UCF, UF ranked in AP top 25

Knights start season 17th; Gators are 8th heading into Miami opener.

UCF once again kicks off the season ranked in the Associated Press top 25 poll, with the Knights landing at No. 17 in the preseason poll.

It’s the second consecutive year UCF has entered a season in the top 25, with the Knights ranked No. 21 last year. This is the 28th consecutive appearance by a UCF team in the weekly AP poll dating back to 2017.

The last time a UCF team wasn’t ranked was Sept. 24, 2017, and during that time, the program went on to win 25 of its last 26 games, capped with back-to-back American Athletic Conference championships and consecutive appearances in New Year’s Six Access Bowl games.

Florida, which kicks off the season Saturday against Miami in the Camping World Kickoff, opens the year at No. 8 in the preseason rankings.

It’s the first time the Gators have been ranked to start a season since 2016 and it’s the highestranking a Florida team has received to open a season since the team was No. 4 in 2010.

UCF was ranked No. 17 in the USA Today coaches’ top 25 poll released on July 31. The Knights open the season on Thursday, Aug. 29 against Florida A&M at Spectrum Stadium.

The Gators were No. 8 in the coaches’ poll as well.

Florida State, meanwhile, saw its 10 consecutive seasons of being ranked in the preseason AP poll snapped. The last time the Seminoles entered a season unranked was 2008. Willie Taggart’s team is coming off a disappointing 5-7 campaign during which the program saw its streak of consecutive bowl appearances snapped at 36.

Miami also wasn’t ranked to start the season for the first time since 2016.

Clemson earned the No. 1 spot in the poll, with the Tigers coming off their second national championship in the last three seasons. The last team to earn the top spot in the preseason AP poll and go on to finish the season ranked No. 1 was Alabama in 2017.

The runner-up to Clemson last season, Alabama, is No. 2 in the rankings, followed by Georgia, Oklahoma and Ohio State to round out the top five.

The first of six College Football Playoff rankings, which determine the four teams that qualify for the two semifinal games, will be released on Tuesday, Nov. 5.