The Florida Gators entered the season at No. 13 on the AP Top 25, while opening as the No. 11 team in the nation according to the preseason coaches poll. After the first week of matchups, the Gators have remained at No. 13 in the latest AP Poll.
The Gators are behind Oregon netting 842 points, with Oregon at 883 points. The SEC teams ahead of Florida include Alabama (1), Georgia (2) and Texas A&M (5). Georgia made the biggest jump of all SEC schools following their victory over Clemson, humping from five to two.
Florida was leaped by Iowa State and Penn State this week.
This past week, Florida took down the Florida Atlantic Owls in a 35-14 finish, starting the season off strong with a victory over a non-Power 5 opponent. The team will look to continue that feat by taking on the University of South Florida Bulls this Saturday.
For Florida, continuing on its current trajectory as a football team - regardless of ranking - as it looks forward to its matchup of the season against Alabama in Week 3 will be paramount. While the team has not moved much in the polls, a victory over the Crimson Tide will certainly move them up several places, if not into the top 5.
Before any of that can happen, however, the Gators must be able to show that it can transition into the offense they would like to run this season. Against the Owls, the Gators ran the football 46 times compared to 35 passes.
While Florida head coach Dan Mullen would like to be a balanced offense this season, the team's strength will be predicated by its offensive line, as well as quarterback play.
Against the Owls, it was clear that the Gators' offensive line was far superior to that of the Owls' defensive line, opening up holes for its running backs, and allowing for its receivers to seal the edge nicely on the outside. Florida ran the ball for 400 yards on the night.
It's still only one week into the 2021 season and there's a long way to go yet as Florida looks to reclaim its talking point as the only SEC school that is top 10 in both football and academics.
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