College Football Rankings Week 7: Which Florida Will Return to Top 25 First?

The state of Florida is considered a hot bed for talent in college football. The three main programs, Florida, Florida State and Miami may not have as long of a storied history as some programs, but it's hard to talk about the '80s and '90s without mentioning one of these three teams.

This week marks the first time since 1982 that no Florida school is ranked in the Top 25.

All three teams have struggled, but which team will be back in the Top 25 before the others?

Miami Hurricanes?

The Hurricanes are in big trouble. The NCAA scandals rocked them like a hurricane (pun intended) before they even got onto the field.

Once they did play games, the results have been very pedestrian. The Hurricanes sit at 2-4 and that is nowhere near acceptable for Hurricanes fans.

The one bright moment for Miami is the win over Ohio State earlier this year.

Unfortunately, there may not be many bright moments ahead. The 'Canes travel to 5-1 North Carolina, then get No. 12 ranked Georgia Tech with their option offense.

The 'Canes end the season with trips to Florida State and South Florida (Tampa) along with hosting Boston College.

Florida State is always a tough game for both teams and you can bet South Florida will be looking to make a name for themselves on the recruiting trail by beating one of the big three in Florida.

Florida State?

Jimbo Fisher's team has struggled mightily the past few weeks.

Florida State performed admirably against Oklahoma but then preceded to drop two straight games against Clemson and Wake Forest.

FSU's vaunted defense has allowed 35 points in back to back weeks but that's not where the real issue lies.

Look no further than FSU's rushing attack. Averaging 79.5 YPG (yes, that's PER GAME) gets them ranked 115th throughout college football. 

Fisher does have some breathing room as it's his first season replacing the great Bobby Bowden, but the coach's seat is going to start heating up if things don't turn around soon.

Florida Gators?

The Gators just lost their starting QB and a lot of pride in the process.

Travelling to LSU, nobody gave Florida any chance to win the game and LSU showed us why.

The Gators were outmatched in every way possible. You have the feeling that even if John Brantley were playing, the result would've been the same.

Like Fisher at FSU, Will Muschamp has some pretty big shoes to fill. Urban Meyer resurrected the football program after Ron Zook buried it before bolting for Illinois.

Now Muschamp will have to overcome his own struggles to make a mark for the Florida football program.

Who's More Likely to Be Ranked Sooner Than Later?

My vote goes to the Florida Gators.

The Hurricanes have yet to show me anything to make me believe they can salvage their season. Florida State is in another tail spin disaster of a season.

The Gators can look at what Arkansas did to shut down Auburn's offense to pull off the upset and then they get a Georgia team that could be ranked by the time they play.

If they can spoil the title hopes of Steve Spurrier and South Carolina they could find themselves playing in the SEC title game still.

None of the three major teams have given fans a lot of hope for this season, but Florida has more opportunities to upset higher ranked opponents.