Florida football took a tumble over the last couple of weeks after a pair of blowout losses in SEC play — particularly its embarrassing homecoming squander to South Carolina — but a triumph over Texas in Week 7 has turned the tables back in the Gators' favor.

After beating the Longhorns on their own turf for the first time ever, Jon Sumrall and Co. now find themselves back among Athlon Sports writer Steven Lassan's college football top 25 rankings, landing at No. 18 — between No. 17 Missouri, to whom the Gators lost in Week 5, and No. 19 Texas.

"The Gators return to the top 25 after Saturday’s 27-24 upset of Texas. After back-to-back poor performances on defense, Florida’s defense stepped up on Saturday," Lassan notes. "This unit held the Longhorns to 272 yards, forced a turnover and recorded five sacks. Also, quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. (22 of 35 for 155 yards and two scores) made a handful of clutch plays in his first start."

Florida also re-entered the top 25 in both major polls and is now ranked No. 24 in the US LBM Coaches Poll and No. 20 in the AP Top 25.

SEC schools in Athlon Sports' college football rankings top 25

The Southeastern Conference has nine schools in Athlon Sports' top 25 after Week 7, with Georgia leading the way at No. 4, followed by Ole Miss (No. 7) and Tennessee (No. 10) among the top 10. Alabama (No. 12), Kentucky (No. 13), Missouri (No. 17), Florida (No. 18), Texas (No. 19) and LSU (No. 20) wrap up the remaining league representatives in the top 25, while Mississippi State sits on the outside looking in.

Athlon Sports' college football rankings top 25 after Week 7

  1. Ohio State (6-1)
  2. Miami (6-0)
  3. BYU (6-0)
  4. Georgia (6-1)
  5. Notre Dame (6-1)
  6. Indiana (6-1)
  7. Ole Miss (5-1)
  8. Texas Tech (6-0)
  9. UCLA (6-0)
  10. Tennessee (6-1)
  11. Utah (6-0)
  12. Alabama (5-2)
  13. Kentucky (6-1)
  14. Houston (6-1)
  15. USC (6-1)
  16. Iowa (5-1)
  17. Missouri (5-2)
  18. Florida (5-2)
  19. Texas (4-2)
  20. LSU (5-2)
  21. Wake Forest (6-1)
  22. Oklahoma State (4-2)
  23. Boise State (5-1)
  24. Northwestern (5-1)
  25. Arizona (5-1)

Up Next: Oregon, SMU, James Madison, Mississippi State

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Athlon Sports promotes Florida back into its top 25 after Texas win

Source: Yahoo Sports