Texas opens as a 10-point favorite against Florida

GatorBait editorial illustration.

Combine a September that far exceeded everyone's expectations with the last two weekends and you have a plot straight out of a Roadrunner cartoon. You know how it goes.

Wile E. Coyote orders a rocket from Acme, mounts it and lights a fuse in order to catch up with the Roadrunner. The Roadrunner stops at the edge of a canyon, Wile goes flying by and a thousand feet above the canyon floor, the rocket fizzles out. Wile and the rocket fall to the bottom of the canyon with a loud crash.

Isn't that what Florida's 4-0 September and October's 0-2 at the hands of Missouri and South Carolina feels like? The rocket has fizzled out and unless Jon Sumrall and his staff can reignite it, there will be a crash on a canyon floor. This is when we find out what the Gators are made of.

Adversity has struck not once, but twice and on successive weekends to boot.

Sumrall saw it coming, which is why he warned after the Ole Miss win, "You have to humble yourself or you will be humbled." The Gators have been humbled now and how they respond will dictate the last six weeks of the regular season.

Already with four wins, the Gators have matched last year's win total. Two more wins gets UF bowl eligible, three secures just the second winning record since 2020. That is a difficult but not impossible task.

Tweaks to the offense will have to be made to give the Gators a fighting chance when they face defenses all ranked among the nation's top 14 – 11. Georgia; 13. Texas and 14. Oklahoma.

Texas (12 noon, ABC) is on the Saturday agenda in Austin and while the Longhorns may struggle at times with offensive consistency, there isn't anything wrong with a defense that has allowed only two offensive touchdowns in the last 14 quarters. Opponents average only 2.81 yards per carry and 5.9 yards per pass attempt. Georgia (October 31) allows only 2.5 yards per rush attempt and 5.7 yards per pass attempt. Oklahoma (November 7) gives up 3.34 yards per carry but the Sooners are the No. 1 pass defense in the nation.

The folks who set the betting lines in Las Vegas have established Texas as a 10-point favorite, which may seem rather low considering how Florida has tanked on both sides of the football the last two games. However, Texas hasn't been a standard bearer for consistent offensive play with only 44 combined points in two SEC games (win over Tennessee, loss to Oklahoma). A sputtering Texas offense might be just what the Gators need to right the ship on their defensive side of the football.

So it's not without hope that the Gators begin preparations today for their big adventure in Austin. And, lest we forget, a year ago Texas came to The Swamp ranked No. 9 nationally. Florida had lost three straight games and was a heavy underdog, but the offense found 457 yards and 29 points while a beleaguered defense sacked Arch Manning six times for -37 yards in losses and picked off two of his passes.

Nobody expects the Gators to regain their lost mojo in Austin. If anything, the entire national media expects the Gators to be like Wile E. Coyote riding that rocket to the bottom of the canyon. Florida winning in Austin seems as probable as Wile actually catching the Roadrunner but we saw what happened last year.

It couldn't happen again, could it?

GATORS LAND COMMITMENT FROM 5-STAR EASTON ROYAL

Two straight curb stompings at the hands of Missouri and South Carolina may have tempered the enthusiasm for Florida's first ever College Football Playoff chances, but it didn't have any effect whatsoever on recruiting as Jon Sumrall flipped 5-star wide receiver Easton Royal (5-11, 200, New Orleans, Louisiana, Brother Martin) from Texas. Rivals.com ranks Royal as the No. 1 high school wide receiver and No. 3 player in the country.

Royal was in attendance Saturday when the Gators lost to South Carolina, 38-19, but instead of negatives he saw opportunity to make an impact as a freshman. The Gators played the South Carolina game without Vernell Brown III and Eric Singleton Jr., who has been injured for most of the season, limped off the field a couple of times.

"Eric Singleton will be gone [next year] and they need me to come in and immediately replace him, stretching the defense, running jet sweeps and screens," Royal told Blake Alderman of Rivals.com. "They've said I can be the missing piece to their offense."

