Feb. 17, 2026, 11:43 a.m. ET
Following a 2-1 start to the 2026 college baseball season, the Florida Gators fell three spots to No. 12 on The Athletic’s weekly rankings update.
While Florida’s opening-night loss to the UAB Blazers was disappointing, the rankings movement is more about what other teams have done than the Gators’ own shortcomings.
Oklahoma shot up the list to No. 10 after starting the season outside of the top 25, and North Carolina moved up a spot to No. 9 after both teams started the season undefeated. TCU held steady at No. 11, allowing Florida to fall behind it, thanks to wins over Arkansas and Vanderbilt at the Shriners Children’s College Showdown at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
Florida is one of 11 SEC teams inside The Athletic’s top 25. LSU moved into the No. 1 spot this week, while No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Arkansas, No. 5 Auburn and No. 6 Mississippi State held steady inside the top 10. Oklahoma moved into the top 10 as mentioned above. Ole Miss (No. 14) and Georgia (No. 15) each fell one spot, and Tennessee moved up one to No. 17. Vanderbilt dropped the most, falling five places to No. 21, and Kentucky stayed put at No. 23.
Michigan is the other newcomer to the top 25 this week. Arizona and Louisville dropped out of the rankings after losing their opening series.
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Dropped Out: No. 17 Louisville Cardinals, No. 21 Arizona Wildcats
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