The sports media have been bullish on Florida after their 44-39 victory over Auburn in Week 3 of the college football season. Not only have the Gators made waves in the two major polls — moving up to No. 22 in the US LBM Coaches Poll and entering the AP Top 25 at No. 21 — but they have also gained ground in many of the other rankings.
Among them is Athlon Sports senior editor Steven Lassan's latest ranking of all 138 FBS schools, which has the Orange and Blue back among the top 25 at No. 20, between No. 19 Iowa and No. 21 Mississippi State.
"The Gators joined the top 25 following a 44-39 victory at Auburn on Saturday night. New coach Jon Sumrall’s defense is a work in progress, but Florida’s offense tallied nearly 500 yards (495) to lead the way,"
Lassan states. "Running back Jadan Baugh ran for 162 yards, and quarterback Aaron Philo (15 of 22 for 204 yards) was solid in his first road start for the Gators."
Florida was ranked No. 25 in Lassan's rankings after Week 1 — his first offering of the 2026 campaign.
SEC schools in Athlon Sports' college football rankings top 25
The Southeastern Conference has nine schools in Athlon Sports' top 25 after Week 3, with Texas and Georgia leading the way at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, along with Ole Miss (No. 4), LSU (No. 8) and Alabama (No. 9) among the top 10. Tennessee (No. 14), Florida (No. 20), Mississippi State (No. 21) and Missouri (No. 22) wrap up the remaining representatives among the top 25.
Athlon Sports' college football rankings top 25 after Week 3
- Texas (3-0)
- Georgia (3-0)
- Notre Dame (3-0)
- Ole Miss (3-0)
- Indiana (3-0)
- Ohio State (2-1)
- Miami (3-0)
- LSU (2-1)
- Alabama (3-0)
- Texas Tech (3-0)
- BYU (3-0)
- USC (4-0)
- Penn State (3-0)
- Tennessee (3-0)
- Utah (3-0)
- Louisville (2-1)
- Oregon (2-1)
- Michigan (3-0)
- Iowa (3-0)
- Florida (3-0)
- Mississippi State (3-0)
- Missouri (3-0)
- Virginia Tech (3-0)
- Houston (2-1)
- SMU (2-1)
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida returns to Athlon Sports rankings' top 25 after beating Auburn
