Florida Gators No. 5 in SI's 'Still Standing 16' Preseason Rankings

Yesterday, the Associated Press released its annual preseason rankings to kick off the yearly AP Top 25. The issue? It didn't factor in the coronavirus pandemic.

Nine teams from the Big 10 and Pac-12 could be found across the rankings, including three in the top ten: Ohio State (No. 2), Penn State (No. 7), and Oregon (No. 9).

Which, of course, led to some outrage. And some creativity.

Sports Illustrated college reporters Ross Dellenger and Pat Forde have compiled their own college football preseason rankings to more accurately reflect the season that is set to kick off next month - a top 16, rather than 25, incorporating the 60% of FBS leagues remaining in the competition this fall. The Still Standing 16.

The exercise led to a three-spot jump for the Florida Gators, from No. 8 in the AP Top 25 to No. 5 in Sports Illustrated's Still Standing 16. Florida hopped up two spots from Ohio State and Penn State being dropped as members of the Big 10, plus, Dellenger and Forde pushed LSU down the board from their No. 6 ranking in the AP Top 25 to No. 8.

Dellenger shared his reasoning for Florida's No. 5 placement:

5. Florida

Dan Mullen and the Gators can’t get over the hump called Georgia. For three seasons the SEC East rival has stood in their way of the conference championship game, but for how much longer? Mullen became the first Florida coach to open his tenure with back-to-back double-digit-win seasons.

It feels as if the Gators are

this close

to greatness—and achieving it will depend on a QB many believe is the SEC’s best. Senior

Kyle Trask

is good enough to send incumbent

Feleipe Franks

packing to Arkansas. Trask threw for 300 yards in three of his last four games and finished with 25 TDs and seven INTs, but many of his top targets are gone, including Freddie Swain and Van Jefferson. Trask’s sophomore backup,

Emory Jones

, is a powerful runner whom Mullen uses as he did Dak Prescott early in his career at Mississippi State.

Under coordinator Todd Grantham, Florida’s defense has been one of the best in the nation the last two years, carrying a sometimes sluggish offense to ugly victories. But 2020 presents problems ... such as the departure of much of the front seven. At least senior safety

Shawn Davis

is back to anchor the secondary.

Player to Watch

: Miami transfer Lorenzo Lingard, a 6-foot, 200-pound sophomore, might be one of the best running backs no one has heard of. A former No. 2–ranked recruit at the position, he suffered a left knee injury in October 2018 that derailed his tenure as a Hurricane. Florida has other RB options, but Lingard intrigues.

Florida is the third-highest ranked SEC team in the Still Standing 16, behind No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 Georgia. A total of six SEC teams can be found in the rankings, with LSU, Texas A&M, and Auburn falling behind Florida.

Below, you can find the entire Sports Illustrated Still Standing 16. Do you agree with these rankings in place of the traditional top 25? Is Florida's No. 5 spot justified, should they be higher, or lower? Let us know in the comments below.

1. Clemson

2. Alabama

3. Georgia

4. Oklahoma

5. Florida

6. Notre Dame

7. Oklahoma State

8. LSU

9. Texas A&M

10. Cincinnati

11. Texas

12. Auburn

13. Memphis

14. North Carolina

15. Florida State

16. Appalachian State