Gators Football Misses Out On Final AP Poll

Producing his first winning season this year, Florida head coach, Billy Napier, unfortunately did not see Gators football make the final Associated Press Poll Top 25.

Winning Streak

Gators football ended its season with a four-game winning streak against LSU, Ole Miss, Florida State and Tulane. Beating No. 21 LSU was a major turning point for the team. The following Saturday, the Gators brought electricity, defeating No. 9 Ole Miss. The streak carried on to Florida State and UF finished the season 8-5 by defeating Tulane 33-8 in the Gasparilla Bowl. This was Napier’s first winning season since joining the Gators in 2022.

ROLLED THE WAVE. 🐊

Presented by: @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/QTi6qjTDjr

— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) December 21, 2024

Top 25

The 8-5 season with a four-game winning streak to conclude it was not sufficient enough to make the final AP Poll Top 25. Although Florida did not make the Top 25, The Gators received seven votes to be listed. Ohio State finished first after beating Notre Dame, 34-23, Monday night during the College Football Championship. The Irish finished in second.

Moving Foward

Looking ahead, Florida is projected to enter 2025 at No. 18  in the ESPN 2025 Way-Too-Early College Football Top 25 Rankings. Rising Sophomore and All-American Freshman, DJ Lagway, finished the season ranked second in the nation in yards per attempt. The team should continue to improve in the off season.

FWAA Freshman All-American >> @DerekLagway 🐊 pic.twitter.com/RxOoHpxIB0

— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) January 14, 2025

The next time Billy Napier and the Gators will be active will be during the Orange and Blue game on April 12 at 1 p.m.