The AP top 25 came out on Monday, and the Gators came in at No. 16. Compared to being unranked two weeks ago, it is an improvement, but considering Florida has won four games in a row, three of which were against ranked opponents, this feels too low.
Also, the fact that Florida is ranked one spot behind Vanderbilt feels notable.
But despite pollsters not seeming to have much faith in the Gators, national pundits have started to hop back on the bandwagon that Florida is a legit Final Four threat in 2026.
Florida ranked No. 16 in AP top 25
If one were to go by the strict rankings, being No. 16 paints a picture of Florida being lucky if it can scrape into the Sweet 16. That is a far cry from the narrative Gary Parrish of CBS Sports paints, who claims that Florida is now projected to win the SEC by multiple games.
As always, @GaryParrishCBS has been sortin' the data.
— Eye On College Basketball Podcast (@EyeOnCBBPodcast) January 18, 2026
The data says these 10 teams are the best since December 13, and Florida is right there in the mix.
Full Show: https://t.co/fvth8ALV6e pic.twitter.com/lOfigQBYZs
Clark Kellogg also agrees, stating that “(Florida is) a championship contender!”
"I think they are a championship contender!"@ClarkKelloggCBS thinks Florida's big men can carry them to back-to-back titles. pic.twitter.com/v00TGMsR62
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) January 17, 2026
The Field of 68 is also on the Florida train, declaring them one of 11 teams they believe could win the national title in 2026.
Here are 11 teams that have what it takes to win a national title 🏆
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) January 20, 2026
Who are you trusting in March? 🤔@RobDauster, @r22childress, and @T_Oglesby22 break it all down ⬇️⁰https://t.co/IP3PqakJRz pic.twitter.com/Clrhrjn2f4
So why the disconnect between the momentum Florida has right now and what the pollsters are seeing?
Even though three of Florida’s losses have come against teams ranked in the top five, and the fact that all five of Florida’s losses have been one-possession games in the final minute, the Gators have five losses. Pollsters tend to lean on the overall record versus metrics and analytics. No one in the top ten has more than two losses, and no one in the top 25 has more than five losses.
But the Gators are up to 9th in KenPom and 7th in EvanMiya, and that’s with the backdrop of being a terrible three-point shooting team. As we have seen in the past few games, if Xaivian Lee and Boogie Fland start hitting shots, it unlocks a version of this team that very well could make another deep run in March.
Florida is still +1750 to win the national title, but those odds might start improving quickly as people start to slowly catch back up to the fact that the Gator Boys are starting to get hot in 2026.