Florida’s win over Texas in Week 7 changed the mood around the Gators in a hurry.
A team that opened the season with four straight victories had stumbled into a two-game skid and watched its College Football Playoff buzz cool off fast. But after upsetting the Longhorns, Florida is back in the mix, and CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford now has the Gators landing in the Citrus Bowl against Iowa in Orlando on January 2, 2027.
“Credit to Jon Sumrall's team for not backing down despite trailing by 14 points at Texas during the first half. They wilted under pressure the previous two weeks before posting their second win of the season against a top-10 opponent,” Crawford offers.
“Instead of a three-game skid entering the open date before Georgia, Florida (is) back in the top-25 after the win and is very much alive in the CFP discussion. The consolation prize would be a short trek from Gainesville to Orlando if the Gators fail to get in. What a wild year thus far in the SEC.”
Florida’s postseason path would send it to a bowl game it knows well. The Gators have played in the Citrus Bowl and its earlier versions, the Tangerine Bowl and Capital One Bowl, six times and own a 2-4 record in those games.
Their wins came in 1980, when they beat Maryland 35-20, and in 1998, when Steve Spurrier’s team topped Michigan State 21-6. The losses came against Miami (OH) in 1973, Michigan State in 1999, and Michigan in both 2007 and 2015.
Florida and Iowa have also built up a familiar bowl history. The programs have met four times since 1983, with all four matchups coming in the postseason and Florida winning three of them.
The Gators beat Iowa in the 1983 Gator Bowl, 14-6, then again in the 2005 Outback Bowl, 31-24, and in the 2016 Outback Bowl, 30-3. Iowa’s lone win in the series came in the 2002 Outback Bowl, 37-17.
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Walter Clayton Jr.s NBA path has already taken another turn before hes had much time to settle in. The former Florida guard was drafted in the first round by the Utah Jazz, then shipped to the Memphis Grizzlies, giving Gators fans a familiar name to follow as he worked to carve out a place at the next level.
Memphis has now waived Clayton as it trims its roster to the leagues 15-player limit, putting him right back into a waiting game familiar to plenty of young pros. There is reported interest from other NBA teams for the upcoming season, which keeps his next stop very much in play and leaves Florida supporters watching to see where he lands next. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Just Forced A Very Different Season Conversation
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CBS Sports responded by bumping Florida up 10 spots to No. 24 in its latest college football rankings, a notable jump after one of the biggest wins of the weekend. It also came in a larger SEC reshuffle, with 10 league teams now sitting in the top 25 of that re-rank, a reminder that Floridas breakthrough arrived in a conference race that already has plenty of company at the top. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Recruiting Momentum Just Put More Pressure On Jon Sumrall
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Among the biggest reasons for the surge is wide receiver Easton Royal, who gave Florida another marquee win after starting his process with Texas. That kind of momentum matters because it changes the pressure around every recruiting battle Florida enters from here, especially with more high-profile decisions still to come and rivals now forced to keep pace with a class that is gaining real national traction. [Read more 🡒]