Florida football fell to an even 3-3 overall record this weekend after a 23-17 overtime loss at the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville — a game that the Gators had opportunities to win but simply could not pull off the upset.
However, hanging with a top-10 team for a full 60 minutes while losing your starting quarterback along the way is nothing to scoff at. The defense by far played its best game and despite Graham Mertz’s injury, the passing game got the job done.
The sports media had different reactions to Saturday night’s results, including USA TODAY Sports writer Paul Myerberg in his Week 7 re-rank of all 134 FBS schools.
Florida’s Week 6 re-rank position
Myerberg was clearly unimpressed with what he saw from the Orange and Blue in Neyland Stadium this past weekend. He docked Billy Napier’s squad three spots from last week’s update, putting Florida at No. 56 despite nearly upsetting an SEC foe on the road.
That nestles the Gators between the No. 55 Kentucky Wildcats and No. 57 Toledo Rockets. It also ranks them at No. 14 among Southeastern Conference programs, only better than the Auburn Tigers (No. 83) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 103).
USA TODAY Sports Week 4 re-rank top 10
The Texas Longhorns remain in the top spot, followed by the Oregon Ducks, Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions and Georgia Bulldogs, respectively, to round out the top five.
The Iowa State Cyclones, Miami Hurricanes, LSU Tigers, Clemson Tigers and Kansas State Wildcats wrap up the teams in the top 10, respectively.
Coming up for the Gators
The Gators host the Kentucky Wildcats inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 19, for this year’s homecoming game. Kickoff is set for 7:45 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
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