Tag: The Athletic

Florida-Ole Miss ranked among The Athletic’s top 10 Week 13 games

The Athletic includes the Gators matchup with Ole Miss in their top 10 ranking of best games for Week 13.

Florida football’s matchup with the Ole Miss Rebels was ranked seventh in The Athletic’s top 10 college football games in Week 13.

The Gators, fresh off a big win against the LSU Tigers, are looking to clinch bowl eligibility and play spoiler against the Rebels on Saturday. Ole Miss, led by quarterback Jaxson Dart, is fighting for a chance at the College Football Playoff.

As both teams fight to end their seasons strong, this matchup could significantly shake up the CFP landscape if Florida can pull off the upset.

Justin Williams, a sports writer for The Athletic, made his top 10 list of college football games in Week 13. Here is what he had to say about the Florida-Ole Miss matchup.

What The Athletic said about the game

“The Rebels’ chances of reaching the SEC championship are minuscule, but Ole Miss is sitting pretty in the CFP standings and is in line for an at-large bid if it can avoid a third loss over the next two weeks,” Williams wrote. “Quarterback Jaxson Dart is 373 yards shy of eclipsing Eli Manning as Ole Miss’s career passing leader and could set the record with a big day against the Gators.

“But Florida is fresh off a nice upset of LSU despite being out-possessed by the Tigers 41:43 to 18:17. After suffering weeks of Billy Napier hot-seat drama, the Gators are one win away from reaching bowl eligibility and can shake up the Playoff race with another upset on Saturday.”

Week 13’s top 10 college football games

10. Colorado State at Fresno State

9. No. 13 SMU at Virginia

8. No. 4 Penn State at Minnesota

7. No. 9 Ole Miss at Florida

6. No. 7 Alabama at Oklahoma

5. No. 15 Texas A&M at Auburn

4. No. 16 Colorado at Kansas

3. No. 19 Army vs. No. 6 Notre Dame

2. No. 14 BYU at No. 21 Arizona State

1. No. 5 Indiana at No. 2 Ohio State

How to watch Florida-Ole Miss

The Gators play their final home game of the season against the Rebels on Saturday, Nov. 23. Kickoff is set for noon ET and will be broadcast on ABC.

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Florida jumps up four spots in The Athletic’s SEC vibe check rankings

The vibes are trending up for Florida after a big upset win over LSU in Week 12, and The Athletic agrees.

The curse of Marco Wilson came to an end on Saturday when the Florida Gators defeated the LSU Tigers for the first time since 2018, and bowl eligibility appears almost certain for the Orange and Blue with Florida State still on the schedule.

The vibes in Gainesville are sky-high, so much so that The Athletic’s Seth Emerson was forced to move the Gators up four spots to No. 8 in his weekly vibe check rankings.

“A good case can be made for putting the Gators even higher,” Emerson wrote. “They’re playing well enough now that Ole Miss is on upset watch. And the trip to Florida State looks to be close to a gimme at this point. [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] looks like the real deal. [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] is doing just enough to provide hope.

“Should Florida feel great about the overall future of the program? Eh, we’re not there yet. But should it feel much better than it did early in the season? Quite obviously.”

The future appears very bright for the Gators with Lagway at the helm, regardless of what Emerson thinks. There’s Heisman potential under center at Florida, and he’s still just a freshman. A win over Ole Miss next week would vault the Gators even further up these rankings and put a four-game win streak to close out 2024 on the table.

