Longhorns Tumble, Gators Return: Florida Is No. 20 In The AP Poll

Florida is back in the AP Top 25. The Gators (5-2, 3-2 SEC) landed at No. 20 in the poll released Sunday, one week after falling out, thanks to a 27-24 win at No. 7 Texas.

Texas went the other direction. The Longhorns dropped 12 spots, from No. 7 to No. 19, after their second straight loss.

Florida is ranked ahead of Missouri, which is No. 22 after beating the Gators 45-17 on Oct. 3.

The top of the poll

Miami is No. 1 for the first time since the 2002 season, receiving 40 of the 70 first-place votes. BYU is No. 2, its highest ranking since 1984, and Ohio State is No. 3. Notre Dame is No. 4.

Georgia, last week's No. 1, fell to No. 5 after losing at home to Auburn. The Bulldogs are next on Florida's schedule.

Movers

Among teams that stayed ranked, BYU and Houston climbed the most, six spots each. Texas fell the farthest, followed by Missouri (13 to 22) and Alabama (6 to 13).

The SEC has nine teams ranked: Georgia (5), Ole Miss (7), Tennessee (11), Kentucky (12), Alabama (13), LSU (18), Texas (19), Florida (20) and Missouri (22).

AP Top 25, Oct. 18, 2026 (selected teams)

Rank	Team	Last week
1	Miami (Fla.)	3
2	BYU	8
3	Ohio State	4
4	Notre Dame	2
5	Georgia	1
19	Texas	7
20	Florida	Unranked

Florida has an open date Saturday, Oct. 24. The Gators' next game is against that No. 5 team: Georgia on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Source: The Associated Press Top 25 poll released Oct. 18, 2026. Last-week rankings are from the AP poll of Oct. 11.

Photo courtesy UAA (University Athletic Association, FloridaGators.com) and Hannah White. See more of her work on Instagram, and the official Florida Gators photo galleries at FloridaGators.com.