The Gators cap off comeback finish with their highest vote total of the season / Doug Engle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Florida Gators late run to an 8-5 finish and a bowl win earned them some love in the final AP Poll of the 2024 College Football season. They went unranked but received votes.
They received votes from four writers for seven total points. Unofficially, this would make the Gators the 33rd-ranked team in the country.
The Miami Herald's Jordan McPherson, The (Baton Rouge) Advocate's Koki Riley and WSPA-TV's Pete Yanity (Spartanburg, South Carolina) ranked the Gators 25th. The Chattanooga Times Free Press' David Paschell ranked them 22nd.
Florida started off receiving no votes at the beginning of the year and didn't win any voters over until Week 14 of the season. Once they upset No. 9 Ole Miss to pick up back-to-back ranked SEC wins, the writers began to take notice. They went from zero to four points. They had five by the Week 16 poll and now the final poll gave them seven.
It's not much, but they got some credit for turning things around at the end of the year.
Naturally, the run at the end of the year has raised expectations for Florida. ESPN recently released their way-too-early rankings for next year's Top 25 and they ranked the Gators at No. 18.
After starting the season 4-5, the Gators rattled off four straight wins to finish 8-5 and win the Gasparilla Bowl over Tulane. This run included wins over No. 22 LSU and the aforementioned win over Ole Miss. The win over LSU was their first since 2018. They also demolished rival Florida State to pick up their first win against the rival since 2021.
The Gators head into the 2025 season with an overhauled offensive staff to complement quarterback DJ Lagway, so will be the starter for a full season for the first time.
It's a similar schedule to next season with the exception of switching who plays at home and the season starting with a couple tune-up games. It's another big test, but they now have the precedent to show that they can do more next time around.