Florida football put a stop to its bleeding on Saturday in Starkville with a 45-28 win over the Mississippi Bulldogs. The win was the first against an FBS opponent in the Gators‘ last eight tries and evened the team record on the season to 2-2 (1-1, SEC).
While the triumph on the road was an important step forward for Billy Napier and Co., it came against what might be the weakest program in a brutally difficult 16-team Southeastern Conference. Nonetheless, the national sports media is seeing the Orange and Blue in a bit more positive light entering the Week 5 bye.
That change in perspective was reflected in this week’s USA TODAY Sports college football re-rank by Paul Myerberg, who gave the Gators a solid boost after their first conference win of the season.
Florida’s Week 4 re-rank position
Myerberg elevated Florida 10 spots this week from No. 81 to No. 71 following the Mississippi State victory. That puts the Gators between the No. 70 Kansas Jayhawks and No. 72 San Jose State Spartans.
The Florida State Seminoles fell two spots from their previous ranking from No. 80 to No. 82.
USA TODAY Sports Week 4 re-rank top 10
The Georgia Bulldogs remain in the top spot followed by the Texas Longhorns, Ohio State Buckeyes Tennessee Volunteers and Alabama Crimson Tide representing the top five teams, respectively.
The Ole Miss Rebels, Penn State Nittany Lions, Oregon Ducks, Utah Utes and Miami Hurricanes wrap up the top 10 programs in the re-rank.
Up next for the Gators
The Gators will be out of action for Week 5 due to their bye week. Florida’s next opponent will be the UCF Knights — who sit at No. 14 in this week’s re-rank — on Oct. 5. The time is yet to be determined.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida gets boost from MSU road win in USA TODAY Sports re-rank