Week 11 SEC vibe check rankings

  1. South Carolina Gamecocks (7-3, 5-3)
  2. Ole Miss Rebels (8-2, 4-2 SEC)
  3. Alabama Crimson Tide (8-2, 4-2)
  4. Georgia Bulldogs (8-2, 6-2)
  5. Texas Longhorns (9-1, 5-1)
  6. Vanderbilt Commodores (6-4, 3-3)
  7. Texas A&M Aggies (8-2, 5-1)
  8. Florida Gators (5-5, 3-4)
  9. Tennessee Volunteers (8-2, 5-2)
  10. Missouri Tigers (7-3, 3-3)
  11. Arkansas Razorbacks (5-5, 34)
  12. Oklahoma Sooners (5-5, 1-5)
  13. Auburn Tigers (4-6, 1-5)
  14. Mississippi State Bulldogs (2-8, 0-6)
  15. Kentucky Wildcats (4-6, 1-6)
  16. LSU Tigers (6-4, 3-3)

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Florida jumps in The Athletic’s college football re-rank after Week 12

The Gators are climbing back into respectability in The Athletic’s latest college football re-rank.

Florida football earned a critical win inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium during Week 12, overcoming the then-22nd-ranked LSU Tigers for a 27-16 upset that changed the trajectory of the season for the Gators.

Now holding a 5-5 overall record, the Orange and Blue has to win one out of its next two games — the Ole Miss Rebels at home and the Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee, respectively. Suffice it to say, the Gator Nation is frothing at the mouth with excitement.

The victory also gave [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and Co. a boost in the rankings and computer models, save for the US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Poll. That includes the weekly rerank from The Athletic.

Florida’s re-rank after Week 12

Author Chris Vannini lifted the Gators 11 spots from No. 54 last week to No. 43 after beating the Tigers. That puts Florida between the No. 42 TCU Horned Frogs and No. 44 Washington Huskies.

Compare that with USA TODAY Sports, which re-ranked Florida at No. 43 — up 14 spots from the previous week.

As far as fellow SEC schools are concerned, the Gators are ahead of four other Southeastern Conference programs: the Oklahoma Sooners (No. 53); Auburn Tigers (No. 64), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 65); Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 103)

The Athletic’s Week 12 Top 10 re-rank

The Oregon Ducks once again held onto the top perch in the rankings this week, followed by the Ohio State Buckeyes, Texas Longhorns, Penn State Nittany Lions and Indiana Hoosiers, respectively, to round out the top five.

The Alabama Crimson Tide, Ole Miss Rebels, Georgia Bulldogs, Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Tennessee Volunteers wrap up the top 10, respectively.

Up next for the Gators

The Gators play their final home game of the season against the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday, Nov. 23. Kickoff is set for noon ET and will be broadcast on ABC.

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Florida football vs. LSU ranked among The Athletic’s Top 10 games for Week 12

The Athletic includes the Gators matchup with LSU in their top 10 ranking of best games for Week 12.

Florida football’s matchup with the LSU Tigers on Saturday was noted by The Athletic as the sixth-most intriguing game in Week 12.

And there’s a reason for that.

LSU has found themselves in an absolute must-win game after suffering a blowout loss in Death Valley last week against the Alabama Crimson Tide. A Tigers win keeps their slim hopes of reaching the SEC Championship alive.

But, the Gators are looking to play spoiler makers. And they still have a shot at bowl eligibility with two more wins. So it’s not like Florida’s season is over (yet).

The Gators hope to bounce back and gain momentum as head coach Billy Napier announced on Thursday that freshman quarterback DJ Lagway is expected to return from injury.

Sports writer Justin Williams included the Florida-LSU matchup in his list of the Top 10 college football games in Week 12.

Here’s what he had to write.

What The Athletic said about the matchup

“If you’re wondering why this game, between two teams that got thumped last week, is this high on the list, it’s because there remains a rather plausible roadmap by which LSU can still make the SEC Championship Game,” Williams wrote. “But that would require the Tigers to win out the rest of the regular season, starting with a trip to Gainesville.

“Florida hopes to have freshman quarterback DJ Lagway back from injury, and LSU is in need of serious defensive soul-searching after getting diced up by mobile quarterbacks Marcel Reed and Jalen Milroe in back-to-back losses, allowing a combined 80 points and 11 rushing touchdowns to Texas A&M and Alabama.”

