It’s like the old days of the Florida-Georgia rivalry in Jacksonville — a matchup of Top 10 teams. And the college football world has noticed.
At No. 9, the Gators are back in the top 10 in The Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time since 2015. Georgia moved up a spot to No. 7.
Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. game on CBS has huge implications on the SEC Eastern Division race, as both Florida and Georgia enter the game with just one loss. The first of two games involving the Bulldogs that will decide the SEC East. Georgia faces Kentucky on Nov. 3.
ESPN College GameDay and SEC Nation are doing their shows from Jacksonville.
Meanwhile, Clemson is back at No. 2 in poll behind top-ranked Alabama, moving up to where it started, after a convincing victory and Ohio State’s first loss of the season.
The first of five weekly College Football Playoff rankings will be unveiled Tuesday, Oct. 30.
It’s great to be a Florida Gator!!!!!!!
I think CBS is influencing the polls to increase viewer ratings! I still like the Gators in this one
Truly amazing what good coaches can do for programs! ( and quickly ! )
It sure is.
That was easy, wasn’t it?
This is all heady and exciting stuff, but I am not sure if Florida’s Number 9 ranking speaks more about the lack of mental acuity of the pollsters, or the sorry shape of college football. Florida is an improving team, but it still has a long way to go to get back to where it can claim these lofty rankings as a matter of right. Go Gators and enjoy this time with your head in the clouds as I certainly will, but keep your feet firmly planted on the ground. Lots more work to do here.
I have to agree with you Brad. If our Gators are truly one of the top 10 teams in the country, teams aren’t as good as they once were. Glad to see good coaching again though, and I believe Mullen is the coach to get us back to competing for titles again. Go Gators!! Beat the hair off them mutts!!!
Brad and Sparky…LSU beat UGA…both are top ten teams….UF beat LSU. All three have one loss, UF lost to a one-loss, ranked team. A #9 ranking you’re questioning? Why? The Gators are ranked 11th in the coaches poll. Is that low enough for you?
Prairiegator, thank you for saying exactly how I feel. We need to take into account that our one loss, to a rank team, came when we were missing on defense David Reese and Cece Jefferson… plus we lost one of our best CBs, Marco Wilson, early in the game. In my opinion that loss may have triggered the Gators quick rise in the rankings.
PS. Today, Florida looks like a much better team than Kentucky and the pollster do take than into account.
Rolando, I’m good with wherever they’re ranked in the meaningless polls right now. Watching this team with my own eyes, I just don’t see a championship type team. Hope they prove me wrong in Jacksonville. We will all see if they have improved enough to compete for titles. Go Gators!!
Sparky not yet and we weren’t expected to be this year. But we are improving and as usual in CFB teams trip and that has helped as far as rankings. We are good enough to win this game and our remaining games. But we are not ready to be a championship team yet. I wish we were. I see us improving each year and in two years being a lock down team under CDM. We could have things go or way next year but I think it will take two years to be there. 2020 season. But an SEC championship game in 18 and 19 would really be a sign we are back. If LSU makes it we beat them once. If Alabama makes it I think we will not be beat as bad as we were the previous meets. And I think they are beatable too. But the figured is on UGA. This is the game of most importance and we have a real coach preparing us for the game this year.
Sparky, where did I mention Championship in my comment? I was just making a point. Florida was not ranked at the beginning of the season and they have chocked a lot of people including Gator Nation on how much improved they are from last year. It seems like everyone is drinking LSU’s Kool-Aid and bypassing the fact that the only team to beat them is ours. If they win their remaining five games there is a possibility that UF is ranked #4 or #5 by the end of the REGULAR season. This game coming up against the Chihuahuas is key.
Let’s all enjoy this latest ranking and be happy. What a difference a year can make. GATORS Beat the Georgia Bulldogs!!!!!!!!!
In the top 10. Never did I think we would in the top 10 this year. Well there you go, just goes to show what great coaching can do. Time to focus on Georgia. GO GATORS. Good Day……………
We actually have fans questioning the legitimacy of being ranked higher? Win or lose the Gators deserve their recognition as much as any team. The rankings are what they are. Go Gators!
When the day comes that some Gator fans don’t find something to question or be negative about, is the day someone needs to check if hell froze over.
LOL…truth.
With this year’s success and Florida State’s slide, this should be an amazing recruiting year. What a difference a great coach makes!
Evidently there are a lot of bettors that agree with what I’ve seen. We opened as a 6 pt underdog and more people are still betting UGA. The line is up to 7 now. Great time for all the Gator believers to make some easy money.
I’ll wait and see what Daz does!
