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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/usffan on 2025-08-11 15:12:30+00:00.
The cumulative link to the preseason rankings can be found here.
The last of these countdowns to come out before the last modifier (the AP poll, which comes out in about an hour) is our #12 team, Florida (high = 10, low = 22). The Gators entered 2024 with considerable trepidation and plenty of heat on Billy Napier heading into his 3rd season. So much so that Napier was considered among the best bets for first coach fired, and that didn’t change much when Florida got pantsed in their home opener by Miami. The UCF Twitter Mafia were all talking about how their savior K. J. Jefferson was going to lead the Knights to a win in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium which was going to be the week they fired Napier. While that clearly did not happen, the Gators were 4-5 with only 4 weeks left in the season, with wins over Samford, Mississippi State, UCF and Kentucky. But a closer look at that Tennessee loss in OT shows something else. Starting QB Graham Mertz tore his ACL, and the Gators turned to freshman QB DJ Lagway, who damn near led the Gators to a win over an eventual playoff team. In fact, Lagway had Florida in the lead over eventual SEC champion Georgia before pulling his hammy, which lead to the Gators having to play walk on QB Aidan Warner for the rest of the Cocktail Party and then the other SEC championship game participant Texas. Once Lagway was back, the Gators ran the rest of the season, including beating LSU and Ole Miss before ultimately finishing 8-5 with a Gasparilla Bowl win over Tulane. So with that kind of upside, it shouldn’t be so shocking that they’re so highly rated.
Roster outlook
Napier and Florida have a top 20 returning production team coming back to the Swamp, including a top 25 defense. The biggest name returning is of course DJ Lagway, though a shoulder injury limited his spring and now he has a lower body injury, suggesting he might have some challenges staying in the lineup if the Gators are to live up to their preseason hype. The Gators also return lead RB Jadan Baugh, TE Hayden Hansen and #3 WR Eugene Wilson, but lose their top 2 WRs in Elijah Badger (KC Chiefs) and Chimere Dike (Tennessee Titans). On defense, they lost quite a bit in the portal, including 4 star defenders CB Ja’Keem Jackson and edge Jack Pyburn to LSU, edge T. J. Searcy to Texas A&M, DT Kelby Collins to Bama and DT D’Antre Robinson to North Carolina. Napier crushed it in recruiting, bringing in the #7 class in the country, including projected starting 5 star WR Dallas Wilson (also currently wearing a hard cast because of a lower leg injury). He didn’t do much at all with the portal, bringing in the worst class in the SEC, with only UCLA WR Michael Sturdivant expected to make an impact.
Schedule and outlook
Much like last year, it’s the schedule that will get in the way of Florida living up to the hype of being #12. Sure, they open with Long Island and USF as tune ups, but then go to Baton Rouge for a night game against LSU in week 3 before playing at Miami in week 4. Following a bye, they host Texas, then travel to Texas A&M. That’s 3 top 11 teams in the first 6 weeks plus a road game in the toughest place to play a road game in the country (allegedly). Following Mississippi State in the Swamp and a bye, the Gators finish with Georgia in Jacksonville, at Kentucky, at Ole Miss, Tennessee and finally Florida State. To be the #12 team and knocking on the door of the CFP, the Gators would have to be at least 9-3, and that schedule is just BRUTAL to pull that off. The question is – with these kind of expectations, what are Florida fans expecting for Napier to be welcomed for a 5th season?