The Athletic’s Top 10 Week 12 games

10. No. 23 Missouri at No. 21 South Carolina

9. No. 20 Clemson at Pitt

8. No. 13 Boise State at San Jose State

7. Arizona State at No. 16 Kansas State

6. No. 22 LSU at Florida

5. No. 1 Oregon at Wisconsin

4. Kansas at No. 6 BYU

3. Utah at No. 17 Colorado

2. No. 3 Texas at Arkansas

1. No. 7 Tennessee at No. 12 Georgia

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Florida slips in The Athletic’s college football re-rank after Week 11

The Gators suffered only a small slip in The Athletic’s re-rank after college football’s Week 11.

College football’s Week 11 is in the books and with less than a month left of the regular season remaining, many things are becoming clear about this year’s competitive field.

Among those topics are the Florida Gators, who have struggled with injuries this fall and are in danger of recording their fourth-straight season with a losing record — something that would have been unfathomable to think a few years ago.

The latest loss at the Texas Longhorns in Austin was demonstrative of the gap between [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s team and the rest of the college football landscape, much less the Southeastern Conference. As a result, the Orange and Blue lost a little bit of ground in The Athletic’s re-rank after Week 11.

Florida’s re-rank after Week 11

Author Chris Vannini dropped the Gators three spots from No. 51 last week to No. 54 after the loss to the Longhorns. That puts Florida between the No. 53 North Carolina Tar Heels and No. 55 Michigan State Spartans — the two schools that bookended them in last week’s re-rank.

Compare that with USA TODAY Sports, which re-ranked Florida at No. 57 — down 12 spots from the previous week.

As far as fellow SEC schools are concerned, only the Auburn Tigers (No. 69), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 70) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 100) are ranked lower.

The Athletic’s Week 11 Top 10 re-rank

The Oregon Ducks held onto the top perch in the rankings this week, followed by the Ohio State Buckeyes, Texas, BYU Cougars and Tennessee Volunteers, respectively, to round out the top five.

The Penn State Nittany Lions come in at No. 6 while the Indiana Hoosiers, Alabama Crimson Tide, Ole Miss Rebels and Georgia Bulldogs wrap up the top 10, respectively.

Next up for Florida

The Gators return to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to host the LSU Tigers in college football’s Week 12. The Southeastern Conference matchup will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ABC.

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NFL insider notes whether or not Bills could be ‘buyers’ at 2024 NFL trade deadline

NFL insider notes whether or not Bills could be ‘buyers’ at 2024 NFL trade deadline

We can start with the easy one: No the Buffalo Bills will not be selling at the 2024 NFL trade deadline.

Teams have until 4 p.m. on Tuesday to make such deals and why would the Bills be inclined to give away pieces?

At 7-2 overall, Buffalo might have wrapped up a fifth-straight AFC East title already. Could Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane add one more piece to put his roster over the top? That’s a question worth asking.

According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, it’s looking unlikely.

In a recent insider piece, Russini noted the Bills as a team seen as one of the few around the NFL that are unlikely to make any moves on Nov. 5. Finances and the salary cap could be the most-likely reason why.

Her full update can be found below:

• This isn’t breaking any news, but it makes sense: The Denver Broncos love what they are building with their young players, especially after their best offensive performance of the season last week (28 points on four Bo Nix touchdowns). Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has been a superstar, orchestrating a unit that has slowed down some high-powered offenses this year. Still, I don’t expect the Broncos to be buyers or sellers. You can add the Las Vegas Raiders, Buffalo Bills and New Orleans Saints to this group.

[lawrence-related id=142601,142556,142572]

Florida football slides just outside The Athletic’s Week 10 re-rank top 50

The Gators lost a little ground after the defeat in Jacksonville but the rerankers seem to be giving Florida some sympathy.

A lot was riding on Florida football’s rivalry matchup against the Georgia Bulldogs last weekend in Jacksonville, but unfortunately for the Gator Nation, things just did not pan out in favor of the Orange and Blue.

Despite a strong start to the game, which saw [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s boys run out to a one-touchdown lead before losing their starting quarterback to a leg injury for the second time this season five minutes before the half. Still, Florida managed to carry a 13-6 lead into the locker room thanks to some solid defense and special teams play.

