AP Top 25 Poll Reiterates Tough 2024 for Florida Gators

The AP Top 25 Poll was released on Monday, and it's another reminder how tough the schedule is for the Florida Gators.

Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier may have picked the wrong schedule to need a breakthrough season. / Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

The talk of the town since the 2023 season ended has been largely about the Florida Gators 2024 schedule. More specifically, how hard of a year it’s going to be for the Gators and Billy Napier to even scratch four, five or six wins with the treacherous path that lies ahead. 

While it did slow down a little bit over the past month or so, talk began to heat back up again to start the week. On Monday, the first AP Top 25 College Football Poll of the season was released and to no surprise, the Gators had several opponents on the list. 

🚨 NEW 🚨

The Preseason AP Poll is here! @GeorgiaFootball takes the No. 1 spot. Who should be higher? pic.twitter.com/bYz4tOgzCE

— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) August 12, 2024

Florida will be taking on eight teams ranked inside the Top 25. Furthermore, six of them will be inside the top 15. For those who want the specifics, they will be facing off against No. 1 Georgia, No. 4 Texas, No. 6 Ole Miss, No. 10 Florida State, No. 13 LSU, No. 15 Tennessee, No. 19 Miami and No. 20 Texas A&M. 

So, yes, the Gators have a daunting and ugly schedule lying ahead. 

Luckily for the Gators, they won’t see them all to begin the season. In the first seven games, the only ranked teams they take the field with are going to be Miami, Texas A&M and Tennessee. These three are the lowest ranked of the eight. 

However, after those first seven, the even more challenging part of the schedule comes to life. 

To end 2024, the Gators will meet Georgia in Jacksonville, travel to Texas, host LSU and Ole Miss in back-to-back weeks and then travel to Florida State. I mean, seriously, look at every Division l school’s schedule and see if there are any comparable stretches. 

Let me help you out; you won't. 

The Gators had arguably the hardest schedule in the country before this AP Poll released and its arrival has only strengthened the argument.