Florida Named Potential College Football Playoff 'Crasher'

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The Florida Gators will enter the upcoming season unranked in the Associated Press' poll. 

As we see in college football every year, the preseason poll doesn't mean anything when the games start being played.

New Gators head coach Jon Sumrall has built a lot of hype around the program this offseason. Still, there are questions about the quarterback battle between Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr. The offensive line still has a lot of work to do. 

Brad Crawford named Florida as a program who could be a surprise College Football Playoff team this season. He believes the players Sumrall was able to retain this offseason could be enough to jumpstart a CFP run. 

Sumrall has proven to be an excellent coach, leading Tulane to the CFP last season after winning the American Conference. Crawford is worried about the strength of the Gators’ schedule. Contests against Auburn, Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, and Missouri could be too much for Sumrall in Year 1.

Crawford argues that Florida could go on a run if it starts 4-0.

"If the offense finds an early rhythm and the Gators beat Auburn on the road in Week 3 to start 3-0, that showdown against Ole Miss at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Sept. 26 will garner national attention," Crawford wrote. 

"Ole Miss and Missouri are the only ranked opponents that Florida plays the first half of the campaign, and both of those games, we think, are winnable."

The schedule seems a little too daunting for Florida to overcome this season. The program didn't put in the necessary resources to compete with the heavyweights in the SEC this year. 

The Gators need to be realistic about the season. They should hover around seven to eight wins, which would be an improvement from going 4-8 in 2025. 

Sumrall can show Florida some promise by earning a couple of wins against the above teams, but expecting the Gators to win four of those six games feels unrealistic at this point. 

Going to a bowl game would be a success for Sumrall and set up a path to make the CFP in 2027.

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