Royal combines speed with elusiveness, which has drawn comparisons to Gator great Percy Harvin. And, like Harvin, who won five gold medals in the Virginia state track and field championships his senior year, Easton is a track star with blazing speed. He won both the 100 and 200 meter events at the Louisiana 5A state championships back in the spring. He won the 100 with a 10.17 time and the 200 with a wind-aided 20.82.

As a junior at Brother Martin, Royal scored 29 touchdowns and accumulated 2,095 all-purpose yards. Through the first six games of the current high school season, Royal had caught 35 passes for six touchdowns according to NOLA.com.

Associated Press top 25 (SEC teams bold face): 1. Georgia 6-0; 2. Notre Dame 6-0; 3. Miami 5-0; 4. Ohio State 5-1; 5. Indiana 6-0; 6. Alabama 5-1; 7. Texas 4-1; 8. BYU 5-0; 9. Ole Miss 4-1; 10. Texas Tech 5-0; 11. Utah 5-0; 12. UCLA 5-0; 13. Missouri 5-1; 14. Tennessee 5-1; 15. Kentucky 5-1; 16. Mississippi State 4-1; 17. Iowa 5-1; 18. Oklahoma State 4-1; 19. Southern Cal 6-1; 20. Houston 5-1; 21. Wake Forest 5-1; 22. LSU 4-2; 23. Boise State 5-1; 24. SMU 4-1; 25. Northwestern 4-1

AFCA Coaches top 25: 1. Georgia 6-0; 2. Notre Dame 6-0; 3. Miami 5-0; 4. Indiana 6-0; 5. Ohio State 5-1; 6. Texas 4-1; 7. Alabama 5-1; 8. BYU 5-0; 9. Texas Tech 5-0; 10. Ole Miss 4-1; 11. Utah 5-0; 12. UCLA 5-0; 13. Missouri 5-1; 14. Tennessee 5-1; 15. Southern Cal 6-1; 16. Iowa 5-1; 17. Kentucky 5-1; 18. Houston 5-1; 19. Mississippi State 4-1; 20. Oklahoma State 4-1; 21. LSU 4-2; 22. SMU 4-1; 23. Wake Forest 5-1; 24. Boise State 5-1; 25. Oregon 3-2

ELSEWHERE IN THE SEC

No. 6 Alabama (5-1, 3-1 SEC): SEC officials have some 'splainin' to do after failing to throw a flag on an obvious pass interference in the end zone with 3:38 remaining in the game against Georgia. Wide receiver Rico Scott got behind the Georgia defense but was flattened by KJ Bolden who never looked back as the ball arrived. Saturday: at No. 14 Tennessee (5-1, 2-1 SEC)

Arkansas (2-4, 0-3 SEC): Whoever loses Saturday's matchup with Vanderbilt in Nashville stands a very good chance of doing a reverse run of the SEC table. The Hogs will be underdogs in all six remaining SEC games. Saturday: at Vanderbilt (3-3, 0-3 SEC)

Auburn (3-2, 1-2 SEC): For the Tigers to have any chance at all against Georgia Saturday they will have to complete passes downfield. Currently, QB Byrum Brown is averaging a very pedestrian 6.6 yards per pass attempt. That number is a surefire invitation for Georgia to bring the house on every pass situation Saturday. Saturday: at No. 1 Georgia (6-0, 4-0 SEC)

No. 1 Georgia (6-0, 4-0 SEC): Gunner Stockton's Heisman hopes took a serious leap forward with his performance against Alabama in a driving rainstorm. Stockton completed 18-22 passes for 213 yards and a TD and also ran for a touchdown as the Bulldogs scored a 20-17 win in Tuscaloosa … With Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens sidelined with injuries, Dwight Phillips Jr. ran for 120 yards on 17 carries against Bama. Saturday: Auburn (3-2, 1-2 SEC)

