Just like that, the Florida Gators are a top-25 team again. With the upset win over Texas on Saturday, they earned themselves the No. 20 spot in the AP Poll.
It's a fitting ranking for a team that's pulled off some big wins, yet had some crushing losses.
It's a been a choatic season already for the Gators from a rankings standpoint. They naturally started unranked, then rose all the way up to being the eighth-ranked team in the country with a 4-0 start and an unset win over No. 4 Ole Miss.
After that, they were kicked in the teeth across back-to-back weekend, first by No. 25 Missouri and then unranked South Carolina. It set the tone for what should been Texas mopping the floor with them.
For much of the early going, it looked like that would happen. Texas led 17-3. But Florida made adjustments. They were hungry, and they clawed their way back to win 27-24.
A win against either Mizzou or South Carolina could have meant they're a top-10 this week after all the chaos that ensued on Saturday. Oh well.
It was far from the cleanest game. Georgia is coming off a loss to Auburn, and they're going to come ready to rock Florida. Two weeks from today, the Gators could very well find themselves back outside the Top-25.
But if they beat Georgia somehow, that's another top-five win, let alone another top-10 win. Previous season have seen them go toe-to-toe with Georgia.
This potentially could be the year, but there are two issues with such confidence - besides the losing streak in general. Georgia is arguably their strongest in a few years, and the Gators defense isn't as good. If they find a way to put up a fight, it'll be impressive in its own right.
Tramell Jones Jr. just opened a whole new debate after leading the way to the recent update. Will he or Aaron Philo be the better fit to go up against a juggernaut of a rival?
Philo led the way for the upset over Ole Miss. He's out due to injury. He wasn't benched. It's a fun can of worms following a win. We'll see what unfolds.
For now, Florida is a ranked team.
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