D1Baseball drops Florida from Top 25, USA TODAY and Perfect Game have Gators on bubble
D1Baseball drops Florida from Top 25, USA TODAY and Perfect Game have Gators on bubble
Florida is out of the D1Baseball Top 25 after being swept by the Georgia Bulldogs over the weekend and is in danger of doing the same in the USA TODAY Sports Baseball Coaches Poll and Perfect Game College Top 25.
Perfect Game ranks the Gators No. 22 this week and USA TODAY has them at No. 23. Florida has dropped six-straight games against SEC opponents to start the year, marking the worst opening in conference play of the Kevin O'Sullivan era in Gainesville. There's still time to turn it around, but two weeks of poor play have experts doubting the Orange and Blue as the halfway point of the college baseball season approaches.
A midweek loss to Florida State isn't going to help Florida's case heading into a third weekend against a ranked SEC opponent. A sweep against Ole Miss might save Florida's spot in the rankings, but there's little reason to expect a number by its name moving forward.
SEC Teams ranked in Top 25
Tennessee remains the consensus top program in college baseball, and Arkansas owns two of the three No. 2 spots on the chart below. Georgia is Perfect Game's No. 2, with Arkansas down at No. 4, and the Bulldogs are No. 3 everywhere else. LSU took a four-to-five-spot dip after a series loss to Texas, and the Longhorns leapfrogged the Tigers in two of three polls. Oklahoma is the No. 8 or No 9 program in the country, depending on the poll, giving the SEC seven consensus top-10 teams through six weeks of play.
Alabama and Auburn lead the next tier of SEC teams. The Tigers moved up on all three lists into the No. 11 or 12 spots, and the Crimson Tide is holding steady in the same area. Vanderbilt is generally just behind those two programs, and Ole Miss is No. 15, according to USA TODAY and D1 Baseball; however, Perfect Game does not have the Rebels inside the top 25.
Florida is the only SEC team ranked in any of the three polls below the No. 15 mark.
College Baseball Rankings Week 6
Ranking USA TODAY D1Baseball Perfect Game 1 Tennessee Volunteers (–) Tennessee Volunteers (–) Tennessee Volunteers (–) 2 Arkansas Razorbacks (+1) Arkansas Razorbacks (+1) Georgia Bulldogs (+1) 3 Georgia Bulldogs (+2) Georgia Bulldogs (+1) Clemson Tigers (+1) 4 Florida State Seminoles (–) Florida State Seminoles (+1) Arkansas Razorbacks (+3) 5 Clemson Tigers (+1) Oregon State Beavers (+1) Texas Longhorns (+1) 6 LSU Tigers (-4) Clemson Tigers (+1) Florida State Seminoles (-1) 7 Texas Longhorns (–) Texas Longhorns (+1) LSU Tigers (-5) 8 Oregon State Beavers (–) LSU Tigers (-6) Oklahoma Sooners (–) 9 Oklahoma Sooners (–) Oklahoma Sooners (+1) Oregon State Beavers (–) 10 Oregon Ducks (-1) Oregon Ducks (-1) Oregon Ducks (+4) 11 Alabama Crimson Tide (+1) Auburn Tigers (+9) Auburn Tigers (+7) 12 Auburn Tigers (+4) Alabama Crimson Tide (–) Arizona Wildcats (+7) 13 Vanderbilt Commodores (+6) Southern Miss Golden Eagles (+6) Vanderbilt Commodores (+7) 14 Wake Forest Demon Deacons (-1) Vanderbilt Commodores (+8) Alabama Crimson Tide (-3) 15 Ole Miss Rebels (+3) Ole Miss Rebels (+3) Wake Forest Demon Deacons (-3) 16 Southern Miss Golden Eagles (+7) Wake Forest Demon Deacons (-5) West Virginia Mountaineers (-3) 17 Dallas Baptist Patriots (–) Dallas Baptist Patriots (-2) Dallas Baptist Patriots (–) 18 North Carolina Tarheels (-3) Louisville Cardinals (-2) Troy Trojans (NR) 19 Louisville Cardinals (+1) UC Irvine Anteaters (NR) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (NR) 20 Arizona Wildcats (+8) Stanford Cardinal (-6) UC Irvine Anteaters (NR) 21 UC Irvine Anteaters (+5) North Carolina Tarheels (-4) Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (-5) 22 Stanford Cardinal (-8) Troy Trojans (+3) Florida Gators (-12) 23 Florida Gators (-12) Arizona Wildcats (NR) UCLA (+1) 24 Troy Trojans (+3) UCLA Bruins (NR) Stanford Cardinal (-9) 25 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (+5) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (NR) North Carolina Tarheels (-2)
Dropped out
USA TODAY: No. 21 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos; No. 22 Virginia Cavaliers; No. 24 West Virginia Mountaineers; No. 25 Coast Carolina Chanticleers.
