Week 1 Florida College Football Power Rankings

With a poor showing statewide last year, Florida programs are looking to rebound this season. The state’s seven FBS programs went an abysmal 34-51 combined (.400 winning percentage)! Only three of the seven teams in the state were bowl eligible, Florida, Miami, and UCF, and of those teams only two of them ended with a winning record (UCF and Miami). With that in mind, I’m gonna rack and stack the teams and speak to the top 4.

FBS Programs in the State of Florida: 7 (Florida Gators, Florida Atlantic Owls, Florida International Panthers, Florida State, Miami Hurricanes, South Florida Bulls, and UCF Knights)

1: Miami Hurricanes

Ranking: Associated Press - 16th, Coaches Poll - 17th, The Athletic Power Rankings - 17th

The AP preseason top 25 college football poll was released recently and Miami was the only in-state FBS team in the opening poll as they came in ranked as the No. 16 team in the nation. Not bad considering Miami finished last year as an unranked team with a mediocre 7-5 record.

What’s changed? A lot! With a new and experienced coaching staff, multiple key portal additions, and a highly ranked recruiting class, Miami is in the driver’s seat in the ACC’s Coastal division, and is projected by most analysts to win the Coastal and compete against Clemson for the ACC Championship.

2: UCF Knights

Ranking: Associated Press - Unranked, Coaches Poll - Unranked, The Athletic Power Rankings - 29th

The Knights barely snuck by South Florida last season, but went on to defeat The University of Florida in a bowl game. As the Knights earned bragging rights in that Bowl game, they will be playing for respect in their final season in the American Athletic Conference. Gus Malzahn will have his hands full as he and the Knights prepare to join the Big 12 next season.

3: Florida Gators

Ranking: Associated Press - Unranked, Coaches Poll - Unranked, The Athletic Power Rankings - 36th

Florida is also preparing to start the season with a new coaching staff after experiencing an underwhelming 6-7 season that saw them at the bottom of the SEC East with a 2-6 record in conference. Billy Napier’s tenure started off rocky in Gainesville, but recruiting has picked up as of late and the Gators have some momentum heading into a tough home opener in The Swamp versus the Utah Utes this weekend.

4: Florida State Seminoles

Ranking: Associated Press - Unranked, Coaches Poll - Unranked, The Athletic Power Rankings - 43rd

Florida State is entering the weekend on a winning streak for the first time in 5 years having defeated the Duquesne Dukes 47-7 at Doak Campbell in Week 0. On the heels of 4 straight losing seasons, the Seminoles look to take steps back towards national prominence this season, but they appear to be baby steps at this point. With a tough opponent in the LSU Tigers this weekend, FSU will quickly know if they are moving in the right direction or if it’ll just be more of the same this season.

AP Top 25 (Votes)

Miami – 16^th (476)

UCF – Unranked (27)

Florida – Unranked (14)

Florida State – Unranked (0)

Florida Atlantic – Unranked (0)

South Florida – Unranked (0)

Florida International – Unranked (0)

AFCA Coaches Poll (Votes)

Miami – 17^th (433)

UCF – Unranked (55)

Florida – Unranked (17)

Florida State – Unranked (1)

Florida Atlantic – Unranked (0)

South Florida – Unranked (0)

Florida International – Unranked (0)

I agree with the order of the rankings for both the AP and Coaches Polls. If you think I’m crazy, you can check in on the results of last season and see that they align perfectly.

With football back, we’ll revisit these standings each week over the course of the season.

Let us know your thoughts on the rankings in the comments below.