Football
If you don’t know who South Florida is, you certainly do now after they stunned yet another top 25 ranked team, this time it was the in-state Florida Gators in The Swamp. The Bulls pulled off yet another ranked win a week after beating No. 25 ranked Boise State in the opening weekend of the season. South Florida slowed the game down, forced Florida into uncomfortable situations and took down the Gators.
It’s a win that makes you realize why preseason rankings don’t mean much. Florida, understandably, debuted at No. 15 this season, though they hobbled to an 8-5 record and contemplated their coaching situation after Billy Napier’s miserable start to the year. They didn’t look great against their first FBS opponent of the season and it’s probably giving Florida fans deja vu from last year.
South Florida could have a Florida State level surge into the top 25 this week after yet another ranked win of the year. Let’s take a look at the projected rankings ahead of Week 3 for the college football season.
Projected rankings after South Florida pulls off second-straight upset
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Penn State Nittany Lions
- LSU Tigers
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Miami Hurricanes
- Oregon Ducks
- Texas Longhorns
- South Carolina Gamecocks
- Clemson Tigers
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Illinois Fighting Illini
- Arizona State Sun Devils
- Oklahoma Sooners
- Florida State Seminoles
- Iowa State Cyclones
- Michigan Wolverines
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Ole Miss Rebels
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- USF Bulls
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Florida Gators
- Auburn Tigers
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Baylor Bears
The late games haven’t concluded, but despite a week that appeared less exciting than last week, we got a shake up in the top 25 poll thanks to some big wins by unranked opponents. I dropped Indiana out as they just don’t have good wins and somebody had to drop out. As for SMU, a loss to a ranked opponent at home absolutely drops you out of the top 25 poll in my eyes.
Florida Gators projected to fall out of top 20 after shocking loss to South Florida
This season, the Gators has more pressure than maybe any other team to play well and most importantly, win. Neither of those were accomplished against South Florida and they’re lucky to still be ranked. I think had their schedule not be set up to figure itself out, they just might fall out of the top 25 altogether. Thanks to South Florida’s win over Boise State, the loss doesn’t look that bad, but it’s not a silver lining by any means.
DJ Lagway, who was in Heisman conversations, followed in Arch Manning’s footsteps with a less than appealing performance. If you look at the box score, you might think it wasn’t a bad performance, but the offense struggled to score in the redzone. They had just one touchdown all game. This is not the way to respond with four straight games against ranked opponents coming up. They’ll certainly have a chance to get back on track, but this one will sting.
South Florida projected to crack top 20 after consecutive ranked wins
You could argue the win over Boise State was a one-off for a team that’s been one of the bottom-feeders of college football lately. But after a walk-off field sealed an 18-16 road win over Florida, it’s clear the Bulls just might be that good. Florida didn’t look great, but the Bulls looked like the better team.
They stormed into The Swamp and made the Gators look inferior to them. That’s not something that happens often and they should get rewarded with a top 20 selection. There’s a chance they make a Florida State level jump into the top 25, but sliding into No. 20 is respectable in my book.
Read More Leigha Mayoral