Florida surges in The Athletic’s SEC vibes rankings after Texas win

Florida’s road upset of Texas did more than stop a two-game skid. It also gave the Gators one of the biggest jumps in The Athletic’s latest SEC vibes rankings.

Seth Emerson moved Florida up five spots to No. 4 after the Gators’ 27-24 win over then-No. 7 Texas in Austin. Florida ranked ninth entering Week 7.

Only Kentucky, Tennessee and Auburn sit ahead of the Gators this week. Kentucky remained No. 1 after improving to 6-1 with a win at Oklahoma, while Tennessee jumped to No. 2 after beating Alabama. Auburn climbed from No. 12 to No. 3 after an upset of Georgia.

Florida’s rise comes after a game that looked headed in the wrong direction early. The Gators fell behind 17-3 before rallying behind first-time starter Tramell Jones Jr., a much-improved second-half offense, and a defense that repeatedly made stops in key situations.

"Back on track!" Emerson wrote. "And with the backup quarterback, Tramell Jones Jr., who maybe shouldn’t be the backup. When you look at the remaining schedule, the Gators could be the test case for 9-3: say a loss to Georgia, but four straight wins to finish against Oklahoma, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Florida State. Or beat Georgia but lose at Kentucky. Or … remember this is also the team that got pummeled at home by South Carolina and just won at Texas. Anything can happen down the stretch."

A 9-3 finish isn't hard to imagine if the Gators keep playing as they did after halftime in Austin. Neither is another stumble, considering Florida entered the Texas game coming off back-to-back losses to Missouri and South Carolina.

That volatility is basically the point of the vibes rankings, and right now Florida’s are moving in the right direction.

Texas, meanwhile, fell to the bottom of Emerson’s rankings at No. 16 after losing to Florida. Georgia dropped from second to sixth after losing to Auburn.