College football is back. Here’s the Herald’s power rankings for Florida’s teams
The first week of the college football season is in the books.
There were some upsets and scares for teams ranked in the preseason Top 25. That includes some programs in the Sunshine State. But what about the unranked Florida schools?
Here’s a look at the Herald’s power rankings of Florida’s Division I college football teams after Week 1:
1. Florida (1-0)
The Gators didn’t look phenomenal passing the football, but their defense was lights out in dominating FAU.
2. Miami (0-1)
Everything that could go wrong did go wrong for the Hurricanes in their opener against top-ranked Alabama. But Alabama has a way of doing that to teams, so Miami doesn’t drop in the rankings in comparison to the other state programs just yet.
3. Florida State (0-1)
The heroic comeback story of McKenzie Milton, off and on the field, was something to watch. The overtime loss to Notre Dame was enough to lock in as the state’s third-best team and signal the Seminoles have improved from 2020.
4. UCF (1-0)
Isaiah Bowser, take a bow after a 172-yard rushing performance in the 36-31 win over Boise State. However, the defensive issues that cost the Knights in 2020 were present again and need to be cleaned up moving forward.
5. FIU (1-0)
It was against an FCS program, yet Florida International University was thoroughly impressive with a 318-yard rushing performance as a team against Long Island University.
6. Florida Atlantic (0-1)
It was a tall order opening the season on the road in Gainesville against UF. The Owls allowed 400 rushing yards, but did slow the Gators’ passing attack in a 35-14 loss.
7. USF (0-1)
The Bulls are the worst FBS team in Florida. They were blanked 45-0 by North Carolina State, doing very little offensively and struggling on defense.
8. Stetson (1-0)
The Hatters did whatever they wanted to against Warner University in a 54-14 blowout victory.
9. Bethune-Cookman (0-1)
The Wildcats fought hard against UTEP, but the Conference USA program was too much for Bethune-Cookman.
10. FAMU (0-1)
It was a revival of the Orange Blossom Classic, but it didn’t provide much offensive flair as the Rattlers scored just six points in a 7-6 loss.
