Athlon Sports ranks Florida football among the top teams in nation

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With the 2026 college football season just 70 days away, preseason rankings are already taking shape across the country.

Athlon Sports recently released its rankings of all 138 FBS teams, with only narrow margins separating many of the nation's top programs. Where do the Florida Gators stand nationally, and how do they compare to their SEC rivals heading into the season?

The Gators come in just outside the top 25 at No. 26 in Athlon Sports' latest rankings. Florida lands just ahead of SEC peers Missouri and South Carolina at No. 29 and No. 28, respectively, and eight spots ahead of Auburn, which also hired a new head coach this offseason.

The Tennessee Volunteers slot in five spots ahead of the Gators at No. 21, preceded by a string of top SEC playoff contenders in Alabama at No. 15, Ole Miss at No.11, LSU at No.10, Texas A&M at No. 9 and Oklahoma at No.8.

Rounding out the SEC in the 138 team rankings are Texas and Georgia, at No. 3 and No. 2.

Florida's No. 26 ranking shows the depth of the SEC, which again features several of the nation's top title contenders. The Gators will begin the season on the outside looking in, but their performance on the field will determine whether they can close the gap and join the nation's upper tier by the end of the season.

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Where Florida football lands in Athlon Sports' 138-team ranking

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