Florida football took the week off after playing seven straight games to open up the 2026 campaign. Despite the breather, the Gators now find themselves back among the top 20 teams in the US LBM Coaches Poll.

Following the Week 8 bye, Florida rose four spots to No. 20 in the Coaches Poll with 417 points — a 167-point improvement over last week. That now puts the Gators between No. 19 Houston (435) and No. 21 Arizona (399).

The SEC's representation among the top 25 remained at nine schools for the third straight week, headlined by third-ranked Georgia, followed by Kentucky (No. 8), Alabama (No. 10), Texas (No. 11), Ole Miss (No. 12), LSU (No. 13), Tennessee (No. 17), Florida (No. 20) and Missouri (No. 23). South Carolina (12), Auburn (4) and Oklahoma (1) were the three others who also appeared on the ballot.

Next up, Florida faces Georgia in their annual rivalry game on Saturday, Oct. 31, which will be played in Atlanta and broadcast on ABC starting at 3:30 p.m. ET.

US LBM Coaches Poll Week 8 top 25 rankings

Schools Dropped Out

No. 25 Oregon

Others Receiving Votes

Oklahoma State 120; Wisconsin 114; Cincinnati 49; New Mexico 43; Minnesota 35; UTSA 34; Nebraska 27; Virginia Tech 16; Oregon State 15; South Carolina 12; Duke 12; Oregon 5; Auburn 4; North Texas 2; Michigan 2; UCF 1; Oklahoma 1; James Madison 1

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida returns to the US LBM Coaches Poll top 20 after Week 8 bye

Source: Yahoo Sports