No. 15 Kentucky (5-1, 3-1 SEC): What are the odds of this happening? Kentucky has won consecutive overtime games by the exact same score by going for a two-point conversion rather than kick an extra point to send the game into a second overtime. The latest victim was LSU, which fell 35-34 on Kenny Minchey's two-point conversion run … Running back CJ Baxter ran for 123 yards and two TDs against LSU, one of them on a 77-yard sprint. Saturday: at Oklahoma (3-2, 1-1 SEC)

No. 22 LSU (4-2, 1-2 SEC): On the final play of the first half, Kentucky quarterback Kenny Minchey appeared to be stopped short of the LSU goal but second effort got him into the end zone, a controversial call. Sunday, Lane Kiffin said the line judge told him that "there was too much at stake" to call the play dead … LSU struggled to run the football against Kentucky, averaging just 2.6 yards on 36 carries. Saturday: No. 16 Mississippi State (4-1, 2-1 SEC)

No. 16 Mississippi State (4-1, 2-1 SEC): Kamario Taylor ranks eighth nationally and first in the SEC in passing, averaging 9.4 yards per pass attempt and 290 yards per game. Keeping Taylor upright Saturday is a priority against a pass rush that ranks second in the nation. Saturday: at No. 22 LSU (4-2, 1-2 SEC)

No. 13 Missouri (5-1, 2-1 SEC): Who needs Ahmad Hardy when you have Jamal Roberts? Roberts ran for more than 200 yards (222 to be exact) for the second straight week in Mizzou's win over Texas A&M … The Tigers held the Aggies to 27 rushing yards, 216 total yards and two field goals. Saturday: at No. 9 Ole Miss (4-1, 2-1 SEC)

Oklahoma (3-2, 1-1 SEC): The Sooners scored a TD on a blocked punt and an interception return in their win over then No. 1 Texas. Their third TD was set up by a shanked punt that gave the Sooners the football at the Texas 47. The game-winning field goal was set up by Courtland Guillory's interception of an Arch Manning pass. Saturday: No. 15 Kentucky (5-1, 3-1 SEC)

No. 9 Ole Miss (4-1, 2-1 SEC): The Ole Miss defense came to life at Vanderbilt with three sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions … Trinidad Chambliss threw for three touchdowns and ran for another against Vandy. He has 11 TDPs and five rushing TDs this season. Saturday: No. 13 Missouri (5-1, 2-1 SEC)

South Carolina (3-3, 1-3 SEC): Dylan Stewart's return to the lineup after a one-game suspension proved productive. He had a sack, forced two fumbles and was in on five tackles.

No. 14 Tennessee (5-1, 2-1 SEC): Will the Vols stick with George MacIntyre at QB after he threw two interceptions and lost a fumble in their 24-17 white knuckles win over Arkansas? Or will they go back to true freshman Faizon Brandon, who was benched in the first half of the loss to Georgia a week earlier? Saturday: No. 6 Alabama (5-1, 3-1 SEC)

No. 7 Texas (4-1, 1-1 SEC): It is difficult to fault the Texas defense for the loss 27-24 to Oklahoma. The Longhorns allowed only 238 yards and one offensive touchdown. Saturday: FLORIDA (4-2, 2-2 SEC)

Texas A&M (3-3, 1-3 SEC): Marcel Reed's 2026 meltdown continued at Missouri when he went 19-39 passing for 189 yards (4.8 per attempt) with zero touchdowns and two interceptions. He was sacked three times for -26 yards. Saturday: The Citadel (2-4)

Vanderbilt (3-3, 0-3 SEC): The Commodores lost two fumbles and threw two interceptions in their 52-17 beatdown loss to Ole Miss. The run game produced only 103 yards while the pass attack averaged just 6.5 yards per attempt. Saturday: Arkansas (2-4, 0-3 SEC)