Only a fool would bet this game! Or a fan who doesnt mind possibly blasting it. I prefer only to bet games I’m sure whose gonna win. Im sure we beat Mo and Idaho, I believe we beat SC and FSU. I hope we beat Ga!
A little higher than earned, hopefully after this coming weekend we will be right. GO Gators!
Sparky…Put your orange and blue glasses back on dude. ….The Dawgs have linemen with legs the size of tree trunks, a future NFL qb and a load of skill players, BUT the Gators have: 1) a knack for finding all kinds of ways to win, 2) creative coaches, 3) defeated the team that beat UGA, and 4) dawg meat is their favorite bait.
Beverages will be cold, tailgate food hot, and I will be screaming at my TV Saturday every time our Gators make a big play!! Being a BS Gator fan (before Spurrier), I can’t live long enough to see the Gators beat the dogs as much as I would enjoy.
Go Gators…..just find a way!!
Yeah they’ve got a future NFL Qb all right, one that will be holding a clipboard for a living. Fromm’s only as good as his RB’s allow him to look. Take away the running game and it’s over. If the Gators win and he struggles, he’ll be lucky to keep his starting job the rest of the season.
Joe…you may be right. A lot of UGA fans think Fields should be the starter. I was basing my comment on the fact that as a freshman Fromm took them to the NC game and only had two losses, and it looked like he has a quick release and ability to thread the needle. His worst career performance was against LSU, who mixed up the def looks to confuse him, but one week earlier he had his career best game against Vandy. I hope you’re right and he has a very bad day Saturday.
Chubb, Michel, and a great defense took them to the title game, it certainly wasn’t Fromm. Watching that team play, it was evident that most average ”game managing” QBs could’ve led that team to the title game. That running game forced teams to stack the box and made it much easier for the QB to look a lot better than he is the few times he had to throw it. They played 15 games last season and Fromm had a total of 291 passing attempts. That averages out to 19 attempts per game. He hardly had to throw it. They they lost the 2 games the running game wasn’t dominating and he had to win with his arm. It was shocking to me that people were anointing him as this amazing QB, when he really didn’t do much to be labeled that. I predicted before the season started, when everyone was putting him in the Heisman talk and claiming he was the best Qb in the SEC and one of the best in the country, that Fields would be the starter by the end of the season. It’s looking more and more like that prediction might be right. Of course if he gets good protection and is comfortable in the pocket he can hurt you, but as soon as he’s pressured and has to make quick decisions, he falls apart. You can’t be labeled a great QB until you can handle pressure with ease. Their entire offense revolves around the running game and it opening up the passing game. Shut it down and force Fromm to throw and your chances of winning go through the roof. Get pressure on him on top of that and it’s over. Here’s to hoping they can shut down the run and the D-line can pressure him like LSU did.
Absolutely correct
It’s time for a bold prediction. In just two weeks the Gators are ranked at #5 ! Here’s how:
1. Gators beat Ga, which is doable.
2. LSU loses to Alabama (2 loss team)
3. Texas loses to either Ok.State or W. Va.
4. Michigan loses to Penn State
5. OK loses to Kansas St.
In two weeks we are knocking on the door of the CFB Championship series.
Lakeland I like the logic and not beyond the realm of possibility but I’d like to be there through or dominance in winning. That said I’d take it if this scenario plays out. With CDM the recruiting is getting ready to be top 5 and were going to be a consistent top 10 team starting the season.
It’s leg humper week!
OK kids… tickets to benz stadium is getting pricier due to the the UF/bama matchup…. No way we lose this weekend… we have MORE UPWARD MOMENTUM then anyone in the east … Embrace it folks, as it was just a matter of time. We’re gonna roll over UGA like a cheap speed bump in a publix parking lot. Bama should beat us, but we still get a new year 6 bowl. WE ….ARE…. BACK
Gator Nation: Please remember that the so-called college football experts of Athlon Sports, Bleacher Report, Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports, et. al had Florida, at best, winning 7 games. Some pundits said 6-6 would be good, but only 1 prognosticator had Florida going 8-4. The consensus was a 3rd to 5th place finish in the SEC East. (2 forecasts had Florida at 3rd, 3 at 5 and one at 8 among all 14 SEC teams.) I, for one, am just enjoying the fact that Mullen and Grantham have made Florida a relevant TOP 25 program again. Especially after the disasters of Muschump and MacElwhine. I do give Muschamp credit for building a top defense. MacElwhine simply inherited what Muschamp had recruited. I also believe Grantham is among the top 5 defensive coordinators in college football. A master of disguises.