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Florida joins crowded SEC in College Football Playoff projection

CBS Sports has placed the Florida Gators into its latest 2026 College Football Playoff forecast at number eight, marking the program's debut in this round of predictions. This positioning follows a dominant twenty-four point victory over Ole Miss and highlights the immediate impact of head coach Jon Sumrall during his initial campaign at the helm.

Five total Southeastern Conference programs made the cut in the updated projection, reflecting the conference's heavy representation.

Looking ahead, the Gators face a demanding path with remaining matchups against top-ranked Texas, second-ranked Georgia, twenty-fourth-ranked Kentucky, and twenty-fifth-ranked Missouri. If current forecasts hold, Florida would square off against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the opening round of the postseason.

Such a pairing would create an unprecedented meeting between the two schools, as they have never previously played each other on the gridiron.

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