The start of the 2026 college football season is getting closer as each day passes, and with the summer months now in full swing, it is as good a time as any to look ahead at what may transpire this coming fall.
CBS Sports writer Brad Crawford recently offered up his game-by-game picks and projections for every SEC team’s overall record, including the Florida Gators, for the upcoming campaign. He predicts that the Orange and Blue will finish with an even 6-6 mark while struggling to a 3-6 finish in conference play.
“This .500 finish wouldn’t necessarily signal failure for first-year Gators coach Jon Sumrall if his team beats a CFP hopeful like Oklahoma and pummels rival Florida State, given the difficulty of the Gators’ path,” he offers. “The bigger question is whether Florida shows consistent growth throughout the season and establishes a clear identity under its new coach — that’s what Gators fans want to see.”
Crawford’s projection falls short of a CFP appearance for Florida, but it also predicts a bowl game — a feat the program has achieved just once over the past three seasons. And coming off a brutal 4-8 finish to the 2025 campaign, that at least signals some forward progress for the Gators.
“Sumrall has a reputation for maximizing talent and building disciplined football teams, but Year 1 rebuilds in this conference are rarely smooth. If Florida reaches bowl eligibility while remaining competitive against the league’s upper tier, the foundation would be in place for a bigger jump in 2027. Sometimes progress isn’t measured solely by wins and losses,” he concludes.
Crawford predicts that Florida will prevail in its home games against FAU, Campbell, South Carolina, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt, and on the road against Florida State. On the flip side, he projects losses on the road against Auburn, Missouri, Texas and Kentucky, and at home against Ole Miss, plus a neutral-field defeat at the hands of Georgia in Atlanta.
It is perfectly reasonable for the Gator Nation to hope for a .500 finish at the very least, given the hole Sumrall and Co. have to dig out of after the Billy Napier era. It also would not be too surprising if the team sneaks in another win for a 7-5 finish; alternatively, it is not inconceivable that they could fall flat and end up at 5-7… or worse.
But at this point, hope springs eternal.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Predicting Florida football’s 2026 win-loss record, game-by-game picks
Reporting by Adam Dubbin, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Adam Dubbin, Gators Wire | USA TODAY Network
