Miss Rebels (No. 17), Tennessee (No. 22) and Kentucky Wildcats (No. 25).

Next up for Napier and the Gators are the Charlotte 49ers who come to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 23. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. EDT and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network+.

Check out the top 50 teams in this week’s edition of USA TODAY Sports’ re-rank below.

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Florida inches up in CBS Sports’ re-rank after Week 2 win over McNeese St.

The Gators gained a little ground this week in CBS Sports’ re-rank.

The Gators got into the win column for the first time this fall with a 49-7 win over the Football Championship Subdivision McNeese State Cowboys last Saturday in the Swamp’s season opener. While the level of competition was quite underwhelming, it was good to see Florida football right many of the wrongs from the season-opening loss to the Utah Utes.

Coming into the game, CBS Sports had ranked the Gators at No. 49. That was nine spots worse than where they began this season when they were ranked No. 41 before the first kickoff.

The latest update has the Orange and Blue inching back two spots to No. 47 overall, putting Florida behind the No. 46 Syracuse Orange and ahead of the No. 48 Illinois Illini after two weeks of play. The Georgia Bulldogs once again lead that pack at No. 1 and are strangely the lone Southeastern Conference representative in the top 10.

Next up for Florida are the Tennessee Volunteers, who come to Gainesville on Saturday, Sept. 16, for the SEC schedule opener between two historic rivals ranked No. 12 on this list. The opening kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. EDT and the game can be watched on ESPN.

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Florida football’s spot in The Athletic’s re-rank unchanged after Week 2

The Gators stand pat in The Athletic’s Week 2 re-rank following the win over an FCS school.

Billy Napier and Co. scored a big confidence-building win against the McNeese State Cowboys in Florida football’s 2023 season home-opener in the Swamp on Saturday.

However, the victory is not expected to move the needle much for the Gators given that their sacrificial lamb came from the Football Championship Subdivision. The visitors came into the game far from heralded on their own tier and were predictably manhandled, but the Orange and Blue still showed some room for improvement.

The Athletic’s Chris Vannini released his college football re-rankings after Week 2 of action on Monday, with Florida remaining a No. 54 out of a total of 133 schools following the win. The Gators had been ranked No. 40 before the start of the season but took a tumble after the loss on the road to the Utah Utes.

Vannini’s rankings feature just one SEC team in the top 10 — the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs, who are seeking a three-peat national championship. The Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 11), Tennessee Volunteers (No. 12), Ole Miss Rebels (No. 17) and LSU Tigers (No. 19) round out the conference representatives in the top 25.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 26), Arkansas Razorbacks (No. 32), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 35), South Carolina Gamecocks (No. 37), Texas A&M Aggies (No. 38), Auburn Tigers (No. 40) and Missouri Tigers (No. 53) are Florida’s SEC foes who also rank ahead of it.

Only the Vanderbilt Commodores (No. 84) rank lower.

Next up for Florida are the Volunteers who come to Gainesville on Saturday, Sept. 16, for the SEC schedule opener between two historic rivals. The opening kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. EDT and the game can be watched on ESPN.

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Florida moves up one spot in USA TODAY re-rank after dominating McNeese

The Gators handled McNeese State at home on Saturday, and the dominant win helped Florida move up a spot in the USA TODAY Week 2 re-rank.

Florida’s lopsided victory over McNeese State on Saturday night helped bump the Gators up one spot on the weekly USA Today Sports college football re-rank.

The Gators now sit at No. 48 on the list, ahead of Power Five programs such as South Carolina, TCU and Wisconsin. Florida will have a chance to jump up the rankings significantly next weekend when Tennessee comes to town.

The Volunteers are ranked No. 11 after a 2-0 start, including a 30-13 win over Austin Peay this weekend that somehow moved them up a spot.

As far as the rest of the SEC, Georgia remains at No. 1, Alabama nine spots to No. 15 after falling to Texas, which is now ranked No. 4 in the country. LSU fell one spot to No. 16 despite beating Grambling State 72-10, Ole Miss jumped up 18 spots after beating Tulane by 17 and Kentucky rounds out the top-25 teams at No. 23 following a 2-0 start.

Florida State is another team to watch, even though they aren’t in the SEC. The Gators’ annual clash with the Seminoles to end the season could be a major upset opportunity with FSU ranked No. 3 overall right now. There’s still a lot of season to get through, but that team up north seems like a true juggernaut this year.

Miami and UCF are also performing better than Florida, according to the re-rank. The Hurricanes handled Texas A&M in Miami and jumped nine spots to No. 15, while UCF moved up four places following a walk-off win against Boise State.

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Where Florida football stands in USA TODAY Sports’ preseason re-rank

3.6 roentgen take in this re-rank from USA TODAY Sports — not great, not terrible.

College football season kicks off next week, and with the start of the fall festivities nearly upon us, the sports media is busy churning out its rankings and prognostications.

Among those casting their thoughts into the arena of public opinion is USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg, who took on the task of re-ranking the entire Football Bowl Subdivision from No. 1 to No. 133. The Florida Gators came in at No. 36 in the new rankings, which is a bit better than the AP Poll and The Athletic‘s takes but not nearly as bullish as the Coaches Poll.

Myerberg also predicts a 6-7 finish to the 2023 season for the Orange and Blue.

The Southeastern Conference is represented by six schools in the top 25, with the Georgia Bulldogs leading the way (No. 1) followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 5), LSU Tigers (No. 11), Tennessee Volunteers (No. 14), Texas A&M Aggies (No. 19) and Kentucky Wildcats (No. 23).

The Gators are bookended on the list by the North Carolina State Wolfpack (No. 35) and Wisconsin Badgers (No. 37).

Florida opens its 2023 schedule on the road against the Utah Utes — who are ranked No. 12 — on Aug. 31, with a kickoff time of 8 p.m. EDT.

Check out the top 50 schools in USA TODAY Sports’ re-rankings below.

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Final CBS Sports’ re-rank of 2022 has Florida in top 50

CBS Sports’ final rankings are out and the Gators’ ranking might be a bit surprising.

The final CBS Sports 1-131 rankings of the 2022 season saw Florida football come in as the No. 50 team overall, finishing the 2022 season as the No. 10 team in the SEC.

The Gators closed things out with a 30-3 loss to Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl. Florida’s only points of the game came late in the fourth quarter, extending the Orange and Blue’s scoring streak to 436 consecutive games dating back to 1988. It is the longest streak in NCAA history and 57 games longer than the next closest team.

Florida finished the 2022 season with a 6-7 record, with five of their losses coming in SEC play.

Before that, they suffered a 45-38 loss to in-state rival Florida State. Florida’s performance was a microcosm of their autumn, as they started off strong and took a 41-21 lead into the half before a disastrous third quarter put them behind for good. A last push during the fourth quarter was valiant but not enough to pull the Gators ahead in the end.

Needless to say, they did not participate in conference championship week.

The offense finished as one of the better-rushing offenses in the country as [autotag]Montrell Johnson[/autotag] established himself as the power back in Napier’s system. But it was [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag]’s explosiveness and speed that made him a bright spot this season, and he will be the player to watch going into 2023.

With over two dozen players leaving the program, either via the transfer portal or to prepare for the NFL draft, [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] has a lot of roster rebuilding this offseason. The 2023 recruiting class currently has 21 players in it, with at least 18 blue-chip (four or five-star) prospects. Napier has also been active in the transfer portal, landing multiple players that are expected to make an immediate impact next season.

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