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CBS Sports predicts a Florida finish that would thrill and torment Gator fans

Florida’s projected path to 9-3 comes with one maddening twist
ByBenjamin Henderson
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Oct 17, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Florida Gators tight end Lacota Dippre (17) is congratulated by teammates after catching a touchdown during the second half against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
Oct 17, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Florida Gators tight end Lacota Dippre (17) is congratulated by teammates after catching a touchdown during the second half against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The first seven games in the 2026 season haven’t gone the way almost any Florida fans would have predicted prior to the season. Being 5-2 isn’t shocking, but wins over Ole Miss and Texas, along with blowout losses to Missouri and South Carolina, are

So since the first seven games haven’t gone as we expected, why would the final five games? 

And a recent prediction by CBS Sports as to how Florida could finish out its season would create some of the roller coaster highs and lows that have defined the 2026 season to this point.

CBS Sports lays out a wild finish for Florida in 2026

In a piece titled “College football's 10 bold predictions for season's second half,” Brad Crawford laid out a potentially wild scenario for the SEC:

Five SEC teams finish with 9-3 records. 

Among that group is Florida, along with Alabama, Kentucky, LSU, and Tennessee. Florida’s pathway to finish 9-3 is the more intriguing part:

Beat Georgia, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, and FSU.

Lose to Kentucky.

We can’t even begin to describe the levels of frustration if Florida does, in fact, beat Georgia and Oklahoma but falls short of the SEC title game and the playoffs as a whole because they can’t get past Kentucky. To be fair, Kentucky is better than advertised in 2026, and ESPN’s own FPI projections currently have the Wildcats with a 52% chance of winning. And frankly, given Florida’s lack of consistency, it’s hard to trust Florida in that game. But this is also a Kentucky squad that has a first-year coach with a roster that, on paper, is a tier below the one Florida has built.

The real fascination in that scenario is whether or not Florida will have done enough to sneak into the playoffs. They would have three wins over top-ten opponents (Ole Miss, Texas, and Georgia), but depending on how South Carolina finishes the season, they still could have a huge lead weight hanging off their resume.

First things first, Florida needs to beat Georgia. The Bulldogs can cause far more problems on paper than the Wildcats. But if you look ahead to a potential trap game, Florida needs to stay on high alert for its November 14 tilt in Lexington.

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