D1Baseball: No. 13 Florida Gators; No. 21 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos; No. 23 Virginia Cavaliers; No. 24 Coast Carolina Chanticleers.
Perfect Game: No. 21 Virginia Cavaliers; No. 22 Louisville Cardinals; No. 25 UCF Knights.
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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
27 minutes ago
- Associated Press
After 2 overtime games, Panthers and Oilers relish days off as Stanley Cup Final shifts to Florida
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — After Brad Marchand scored the winning goal in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, he and Florida Panthers teammate Sam Bennett were asked how they kept their bodies going during another long and intense matchup against the Edmonton Oilers. 'I think (Marchand) grabbed a Blizzard … I think it was Oreo today,' Bennett quipped, referring to a viral moment during the Eastern Conference finals when Marchand joked that he enjoyed a chocolate chip cookie dough treat from Dairy Queen between periods — which was later revealed as a spoonful of honey. 'Nice plug,' Marchand responded with a chuckle. 'I like that.' They were joking, of course, but there was a point in Friday night's double-overtime game that Marchand spent time between periods pedaling on an exercise bike to stay loose — as players from both teams shuffled their tired bodies on and off the ice for hours. The first two games of the Stanley Cup Final have gone to overtime, only the sixth time in NHL history that's happened and first since 2014. Game 1 went on until Leon Draisaitl's power-play goal 19:29 into the extra period. Marchand put Game 2 to an end with a breakaway goal 8:07 into the second overtime. With the series tied 1-1, both teams will embark on a cross-continent trip from Canada to Florida, enjoying an extra day's rest between games to recover after an intense start to their championship series. Game 3 is Monday night in Sunrise, Florida. 'Obviously a long game, a lot of back and forth,' said Florida defenseman Seth Jones, who led the Panthers in ice time at 34 minutes, 35 seconds on Friday. Jones, who is averaging a team-high 25:45 on the ice in the postseason, played more than 30 minutes in both of the first two games of the series. He scored in the first period on Friday — his fourth goal of the postseason — and assisted on Dmitry Kulikov's goal in the second. 'We came here for a split and got it,' Jones added, 'and just going to recover now.' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said heading back to Florida with the series tied — instead of being down 0-2 — does make a minor mental difference, but one of his team's strengths is its tunnel vision approach. 'It's mathematically significant,' Maurice said. 'I'd like to think that we'd be dragging here today, this morning, if we had lost that game having had the lead for so long. But I think we're really good at cutting it off. 'It's the same morning this morning at the meal room as it was two days ago (after the Game 1 loss). It's just on to the next day. We understand how to leave our days — the good ones and the bad ones — in the past and handle the day we have right now.' The Oilers are moving forward in the series with an equally short memory after missed chances in Game 2. Corey Perry, whose goal with 17.8 seconds left in the third period forced overtime, said the back-and-forth nature of the series was to be expected from the two teams, but there's no use in getting hung up on 'what-ifs.' 'What's it going to do?' Perry said. 'It's not going to do anything for you now. Get on the plane tomorrow and get some rest and be ready for Game 3.' Few players have spent more time on the ice in the series than Connor McDavid. The Edmonton star played 31:12 in Game 1, and just over 35 minutes in Game 2 — more than anyone else in the game. That's nearly 10 minutes more than his postseason average of 24:22. McDavid's impact was certainly felt on Friday. He had three assists, including one in which he zipped through Florida's penalty kill to set up Draisaitl's power play goal in the first. Draisaitl noted after the game there's only one player in the world that can make such a highlight-reel play, but stressed the importance of using the two days off to recalibrate. 'At this time of year, you've got to move on,' he said, 'There's not time thinking about it too long. Obviously it stings right now, but we have to move on.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Will Tampa Bay Rays Be Buyers or Sellers by MLB Trade Deadline?
