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After losing its first game of the year to LSU on Saturday, it was pretty much expected that Florida would fall in the various national rankings.
That's not what happened in this week's SEC Power Poll.
Not only did the Gators not fall, they actually moved up this week, rising from No. 4 to No. 3 after their 35-28 defeat in Death Valley. Granted, that probably has far more to do with Texas A&M falling from No. 3 after a more dismal showing against Alabama, but still: Florida lost and actually gained some esteem from the SEC Power Poll voters. (And no, I still haven't voted yet this year. "Maybe next week!" he said to himself.)
Here's the full table for that Week 7 SEC Power Poll.
| Team (First-place votes) | Points | Change | Standard Deviation | |
| 1 | Alabama Crimson Tide (7) | 150 | -- | 0.505 |
| 2 | LSU Tigers (4) | 146.5 | -- | 0.505 |
| 3 | Florida Gators | 130 | +1 | 0.405 |
| 4 | Texas A&M Aggies | 121.5 | -1 | 0.831 |
| 5 | Mississippi St. Bulldogs | 105 | +1 | 1.128 |
| 6 | Ole Miss Rebels | 95 | -1 | 1.748 |
| 7 | Georgia Bulldogs | 84 | -- | 1.120 |
| 8 | Tennessee Volunteers | 80 | -- | 1.421 |
| 9 | Arkansas Razorbacks | 67 | -- | 1.446 |
| 10 | Auburn Tigers | 57 | +2 | 1.471 |
| 11 | Kentucky Wildcats | 49 | -2 | 0.820 |
| 12 | Missouri Tigers | 37 | -1 | 0.674 |
| 13 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 22 | +1 | 0.000 |
| 14 | Vanderbilt Commodores | 11 | -1 | 0.000 |
And here's what voters said about the Gators:
Florida Gators
Florida and Jim McElwain deserve all the credit in thw world going into LSU and coming with a seven point loss considering all of the turmoil they faced last week. McElwain is proving that he belongs in the SEC.---A Sea of Blue
Don't get down, Gator fans. Les was on a heater, there aren't many teams capable of beating him when he's that hot. I mean, how could you have known that LSU's kicker was capable of OUTRUNNING VERNON HARGREAVES.---Rock M Nation
The Gators held their own on a Saturday night in Baton Rouge down a starting quarterback; there's a lot to be said about that.---Arkansas Fight