The Gator Nation got some much-needed encouragement from the Florida football program last Saturday — on homecoming, no less — when their beloved team blew out the Kentucky Wildcats in the Swamp, 48-20.
The win showcased some of the best that both the offense and defense had to offer in one of the most complete efforts of the Billy Napier era. Two true freshmen exceeded expectations on offense while the defense grabbed as many interceptions in one night as it did the entire 2023 campaign (three).
Many were impressed with the victory — in fact, the USA TODAY Sports and The Athletic re-ranks both gave the Gators a big boost in their respective weekly re-assessments of all 134 FBS schools. CBS Sports writer Chip Patterson also elevated the Orange and Blue in his latest offering, pushing it up 18 spots to No. 50 overall.
That nestles Florida between Napier’s former job, the No. 49 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns, and the No. 51 Oklahoma Sooners, who have experienced a rude welcome to the SEC this fall.
CBS Sports re-rank top 10
The Oregon Ducks took over the top spot this week after the SEC continued to eat itself, with the now-fourth-place Georgia Bulldogs dethroning the now-sixth-ranked Texas Longhorns from the No. 1 position. The Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions and Miami Hurricanes fill out the remaining top five, respectively.
The rest of the top 10 consists of Texas, followed by the Indiana Hoosiers, Clemson Tigers, Iowa State Cyclones and BYU Tigers, respectively.
Coming up for the Gators
The Gators are off next week due to their bye week. The next matchup for Florida will be against Georgia on 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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