Who got it right? Evaluating Florida football's preseason rankings from Coaches, AP polls
This year, the Florida Gators find themselves included among both top 25 rankings, coming in at No. 17 per the Coaches Poll and No. 15 per the Associated Press. So who got it right?
USA TODAY Sports writer Blake Toppelmeyer attempted to tackle that query in his college football preseason poll ranking errors column, in which he evaluated the eight biggest mistakes among the top-ranked teams. In his opinion, it was the coaches who were closer to the pin — but neither really satisfied his outlook heading into fall.
"Both poll services overrated the Gators, but the coaches came closer to the mark," Toppmeyer reveals.
"Florida ended last season playing well. DJ Lagway is one of the nation's most promising quarterbacks, but he rehabbed injuries throughout the offseason, and after an underwhelming transfer haul, I question whether Lagway enjoys enough support on either side of the ball to justify these rankings in the face of a daunting schedule."
Billy Napier and Co. were joined by fellow SEC schools, the Tennessee Volunteers, Ole Miss Rebels, Oklahoma Sooners and Texas A&M Aggies, as well as the Clemson Tigers, Kansas State Wildcats and BYU Cougars, on the list of teams that were misranked by at least one of the polls.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Unexpected Colorado News Surfaced After AP Top 25 Poll Released
Unexpected Colorado News Surfaced After AP Top 25 Poll Released originally appeared on Athlon Sports. With the college football season kicking off on Aug. 23, fans were able to argue over new rankings on Monday, as the AP announced its preseason top 25 poll. As it has in the past, the SEC led the way with 10 teams in the rankings, including four teams featured in the top 10. The Big Ten featured six teams in the rankings, with three teams in the top 10, while the Big 12 had four teams in the rankings and the ACC had just three. Although there were four Big 12 teams in the rankings, one team that had a strong 2024 season not featured was Deion Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes. Despite coming off a 9-4 season in 2024, the Buffs lost two of the best players in college football in quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. With them off to the NFL, the expectation around college football is for Colorado to take a step back; however, there was a bit of a surprising development when it comes to the Buffs. Unexpected Colorado AP Poll Development Despite losing both the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year (Sanders) and Heisman Trophy winner (Hunter), the Buffs were one of the teams to receive a vote. Joined by the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, Colorado was just one of two teams to receive a single vote with programs such as Army (2), Pitt (3) and TCU (4) among others racking up more. Colorado's Transfer Portal Method Being Put to the Test According to ESPN, Colorado returns just 50% of its total production from a year ago, with the offensive side of the ball likely seeing plenty of new faces with just 44% of its production returning. The Buffs will be replacing their entire receiving corps, as LaJohntay Wester (Baltimore Ravens) and Jimmy Horn Jr. (Carolina Panthers) joined Hunter in being drafted, while Will Sheppard (Green Bay Packers) was signed as an undrafted free agent. Colorado is also expected to field just one returning starter on the offensive line in Jordan Seaton, as it brought in nine transfers and a couple more recruits. Colorado Can Continue Success from 2024, But Will Need to Hit on Transfers With notable transfer additions such as Liberty Flames quarterback Kaidon Salter and Memphis Tigers offensive lineman Xavier Hill expected to lead the charge for Sanders in 2025, the Buffs do have proven commodities who can come in and play. With that being said, Sanders' heavy reliance on the transfer portal will be put to the test again. With so much turnover, thanks to the fact that they bring in 30+ transfers per year, it remains to be seen how sustainable this method can be. In his first two seasons at Colorado, Sanders has gone 13-12, but has shown glimpses of brilliance. With Colorado making him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football this offseason, all eyes will be on the Buffs again to see if they were a flash in the pan or a sign of things to come. Colorado opens the season at home at 8 p.m. ET Aug. 29 with a matchup against the Georgia Tech Yellow story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
10 hours ago
- USA Today
Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney gives encouraging update on kicker
