Blowout of Ole Miss jumps Florida to No. 8 in new AP poll

Florida left no doubt in the Swamp on Saturday, upsetting No. 4 Ole Miss, 52-28, to move to 4-0 for the first time since 2019. 

The result jumps the Gators up 13 spots in the newest Associated Press Top 25 poll, from No. 21 to No. 8, their highest ranking since 2020.

How Florida beat Ole Miss

Florida led 17-6 at halftime before Ole Miss scored 15 unanswered points in the third quarter to close the gap to 31-21. The Gators then answered with 21 points in the fourth quarter to put the game away. 

Running back Jaden Baugh carried the ball 29 times for 142 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Duke Clark added 126 yards and a touchdown on just 12 carries, and Florida finished with 302 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Aaron Philo went 16-23 for 196 yards and a touchdown through the air. 

Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss threw for 298 yards and a touchdown and added two rushing scores. However, the Rebels offense couldn't keep pace once Florida's defense forced two second half turnovers.

The win ended a 12-game losing streak for Florida against top five opponents and made the Gators the first Florida team since 2001 to score at least 40 points in each of its first four games.

Can Florida sustain its momentum?

What matters more than the ranking is what it says about the trajectory of Jon Sumrall's rebuild. Florida's first-year head coach called the program a "sleeping giant" when he was hired, and Saturday marked the clearest evidence that wasn't just a talking point. A team that finished 4-8 in 2025 is now 4-0 and ranked in the top 10.

That ranking is about to be tested immediately. Florida's next stretch includes a road trip to Missouri (Oct. 3), a home game against South Carolina (Oct. 10) and a trip to Texas (Oct. 17) before a bye week. Then they have to go play Georgia in Atlanta (Oct. 31) and Oklahoma at home (Nov. 7). Texas and Georgia alone will tell Florida whether Saturday's win was the start of something real or just a good day against a team playing without its top running back.

There's also a long-term question buried in this result. Sumrall inherited a program that had played one of the most difficult two-year schedules in the country before he arrived, and the payoff of a more manageable 2026 slate is now on full display. Whether Florida can sustain this level once the schedule turns difficult in October and November will determine whether the Gators are a real College Football Playoff contender.

A 52-28 win over a top-five opponent has put Florida back in a conversation that it hasn't been a part of in years, but the next month will determine how long it stays there.