Florida Gators College Football Playoff Rooting Guide: Jon Sumrall’s team could use some help in making the top-12

Making the College Football Playoff is still a realistic outcome for the Florida Gators, but they have to keep winning.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
Add as preferred source on Google
Oct 10, 2026; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall looks on from the sideline against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Oct 10, 2026; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall looks on from the sideline against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

After the first four games of the Florida Gators‘ first season under Jon Sumrall, making the College Football Playoff felt like a stronger possibility than ever before. That 4-0 start had everyone excited about how good this team could be.

Unfortunately, the Gators got smoked in the following two weeks by the Missouri Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks. That made things very difficult to make the College Football Playoff. Even with the two losses, they have two wins against top-10 teams in the Texas Longhorns and Ole Miss Rebels.

Will the Gators make the playoff if the win out? How about one loss? The A to Z Sports’ CFP predictor helps paint an interesting picture of what needs to happen.

Florida Gators need help to make the College Football Playoff

When we look at how the Gators’ schedule plays out, winning out will give them three wins in the top-10, and potentially four if Kentucky is still in the top-10. That could be enough to get them into both the CFP and the SEC Championship Game. If they lose to the Bulldogs this weekend, their odds drop down to 30% to make it, but not all hope is lost.

This week, seeing the Auburn Tigers beating Ole Miss, Cincinnati Wildcats beating the Utah Utes, and the Oregon Ducks beating the 6-1 Northwestern Wildcats would spike their playoff odds a whopping 11% to 41% odds to make it.

After that, there are a few more that will help them a lot.

  • Week 13: Auburn over Alabama Crimson Tide (with Alabama entering game at 9-2 after beating LSU Tigers in Week 10): 11% gain
  • Week 12: Michigan Wolverines over UCLA Bruins: 4% gain
  • Week 11: Texas A&M Aggies over Tennessee Volunteers: 3% gain

Outside of these games, they will need a few other results to happen.

  • Utah and UCLA losing at least one more game
  • Texas Tech Red Raiders, BYU Cougars, and Arizona Wildcats all having at least two losses

Winning out gives the Gators a 99% chance to make the College Football Playoff, and that’s the No. 1 path forward for Sumrall’s team.

Play A to Z Daily Games