Florida currently sits at 4-4 overall and 1-4 against the SEC, but the Gators aren’t nearly as low on The Athletic’s complete 131-team rankings as one might expect.
At No. 34 overall, Florida sits ahead of programs such as Cincinnati, Maryland, Minnesota, South Carolina, Wisconsin and UCF. But schools like Kentucky, LSU and Texas are all doing better than UF. That’s not what Florida brought Billy Napier in for, but it’s clear that it will take the new head coach more than a year to turn things around in Gainesville.
Still, No. 34 overall isn’t so bad considering the team’s .500 record. A five-point loss to Tennessee, the top team on the list, helps, as does the Gators’ season-opening win over the No. 11 Utah Utes, but losses to No. 2 Georgia, No. 17 LSU and No. 21 Kentucky are ultimately what forced Florida out of the top 25.
A four-game win streak to close out the season might create an argument for Florida to finish in the top 25, though, and it’s certainly possible with Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and South Carolina all being ranked below UF. In fact, the only team left on the schedule ranked above Florida is Florida State.
If Florida can win at least three of those contests and perform well during bowl season, then there might be hope for the Gators yet.
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