Florida Gators 12th in updated CBS power rankings

The Florida Gators not only had a strong finish to the 2024 season, but they return several of their top players this year. Because of that, many pundits believe coach Billy Napier’s program has turned the corner and might be poised for bigger and better things in 2025—and that includes CBS Sports.

In the most recently updated CBS Sports Rankings, the Gators are 12th. That type of finish likely would put UF squarely in the mix for a playoff spot. Texas, another member of the SEC, sits at No. 1, followed in order by Penn State, Ohio State, Clemson and Georgia. Of note, the top 10 teams in the SEC are all in the top 25 of these rankings.

Complete CBS Sports Rankings can be found HERE.

Here is where the Florida Gators’ opponents rank:

No. 1 Texas, Oct. 4 in Gainesville, Fla.: Gators quarterback DJ Lagway missed the game against UT last season, an easy ‘Horns win.
No. 5 Georgia, Nov. 1 in Jacksonville, Fla.: Dawgs have won four straight in the series.
No. 9 LSU, Sept. 13 in Baton Rouge, La.: Unranked Gators stunned Tigers in 2024.
No. 10 Miami, Sept. 20 in Miami Gardens, Fla.: UF last won at Miami in 1985.
No. 18 Texas A&M, Oct. 11 in College Station, Texas: Gators are 2-1 all time in College Station.
No. 20 Tennessee, Nov. 22 in Gainesville, Fla.: UF is 17-5 vs. Vols at home.
No. 22 Ole Miss, Nov. 15 in Oxford, Miss.: Gators crushed Rebs’ playoff hopes last year.
No. 41 Florida State, Nov. 29 in Gainesville, Fla.: UF has a 22-13-1 home record in this series.
No. 57 Kentucky, Nov. 8 in Lexington, Ky.: Florida ended three-game slide vs. Cats last season.
No. 70 Mississippi State, Oct. 18 in Gainesville, Fla.: MSU won in its most recent trip to Gainesville (2010) as Dan Mullen beat Urban Meyer.
No. 81 USF, Sept. 6 in Gainesville, Fla.: Bulls have never beaten UF.

Florida brings back more than a dozen starters from 2024, including players such as Lagway, center Jake Slaughter, running back Jadan Baugh, defensive lineman Caleb Banks, EDGE Tyreak Sapp and placekicker Trey Smack. Slaughter is a returning consensus All-American.

The Gators won four straight games to close the 2024 season 8-5. They, however, have not finished a season ranked since 2020, the worst stretch in recent history for the program. The last time the Florida Gators finished a fourth straight season unranked was 1989.

UF last month was predicted to place sixth in the SEC, according to a preseason poll of media covering SEC Football Media Days. Texas was selected as the favorite to win the conference. The Gators got two first-place votes. The Longhorns had 96. The following eight Florida players were named preseason All-SEC:

Eight UF players were named preseason all-conference at SEC Media Days in July

FIRST-TEAM: Jake Slaughter, C, senior—Slaughter started all 13 games at center last season and led the Gators offensive line in snaps with 800. He was a consensus First-Team All-American in 2024.
FIRST-TEAM: Austin Barber, OT, senior—Barber started all 13 games at left tackle in 2024. He has made 26 career starts for the Gators.

SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC: Caleb Banks, DL, senior—Banks finished 2024 with 10 starts, 21 tackles (10 solo), including seven tackles-for-loss, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and a recovered fumble.
SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC: Trey Smack, PK & Kickoff specialist, senior—Smack made 18 out of 21 field goal attempts (with a long of 55 yards) and all 44 extra point attempts last year. He was a Lou Groza Semifinalist in 2023.
SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC: Rocco Underwood, LS, senior—Underwood was a second-team All-SEC pick after the 2024 season.

THIRD-TEAM ALL-SEC: Jadan Baugh, RB, sophomore—Baugh was a freshman All-SEC choice in 2024 after leading the team in rushing yards (673) and total touchdowns (eight) while averaging 5.1 yards per carry.
THIRD-TEAM ALL-SEC: Tyreak Sapp, EDGE, senior—Sapp led the Gators with seven sacks and 13 tackles-for-loss last season.
THIRD-TEAM ALL-SEC: Eugene Wilson, WR, redshirt-sophomore—Wilson had 19 receptions for 266 yards before an injury ended his season in 2024. He hauled in 61 catches for 538 yards the previous year as a true freshman.