April 28, 2021
Despite the late-season slump, Florida finished in the top 15 of the AP Poll for the third consecutive season. Can you guess when the last time the program pulled that off?
You probably can: it was Urban Meyer’s tenure-starting run from 2005-09. However, that only works with the AP Poll specifically. Meyer’s 2005 and 2007 teams both finished 16th in the Coaches’ Poll, which means Meyer didn’t get three consecutive consensus top-15 poll finishes even once.
Dan Mullen has done it, with the 2020 squad’s No. 12 finish in the Coaches’ Poll and No. 13 finish in the AP to go with a pair of top-seven finishes in 2018 and 2019. The Gators’ last consensus top-15 run before Mullen, therefore, was the end of Steve Spurrier’s tenure. The Head Ball Coach never had a team finish below the No. 13 AP Poll rank that his first team had in 1990.