After what he called an "average week" for kicker Nolan Hauser last Saturday, Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney had a message following the Tigers' second scrimmage of fall camp. "He had a great day," Swinney told reporters on Thursday. "Y'all make sure you print that." Swinney had said on Aug. 9 after the Tigers' first live game of fall camp that Hauser had had an average week, including one kick that was "just terrible." He offered a more promising report on his sophomore kicker after Thursday's scrimmage. "He actually had a really good day," Swinney said. "He's had a few good days. But Nolan, stuff just goes off his back. He's just kind of wired the right way, but I thought he was average last week." Swinney had said last Saturday that Hauser needed to "pick it up" and that he hadn't been as consistent as the Tigers' coach would like. Watch Swinney's full press conference below. Clemson football schedule 2025 Clemson opens the season against the LSU Tigers at Memorial Stadium in prime time on Aug. 30. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ABC. LSU is ranked No. 9 in both the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 poll. All times Eastern. Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
Boston Globe
11 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Robert MacIntyre posts a 64, builds five-shot lead over Scottie Scheffler at BMW Championship
Scheffler spent the steamy afternoon trying to keep in range. He had to settle for six pars at the end for a 65 and was at 9-under 131, at least booking a spot in the final group. Advertisement Ludvig Aberg shot 64 and was another stroke back. It was the largest 36-hole lead at the BMW Championship since Jason Day led by five shots in 2015 at Conway Farms. Day went on to win by six. 'It's only 36 holes gone. There's a long way to go,' MacIntyre said. 'I'm comfortable with who I am. I'm comfortable with the team around me, and I'm comfortable on this golf course. Just go and play golf.' Bobby Mac woke up feeling dangerous. — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) He has made it look as easy as it sounds on a Caves Valley course that has been renovated, lengthened, has new greens and still hasn't put up too much resistance without much wind. MacIntyre still putted well, except for the 5-foot birdie he missed on the 18th and another birdie chance inside 8 feet on the eighth hole. He has gained 6.8 shots on the field in putting through 36 holes to lead the key putting statistic. Advertisement But he was rarely out of position even when he missed a fairway or green. 'Yesterday the putter was on fire. Today I felt like my iron play was exceptional,' MacIntyre said. 'Obviously, coming from links golf back out to throwing darts is a bit different technique-wise, turf-wise, so it took a little bit of readjusting, but I've got the hang of it.' Scheffler had his 15th consecutive sub-70 round and pulled within five shots on No. 12 when he hit a 4-iron from 221 yards to 7 feet for birdie. But he had only two reasonable chances from the 15-foot range the rest of the way. Scottie Scheffler carded a 65 Friday to earn a spot in the final group for Saturday's third round at the BMW Championship. Nick Wass/Associated Press 'Bogey-free is always nice,' Scheffler said. 'I would have liked to get to have gotten a couple better looks down the stretch, but didn't hit as many fairways the last few holes, and out here with the way the holes are shaped, you've got to be in play. Did a good job of saving pars when I needed to on the back.' Hideki Matsuyama has yet to make bogey over 36 holes, even more remarkable because he has been feeling ill this week. That much was clear when he came out of scoring and headed straight for the car, a Japanese television crew hustling to try to catch up with him. He shot 64 and was alone in fourth place, still seven shots behind. Michael Kim had a 66 and was in the group tied for fifth that included Tommy Fleetwood (69), still eight shots behind. The position on the leaderboard is more meaningful to Kim than how far he is behind. The top 30 in the FedEx Cup advance to the Tour Championship next week, and Kim needs to finish around this spot to advance. Advertisement This game is a head scratcher sometimes 😅 — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) Kim and Harry Hall, who had a 67 and was tied for eighth, were the only two projected to move into the top 30 with 36 holes still to play. Hall, the Englishman who played his college golf at UNLV, has quietly had a good year and is turning heads with his efficient swing and improved putting. He has four top 10s and has missed only three cuts in 23 starts. Hall has finished out of the top 25 only once in his last 10 starts. As much as he wants to be at East Lake, he now is in the conversation for the Ryder Cup. He says he has received a few text messages from European captain Luke Donald, but he has not been fitted for a uniform. Rory McIlroy, playing for the first time since the British Open, was paired with Scheffler for two days. He overcame an early double bogey to post a 66, leaving him 10 shots behind. 'I think I'm just playing my own tournament at this point,' McIlroy said. 'I just want to try to play a good weekend and feel a little bit better about my game going into the Tour Championship. 286 yards to 7 feet 🤯 — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR)
