College Football Rankings 2020: Projected AP Top 25 for Week 9
By Zach Bigalke
Scouting Report. 2-1. idle in Week 8. Florida Gators. 9. player. 840. Pick Analysis
Florida continues to deal with a coronavirus outbreak among their football team after the virus forced the postponement of the Week 7 showdown against LSU. The Gators remain sidelined in Week 8, when they were already scheduled to take a bye. But Florida won’t be returning to the practice field until Monday at the earliest, as the program fights to restore its roster and its coaching staff back to health.
The developments in Gainesville came on the heels of Dan Mullen imploring the university to fill The Swamp with 90,000 fans. A few days later, the program was shuttered and Mullen himself tested positive for COVID-19 along with 19 players. As a result, Florida’s defense lost a chance to rebound right away after giving up more than 500 yards to the Aggies.
The postponed game against LSU has now been rescheduled to December 12, meaning that Florida will have to stay healthy over the next seven weeks — or eight, if they reach the SEC championship game. Barring any further COVID-19 issues, the Gators will be back on the field in Week 9 to defend their AP Top 25 position with a home matchup against Missouri.