The initial College Football Playoff rankings are out, and no, the Florida Gators are not ranked. In fact, the Gators have not been ranked in a CFP top 25 since 2020, and even if they win four straight to close out the season, they will not finish ranked.
But when considering how brutal Florida's schedule has been at times, the final four games of the 2025 season do paint a picture of opportunity for Florida to close out the year.
Florida must win three of four to be bowl eligible
Florida's final four opponents are Kentucky, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and FSU. Two of those are unranked (Kentucky and FSU), and one is ranked by the hair on their chin (Tennessee at No. 25).
Ole Miss comes in at No. 6.
The task ahead of the Gators is that they need to win three of these four games in order to become bowl-eligible. Kentucky did just knock off Auburn, but it would be a genuine surprise to see Florida drop that one.
FSU is in a tailspin itself, and Billy Gonzales seems to have too much pride not to give it his best shot against the Seminoles.
Win those two, and it means the Gators need to split between Ole Miss and Tennessee. The Volunteers are almost for sure eliminated from the playoffs, even if they win out. Given that their final three games are New Mexico State, Florida, and No. 16 Vanderbilt, it's hard to see them picking up a win that would move the needle for the committee, but a loss to Florida also opens the door for both programs to finish with the same record..
Florida beat Ole Miss last year and ruined their playoff chances. That backdrop will remain this year, but it feels like the Rebels would still sneak in at 10-2. The bigger backdrop that feels like a distraction is whether or not Lane Kiffin will be coming back to Gainesville with the Gators after the game.
Florida's season was categorized as playoffs or bust before the year, so no matter what happens, this season has been a bust.
But there is at least a chance to end on some kind of a positive note to pass the baton to a new coach with something to build on.