Sometimes, the bye week can come at the right time and, for the Florida Gators, that means a little time off before things get serious again with a trip to Atlanta to take on the Georgia Bulldogs on the way for Jon Sumrall and his players.
The better news is that the Gators will go into the bye as a ranked team, coming in at No. 20 in the AP Poll this week after a 27-24 road win over No. 7 Texas. Not only did the win snap a two-game skid where Florida did not look competitive, but it also showed the country that Sumrall's team isn't going to be one to lay down and simply let things happen. The Gators went down 17-3 in the first half, but never stopped fighting, and eventually it was the Longhorns that blinked.
Jon Sumrall exited wearing a cowboy hat after beating Texas pic.twitter.com/xZgovYsPFO
— Bussin' With The Boys (@BussinWTB) October 17, 2026
"Doesn’t matter who you play, where you play, when you play, you have to fight. And if you do not fight, you will get embarrassed," Sumrall said after Florida managed to take down Texas in Austin. "This league, man, like there’s nowhere to hide. Week in week out, it’s the closest thing you got to the NFL, and you got to bring it every freaking Saturday. I’m just glad our guys brought it.”
Week 7 AP Poll has Florida at No. 20 after taking down Texas
1. Miami
2. BYU
3. Ohio State
4. Notre Dame
5. Georgia
6. Indiana
7. Ole Miss
8. Texas Tech
9. UCLA
10. Utah
11. Tennessee
12. Kentucky
13 Alabama
14. Houston
13. Iowa
16. USC
17. Wake Forest
18. LSU
19. Texas
20. Florida
21. Boise State
22. Missouri
23. SMU
24. Northwestern
25. Arizona
Florida's win at Texas puts the season back on track for Jon Sumrall and his players
While a second loss isn't going to end hopes of a CFP berth, the third loss would have likely done the Gators in and changed some of their goals. As it is, they can rest a little before going up against a Bulldogs team that is likely going to be a little perturbed after dropping to No. 5 following a home loss to Auburn. That was a monster upset, with Georgia looking a bit off from start to finish.
The schedule does get easier for Florida in the second half of the season, but not by much. After Georgia, it's a return home to face the Oklahoma Sooners, who have the defense to shut anyone down and then looking ahead, there's a red-hot Kentucky team that is No. 12 in the polls and even Florida State, which went down swinging in a double-overtime loss to Miami on Saturday night.
There's nothing easy about what Florida has already gone through this season, but getting back in the Top 25 is a nice reward for going through the storm of the SEC and staying in the battle.
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