The Gators kept things close against one of the best college football programs over the past few years, tying the game up at 20 apiece late in the fourth quarter before the ‘Dawgs overwhelmed a decimated Florida roster for the final score.

While the loss was a huge blow to the team’s chances at six wins this fall as well as Napier’s tenure in Gainesville, the national media has sympathetically responded for the most part including The Athletic’s Chris Vannini, who penned his Week 10 rerank after the dust settled.

Florida’s re-rank after Week 10

Vannini’s update has the Gators down from No. 48 last week to No. 51 — a drop of only three spots. That puts them between the No. 50 North Carolina Tar Heels and No. 52 Michigan State Spartans.

Compare that with USA TODAY Sports, which re-ranked Florida at No. 45 — down one spot from the previous week.

As far as fellow SEC schools are concerned, only the Auburn Tigers (No. 67), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 68) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 99) are ranked lower.

The Athletic’s Week 10 Top 10 re-rank

The Oregon Ducks maintain their top perch in the rankings this week, followed by the Georgia Bulldogs to repeat last week’s top two teams. Now, the Ohio State Buckeyes, Miami Hurricanes and Texas Longhorns round out the top five, respectively.

The BYU Cougars and Tennessee Volunteers both move up a spot to sixth and seventh, respectively, followed by the Penn State Nittany Lions who fell five pegs to No. 8. The Indiana Hoosiers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, respectively, remain in the final two slots of the top 10. 

What’s next for the Gators?

Florida hits the road to face Texas in Austin on Saturday, Nov. 9. Kickoff is set for noon ET and will be broadcast on ABC.

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Gators take two-spot dip in The Athletic’s Week 9 SEC vibe check

Florida didn’t play during Week 9, but the Gators still fell two spots in The Athletic’s weekly SEC vibe check ahead of a meeting with Georgia.

The excitement following Florida’s 48-20 win over Kentucky has begun wearing off, and the existential dread that comes ahead of a meeting with Georgia is starting to sink in.

Okay, things aren’t that bad, but it’s safe to say the “vibes” are down in Gainesville as the Gators begin their collision course with four straight ranked opponents. As a result, the Orange and Blue are ranked 10th in the latest SEC vibe check from The Athletic.

“The momentum is slow, but Billy Napier might be doing enough to earn another year with the Gators,” Georgia beat writer for The Athletic Seth Emerson wrote. “If it’s a close call, you would think he’ll be back, given he has an interim president and an athletic director invested in him. But getting clobbered in Jacksonville by Georgia on Saturday quickly could derail all of that.”

The world expects Florida to get “clobbered” on Saturday, but Florida’s defense improved a lot throughout October. That’s not to say the Gators will be the Dawgs this week, but a 16.5-point spread might be an easy cover for UF.

Whoever wins this game will likely move to the top of the vibe check rankings in Week 10. Georgia lost the throne while on bye, following a big win for Texas A&M over LSU, and Florida upsetting its biggest conference rival for only the second time in eight seasons (2020) would be huge for obvious reasons.

Week 9 SEC vibe check rankings

  1. Texas A&M Aggies (7-1, 5-0 SEC)
  2. Georgia Bulldogs (6-1, 4-1)
  3. Tennessee Volunteers (6-1, 3-1)
  4. Vanderbilt Commodores (5-3, 2-2)
  5. Arkansas Razorbacks (5-3, 3-2)
  6. Texas Longhorns (7-1, 3-1)
  7. South Carolina Gamecocks (4-3, 2-3)
  8. Alabama Crimson Tide (6-2, 3-2)
  9. Ole Miss Rebels (6-2, 2-2)
  10. Florida Gators (4-3, 2-2)
  11. LSU Tigers (6-2, 3-1)
  12. Auburn Tigers (3-5, 1-4)
  13. Missouri Tigers (6-2, 2-2)
  14. Mississippi State Bulldogs (1-7, 0-5)
  15. Oklahoma Sooners (4-4, 1-4)
  16. Kentucky Wildcats (3-5, 1-5)

How to watch Florida vs. Georgia

The Gators go up against the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday, Nov. 2 in Jacksonville. That game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on ABC.

