Florida has already forced its way into the national conversation, but Kirk Herbstreit isn’t ready to stamp the Gators as a full-blown title threat just yet. For him, the real test comes when the schedule gets heavy - and that means beating Texas or Georgia.
Herbstreit laid out his view on Nonstop, the podcast he hosts with fellow ESPN analyst Joey Galloway, in the wake of Florida’s 52-28 win over then-No. 4 Ole Miss on Saturday. He said the Gators have moved well beyond being a novelty.
"I think they've become more than just a cute story," Herbstreit said.
The next hurdle, in Herbstreit’s eyes, is proving this start can hold up against the kind of teams that separate good runs from real contention.
"Can Florida sustain this? They've become, I think, one of the great stories in what was expected of them with a new coach and what they're doing," Herbstreit said.
"It's one thing to get up for Ole Miss or get excited about Georgia. ... The great teams take care of going to Missouri and winning that game."
That trip comes next. No.
8 Florida visits No. 25 Missouri at 3:30 p.m.
ET Saturday on ABC, and both Herbstreit and Galloway picked the Gators. Still, the assignment is hardly a free pass.
Missouri has won the last two meetings in Columbia, and Jon Sumrall is dealing with injuries to wide receivers Bailey Stockton, Vernell Brown III and Eric Singleton Jr.
The numbers behind Florida’s start are loud enough to make the point on their own. Herbstreit guessed the Gators are scoring "probably around 50 a game." In reality, they’ve been even hotter, averaging 53.5 points through four wins after putting up 66, 52, 44 and 52.
Junior running back Jadan Baugh has been the engine. He leads the offense with 600 rushing yards and a nation-best 11 rushing touchdowns. He also became the fastest Gator to reach 10 rushing touchdowns in a season, beating the seven-game pace Tim Tebow set in 2007.
The turnaround has been dramatic. Florida went 4-8 in 2025. Now it’s 4-0 for the first time since 2019 and has cracked the top 10 of The Associated Press Top 25 for the first time in five years.
After Missouri, the schedule tightens fast. Florida hosts South Carolina on Oct. 10, then goes to No.
1 Texas on Oct. 17 before meeting No. 2 Georgia on Oct. 31 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Because renovations at EverBank Stadium pushed the rivalry game out of Jacksonville, it will be the first Florida-Georgia matchup played in Atlanta in a series that dates to 1915.
Galloway pressed Herbstreit on whether Florida had to sweep that stretch to prove itself. Herbstreit said no. But he was clear that one of the two marquee games has to fall Florida’s way.
"Yeah, you do," Herbstreit said. "If you're going where you want to go, you've got to be able to get one of those, for sure, to be evaluated as a team and to answer that question: Are they a national title or SEC championship contender? Yeah, you'd have to win one of those games."
Texas and Georgia are both 4-0, and Georgia has outscored opponents by an average of 41.5 points per game.
In Other News...
Florida Is Suddenly Right In The Middle Of A Five-Star WR Fight
Florida has suddenly found itself in the thick of another high-end recruiting battle, this time for Easton Royal, one of the top wide receiver prospects in the 2027 class. Royal is committed to Texas for now, but he has been making the rounds with official visits to Florida, LSU and Ole Miss, which is usually the kind of movement that gets rival staffs and fan bases paying close attention.
Royal said he could see himself playing at Florida, and he is reportedly close to a decision, which puts the Gators squarely in the conversation as the process starts to narrow. With NIL factors continuing to shape the recruiting landscape, the uncertainty around his commitment only adds to the intrigue, and Florida appears to be pushing to stay in the mix until the final call is made. [Read more 🡒]
Florida's Playoff Push Now Comes Down To One Early Test
Florida has suddenly found itself with a real playoff pathway, at least on paper, and the projections are starting to reflect it. ESPN analysts Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach, along with On3s Andy Staples, all see a clear route to the 12-team College Football Playoff in 2026, and ESPNs FPI backs that up by giving the Gators a 49.4% chance to get in. With Florida favored in every remaining game except Texas and Georgia, the margin for error looks manageable, but also fragile in the way these seasons tend to be.
Missouri now looms as the first real measuring stick for head coach Jon Sumralls group, because the Gators momentum has to survive a game like this if the bigger picture is going to hold. Florida does not need a perfect finish to keep its postseason hopes alive, but it does need to keep proving it can handle the kind of matchup that can quietly change the tone of a season, especially with Texas and Georgia still waiting in the background. [Read more 🡒]
Florida's Ole Miss Breakout Just Put Three Gators In The Spotlight
Floridas win over Ole Miss did more than add another SEC victory to the ledger. It also pushed three Gators into the conference spotlight, with Jadan Baugh earning Offensive Player of the Week, London Montgomery taking Special Teams Player of the Week and Bryce Lovett being recognized as Offensive Lineman of the Week after key roles in the 52-28 result.
Baugh paced the ground game with 142 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while Montgomery gave Florida a lift in the return game with 128 kick return yards, including a 74-yard burst. Lovetts day was just as important in the trenches, where he posted a 100% block rate and did not allow a quarterback pressure, the kind of quiet dominance that helps make a blowout like this possible. [Read more 🡒]