CBS Sports released its latest 2026 College Football Playoff predictions, and it features five SEC teams, including the Florida Gators.
Last season, the SEC took up five slots in the CFP, and the same looks to be true for this season. Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Ole Miss are featured in CBS Sports' latest College Football Playoff prediction.
Florida, coming off of their victory against an AP Poll top-five opponent, makes their first appearance in the CFP projection at No. 8.
The Gators made a statement by convincingly defeating Ole Miss, 52-28, and positioning themselves as a legitimate CFP contender. Through four games, Florida has also provided early evidence that first-year head coach Jon Sumrall has the program trending in the right
direction.
The Gators have been one of the nation's most productive offenses to start the season, ranking second in total points scored and points per game, trailing only Georgia in both categories. Florida also owns one of the more impressive resumes in the country at this point, with Texas arguably the only team with a comparable collection of wins.
Still, the Orange and Blue have plenty of challenges remaining. Florida has four ranked opponents left on its schedule: No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Georgia, No. 24 Kentucky and No. 25 Missouri.
CBS Sports has the Gators projected to face off against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the first round of the CFP.
In this projection, Texas Tech would enter the playoff as the Big 12 champion. The Red Raiders currently have a clear path to the conference championship, with only one more ranked opponent remaining on their regular-season schedule.
A matchup between Florida and Texas Tech would also make history. The Gators and Red Raiders have never faced one another, meaning this hypothetical CFP meeting would mark the first matchup between the two programs.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida joins crowded SEC in College Football Playoff projection