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Alec Lewis notices something different about this Vikings team following Week 8

Alec Lewis noticed a big change from the Vikings’ defense during the loss on Thursday.

Things can turn on a dime in the NFL. That’s been the case with the Vikings’ defense the past two weeks. The Lions’ loss wasn’t all that shocking, given how well both teams played, and Detroit has been a good team the past two seasons. But Minnesota was supposed to win in Los Angeles against a banged-up Rams team on Thursday night.

Instead, the Vikings dropped their second game in a row and fans had to watch the Minnesota defense get beat around. The Vikings’ defense was feared during the season’s first five games. Brian Flores had his team flying around and creating chaos on the field, but things changed on Thursday.

The Athletic’s Alec Lewis noted the big change he saw from the defensive unit.

“For more than a season now, when the Vikings defense has been going well, you can sense his players are aware of this. They know how tentative their opponents are, too, having done their best to psych themselves up before exiting the bus at the stadium. The best comparison is a championship boxer who steps into the ring knowing he is capable of utter destruction.

“But the opposite can also be true. You can sense when the Minnesota defenders realize they are touchable that they no longer feel bulletproof. This was apparent late last season and was evident again after Thursday night’s 30-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium.
“The confidence, bordering on arrogance, had evaporated. The Vikings defenders returned to the sideline after allowing touchdowns, settled their helmets on the bench and stared out at the turf longingly, almost as if they couldn’t figure out how the magic had disappeared so quickly.”
Flores and Kevin O’Connell will need to right this ship if the Vikings are to be true contenders in the NFC this season. Minnesota has a stretch of games it can and should win, starting Sunday against the Colts.

Week 9 bye results in slight drop for Florida in The Athletic’s re-rank

The Gators lost a little ground but are still a top-50 team in The Athletic’s Week 9 re-rank.

The Gators got their second bye of the 2024 college football campaign in Week 9 as Florida prepares for its inter-state rivalry matchup with the Georgia Bulldogs — who also had a bye — in Jacksonville this coming weekend.

Meanwhile, the rest of the show continued on the collegiate gridiron, resulting in a few changes in the national standings. The Southeastern Conference, in particular, has had more twists than an M. Night Shyamalan movie this fall — and that once again was the case on Saturday.

However, despite sitting out the weekend on the sidelines, the Orange and Blue dropped a couple of spots in The Athletic writer Chris Vannini’s re-rank following Week 9.

Florida’s re-rank after Week 9

Vannini’s update has the Gators down from No. 46 last week to No. 48 following the bye. That puts them between the No. 47 Washington Huskies and No. 49 Oklahoma Sooners.

Compare that with USA TODAY Sports, which re-ranked Florida at No. 44 — one spot better than the previous week — and the CBS Sports re-rank, which has Napier and Co. at No. 50.

As far as fellow SEC schools are concerned, only Oklahoma (No. 49), the Auburn Tigers (No. 61), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 62) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 98) are ranked lower.

The Athletic’s Week 9 Top 10 re-rank

The Oregon Ducks maintain their top perch in the rankings this week, followed by the Georgia Bulldogs, Penn State Nittany Lions, Ohio State Buckeyes and Miami Hurricanes, respectively, among the top five.

The Texas Longhorns stayed at No. 6, while the BYU Cougars and Tennessee Volunteers also maintained their Nos. 7 and 8 rankings, respectively. The Indiana Hoosiers enter the top 10 at No. 9 and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish take up the final spot.

Coming up for the Gators

Florida and Georgia face off for a Week 10 rivalry battle in Jacksonville on Saturday, Nov. 2 with kickoff slated for 3:30 p.m. ET. The pregame festivities will be featured on SEC Nation and the game will be broadcast on ABC.

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