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Florida Dealt Daunting News About Schedule After AP Poll is Released

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Hunter Hodies | Last updated Aug 11, 2025 7:05 PM ET

The first Associated Press top 25 poll for college football was released on Monday, and it's full of SEC teams.

The Texas Longhorns are the top team in the country heading into the season and will face the defending national champions, the Ohio State Buckeyes, in week one on August 30. The Georgia Bulldogs come in at fifth overall, followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide at eight and the LSU Tigers at nine.

There are 10 SEC teams ranked in the top 25, including the Florida Gators. The Gators come in at No. 15, but they will have to run the gauntlet if they want to stay ranked this season.

Florida will play seven teams this year that are currently in the AP top 25. It's tied for the most in the country, alongside Mississippi State and Oklahoma. Florida will play LSU, Texas, Texas A&M, Miami, Georgia, Ole Miss, and Tennessee at various points during the season.

There's a lot of pressure on Gators head coach Billy Napier heading into the year since he's had an up-and-down tenure since taking the job ahead of the 2022 season. He is 19-19 as the Gators' head coach and led the program to an eight-win campaign last year.

Florida will open the 2025 season at home against Long Island on August 30 before the competition starts to get a lot tougher.

Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and SEC Network.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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