Gators return to Top 25 after rout of ‘Dores

By Adam Silverstein
November 7, 2010

Ending a three-game loosing streak last week that had previously knocked them out of every Top 25 poll, the Florida Gators (6-3, 4-3 SEC) continued their progression upward with a 55-14 beat down of the Vanderbilt Commodores (2-7, 1-5 SEC) on Saturday at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, TN. On Sunday, Florida reentered both the USA Today and Associated Press Top 25 polls. Out of the top 25 for the first time under head coach Urban Meyer after their loss to Mississippi State, the Gators did receive votes in both polls last week.

Date	Gator Bait	Time/Score	TV/Rec.
9/4	FAU	W 35-14	1-0
9/11	at USF	W 42-20	2-0
9/18	Alabama	L 39-41	2-1
9/25	Tennessee	W 38-14	3-1
10/2	at Kentucky	L 13-20	3-2
10/9	Vanderbilt	W 42-0	4-2
10/16	at LSU	L 42-49	4-3
10/30	vs. Georgia Jacksonville	L 7-34	4-4
11/6	at South Carolina	L 17-40	4-5
11/13	Samford	W 70-52	5-5
11/20	at Missouri	L(OT) 23-24	5-6
11/27	Florida State	W 24-21	6-6
12/23	vs. UCF Gasparilla	L 17-29	6-7

USA TODAY
Last Week 1-25: Oregon (51), Auburn (4), Boise State (3), TCU (1), Alabama, Utah, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Nebraska, LSU, Stanford, Arizona, Missouri, Michigan State, Iowa, South Carolina, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Virginia Tech, Mississippi State, Baylor, Nevada, Florida State, North Carolina State
*Florida received four votes.

This Week 1-25: Oregon (50), Auburn (4), TCU (2), Boise State (3), Wisconsin, LSU, Ohio State, Nebraska, Stanford, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Alabama, Iowa, Arkansas, Utah, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, Mississippi State, Arizona, Missouri, Nevada, South Carolina, Central Florida, Florida, Texas A&M

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Last Week 1-25: Oregon (49), Boise State (7), Auburn (2), TCU (2), Alabama, Utah, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Nebraska, Stanford, Oklahoma, LSU, Arizona, Missouri, Iowa, Michigan State, Arkansas, South Carolina, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech, Mississippi State, Baylor, North Carolina State, Florida State, Nevada
*Florida received two votes.

This Week 1-25: Oregon (49), Auburn (2), TCU (2), Boise State (7), LSU, Wisconsin, Stanford, Ohio State, Nebraska, Michigan State, Alabama, Oklahoma State, Iowa, Arkansas, Utah, Virginia Tech, Mississippi State, Arizona, Oklahoma, Missouri, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Florida, Central Florida

BCS
Last Week 1-25: Oregon, Auburn, TCU, Boise State, Utah, Alabama, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, LSU, Ohio State, Missouri, Stanford, Michigan State, Arizona, Iowa, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, South Carolina, Mississippi State, Baylor, Virginia Tech, Nevada, Florida State, North Carolina State

This Week 1-25: Oregon, Auburn, TCU, Boise State, LSU, Stanford, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Michigan State, Alabama, Iowa, Utah, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arizona, Mississippi State, Virginia Tech, Nevada, Florida, South Carolina, Kansas State, Texas A&M

*Numbers in parenthesis represent first-place votes.

6 Comments

Gatorbuc15 says:

November 7, 2010 at 7:28 pm

I’m glad that we’re ranked again but I just didn’t think it would be this soon.
Still glad though. 🙂

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Aligator says:

November 7, 2010 at 7:31 pm

Let’s be realistic here, maybe we win the next three games. Maybe, then get trounced by a Cam Newton led Auburn, oh the irony, in the ATL. Even though we should technically get the nod for the Sugar Bowl, you bet that LSU will at that point and we go play in the Outback Bowl against Michigan State or Iowa and get beat up. Although Urb’s doesn’t lose many bowl games, I can totally see this bunch regressing back to the beginning of this season and shooting themselves in the foot. no championships to play for, no problem.

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vsherrel says:

November 7, 2010 at 11:22 pm

Why should a 4 loss Florida team (by your prediction) get the Sugar nod over a one loss LSU team? Taking down Auburn (and South Carolina) is the only way Florida deserves a BCS bid. Heck, 4 losses, the outback bowl, and winning the east is ALOT better than what most people were thinking 2 weeks ago.

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npgator says:

November 8, 2010 at 8:33 am

I wonder what is going on with Easley or if he will be with us next year? I hate to loose a talented player like him.

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Aligator says:

November 8, 2010 at 9:33 am

The rule of thumb is that the loser of the game goes to the sugar bowl if the other is playing for the NC. in this case, the rule will not apply and yes a 1 loss LSU would go.

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GATORNATIONSPRESIDENT says:

November 8, 2010 at 7:17 pm

@ Aligator Look, I’m super biased when it comes to my Florida Gators, but even if we were to run the table and take out South Carolina and Auburn/LSU, I don’t think we deserve a BCS Bowl game this year. Ultimately you have to look at who we’ve beaten, and even with victories over South Carolina and Auburn, the overall resume of wins is not that impressive. I’m very proud of the way our boys have responded and started playing with pride, but I think we’re a longshot at a BCS bid.

What I don’t understand is why you are assuming we will get destroyed by both Auburn and whoever our opponent is in the Bowl game? Cam Newton is great of course, but Auburn has no defense whatsoever, and that always makes them susceptible to losing. I’m not in any way, shape or form scared of Iowa or Michigan State…playing in the SEC has it’s advantages, and I think both of those teams aren’t the caliber of the top tier teams in the SEC. In other words, I think we’d win.

Closing out this season with momentum is very key because it can springboard the Gators next year towards a national title run. Especially when you consider that a lot of our key players, especially on offense, are in their first full years on the job. They’ve experienced the losing, and hopefully they can experience the winning to close out this year and be ready for a title run in 2011. I believe we can and will run the table the rest of this season, and shock a lot of people in the process

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