Firing a coach and a bye week can do a lot for morale. The vibes are up in Gainesville. Here's where Florida lands on The Athletic's SEC vibe rankings

Trailing 20-17 midway through the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs (7-1, 5-1 SEC) came up with a huge fourth-down stop inside their own 20-yard line. Moments later, Chauncey Bowens then knifed his way through the Gators defense on a 36-yard touchdown run to take the lead.

The NCAA National Championship returned to an SEC school for the first time since Kentucky won everything in 2012, thanks to the Florida Gators. A trendy pick to finish inside the top 4 of the league, Florida flew under the radar for much of the season thanks in part to, well, not playing anybody.

Florida opens the 2025-26 season ranked No. 5 in The Athletic’s preseason top 25, with Thomas Haugh tabbed as the key player.

Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin released an official statement after the program decided to part ways with head coach Billy Napier.

Florida finds itself in a coaching carousel battle with other college football heavyweights like Penn State and LSU.

REQUIRED READING: Florida football fires Billy Napier in fourth season with the Gators Napier was hired by athletic director Scott Stricklin following the firing of Dan Mullen, who was similarly fired by the Gators after going 34-15 in three-plus seasons.