Will Tampa Bay Rays Be Buyers or Sellers by MLB Trade Deadline? originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Tampa Bay Rays are in a unique position. Though they trail the New York Yankees by 5.5 games in the American League East going into Thursday, the Rays are squarely in the Wild Card hunt. Advertisement A recent surge has Tampa Bay just a half-game out of the last playoff spot, which is an enviable position with the MLB trade deadline coming fast. Teams have until July 31 to make a deal, with it unclear whether the Rays will be buyers or sellers? Or perhaps they can do both. Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander is no stranger to dealing, as a number of moves last year helped set the club up for contention this season and in those to come. The Rays have significant depth to use as potential trade chips is both the buying and selling scenarios. What will the Rays do at the trade deadline? As noted by Mark Feinsand, much can happen in the near future. A lot will depend on how things shake out in the coming weeks. If Ha-Seong Kim is healthy and effective, their need for a better shortstop is answered. If Shane McClanahan is close to his old form, they've got an ace. The depth in the organization could provide the answers to any needs they have, but the Rays are always cognizant of their players' contractual status, which could open the door for some deals. Advertisement Some of those pieces could be on the move or remain in place if the club hopes to make a playoff run. Closer Pete Fairbanks has one more year of control, Brandon Lowe has a club option for 2026 and Yandy Díaz is signed through 2026 with an option for '27. Zack Littell is headed for free agency this winter. If the Rays are firmly in the race next month, it's hard to see them moving any of these key pieces, but with Tampa Bay, you never know. Expect the Rays and Neander to be busy. Whichever path they take is anyone's guess. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trade Idea Sends Dolphins' Jonnu Smith to Steelers
Trade Idea Sends Dolphins' Jonnu Smith to Steelers originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Dolphins and the Steelers renewed trade talks surrounding tight end Jonnu Smith earlier this week. The Smith trade conversation has a gone back and forth like a seesaw over the last couple weeks, but it's landed back in the direction of the Dolphins listening to offers. Advertisement The Steelers seemed like a suitable trade partner prior to the signing of Super Bowl champion quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and now it looks like an even better fit. The Steelers do have Pat Freiermuth who has caught at least 60 passes in three of his four years in the NFL with the Steelers. However, the addition of Smith would add another weapon, and upgrade at the position for Rodgers. Pittsburgh has already been active on the trade market this offseason with the addition of DK Metcalf and the departure of George Pickens. Metcalf cost the Steelers a second-round pick and the Pickens trade involved an additional seventh-round pick in exchange for a third-round and fifth-round pick. Now, the Steelers have the opportunity to add Smith to an offense with Metcalf, Robert Woods, Jaylen Warren and rookie Kaleb Johnson at running back, alongside a future Hall of Famer at quarterback. Advertisement Not to mention, Smith has a connection with the Steelers new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Smith coached the tight end in Tennessee, and then was his offensive coordinator. Three years later, Smith was the head coach of the Falcons with the current Dolphins' tight end playing for him. Arthur Smith and Jonnu Smith have plenty of experience together, which is a main reason the Steelers are such a viable trade target for the Dolphins tight end. The proposed trade idea by Bleacher Report's Kurt Benkert for Smith to the Steelers had the Dolphins getting a fourth round pick in return. However, in his other six trade proposals, the Dolphins were getting a mix of fifth or sixth round picks in return. This seems more like the accurate price for the veteran tight end, but it'll ultimately come down to how much the desired team values Smith. Advertisement With all of this being said, it's not a done deal that Smith gets dealt. His agent has said Smith would love to play in Miami in 2025, and Mike McDaniel said he wants Smith on the team. But, football is ultimately a business and only time will tell where Smith ends up playing in 2025. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
