Florida Gators Snubbed From Associated Press Preseason Poll
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The hype has been building around the Florida Gators since Jon Sumrall was introduced as head coach amid a run in the College Football Playoff with the Tulane Green Wave.
Former Florida head coach Steve Spurrier predicted the team would win nine or ten games in the upcoming season.
The Gators were not ranked in the coaches poll that came out earlier in August, though they were the No. 2 program in the "receiving votes" category.
On Monday, the Associated Press revealed its preseason poll for the 2026 season. The Gators were not included in the top 25, though the program is second in the "receiving votes" category behind Clemson with 51 votes.
The upcoming season for Sumrall and the Gators will have significant challenges. The team lost quarterback DJ Lagway to Baylor in the transfer portal. Florida has a quarterback battle cooking between Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr. this summer.
The Gators have questions on the offensive line after losing three starters. The defense has talent, but they'll need to show more consistency under Sumrall than they did under former head coach Billy Napier.
Florida has a challenging nine-game SEC schedule that includes Auburn, No. 9 Ole Miss, No. 25 Missouri, No. 5 Texas, No. 3 Georgia, and No. 10 Oklahoma. Ole Miss, Georgia, and Oklahoma made the College Football Playoff last season.
Texas spent a lot of money on its roster in the offseason and could be the most complete team in the country.
With that type of grueling schedule, Florida might call it a successful year with four of five losses considering all that Sumrall has had to deal with in his first year.
After playing Oklahoma on Nov. 7, the Gators will finish their season against Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Florida State. Florida should be favored to win all three of those games, which would give Sumrall some momentum heading into the offseason.
This fall is all about setting up the Gators for a run in the CFP in 2027. With better resources for the transfer portal, Florida should be ranked in the AP preseason poll in 2027.
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