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The Florida Gators come in at No. 8 in the first SB Nation FanPulse top 25 rankings of the 2019 college football season — which clearly means some are still sleeping on the Gators.
The FanPulse effort, the first of its kind for SB Nation’s college sports communities, ranked defending national champion Clemson No. 1, runner-up Alabama No. 2, and College Football Playoff participants Georgia and Oklahoma Nos. 3 and 4, respectively. Ohio State, entering its first season under Ryan Day, sits at No. 5.
The back half of the top 10 is comprised of Michigan — which Florida drubbed in last season’s Peach Bowl — Notre Dame, Florida, Texas, and LSU, in that order.
Other ranked Florida opponents include No. 18 Auburn and No. 22 Miami.
Here is that full top 25.
SB Nation FanPulse Top 25 — Preseason
| Ranking | Team |
|---|---|
| Ranking | Team |
| No. 1 | Clemson |
| No. 2 | Alabama |
| No. 3 | Georgia |
| No. 4 | Oklahoma |
| No. 5 | Ohio State |
| No. 6 | Michigan |
| No. 7 | Notre Dame |
| No. 8 | Florida |
| No. 9 | Texas |
| No. 10 | LSU |
| No. 11 | Texas A&M |
| No. 12 | Oregon |
| No. 13 | Washington |
| No. 14 | Penn State |
| No. 15 | Utah |
| No. 16 | UCF |
| No. 17 | Wisconsin |
| No. 18 | Auburn |
| No. 19 | Iowa |
| No. 20 | Iowa State |
| No. 21 | Northwestern |
| No. 22 | Miami |
| No. 23 | Michigan State |
| No. 24 | Nebraska |
| No. 25 | Virginia Tech |
The Gators do, naturally, fare slightly better in the eyes of the Alligator Army community. With a sample of more than 50 voters, our principality of Gator Nation slotted Florida in at No. 6 nationally, ahead of both Michigan and Notre Dame.
The rest of the Alligator Army top 25 does not deviate dramatically from the national rankings, with only minor changes like UCF sliding one spot to No. 17. (This is, uh, not the case for some rankings from other communities, which I’ll delve into more deeply tomorrow.
Alligator Army FanPulse Top 25 — Preseason
| Ranking | Team |
|---|---|
| Ranking | Team |
| No. 1 | Clemson |
| No. 2 | Alabama |
| No. 3 | Georgia |
| No. 4 | Oklahoma |
| No. 5 | Ohio State |
| No. 6 | Florida |
| No. 7 | Michigan |
| No. 8 | Texas |
| No. 9 | Notre Dame |
| No. 10 | LSU |
| No. 11 | Texas A&M |
| No. 12 | Oregon |
| No. 13 | Washington |
| No. 14 | Penn State |
| No. 15 | Utah |
| No. 16 | Wisconsin |
| No. 17 | UCF |
| No. 18 | Auburn |
| No. 19 | Iowa |
| No. 20 | Northwestern |
| No. 21 | Iowa State |
| No. 22 | Miami |
| No. 23 | Michigan State |
| No. 24 | Nebraska |
| No. 25 | Virginia Tech |