Win over UCF gives Gators much-needed boost in The Athletic's re-rank

Week 6 of the 2024 college football season was a wild one that saw a handful of top-10 upsets — all in Southeastern Conference play — that shook up the national landscape and the playoff picture.

Meanwhile, the Florida Gators took care of business in the Swamp, fending off the invading UCF Knights, 34-23, to earn their third win in five tries this fall. The victory also gave Billy Napier his first winning record since before the LSU Tigers loss last season.

The triumph was an important one as the program eyes a .500 finish despite facing the toughest schedule in recent memory. The national media took notice, making adjustments to their various rankings to accommodate Saturday’s achievement.

Florida’s re-rank after Week 6

Chris Vaninni put together his weekly re-rank for The Athletic after the dust settled from last weekend’s action and moved the Gators up 13 spots to No. 53. Interestingly, this is the same re-rank Florida received from USA TODAY Sports.

That puts the team between the No. 52 Oklahoma State Cowboys and No. 54 Liberty Flames.

The Athletic’s Week 6 Top 10 re-rank

The Texas Longhorns regained the top spot in the re-rank this week, followed by the Ohio State Buckeyes, Alabama Crimson Tide, Georgia Bulldogs and Oregon Ducks, respectively, among the top five.

The Penn State Nittany Lions, Miami Hurricanes, BYU Cougars, Tennessee Volunteers and Clemson Tigers round out the top 10, respectively.

The Gators head to Knoxville next week to resume Southeastern Conference play against Tennessee. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

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