College football rankings: Preseason top 25 – Clemson at No. 1, SEC owns half of top 10

6. Florida Gators

Head coach Dan Mullen has brought palpable change to Gainesville from the doldrums of talent-with-no-development under Jim McElwain. Florida is never short on talent but Mullen and his staff have clearly worked to maximize that in recent years. But now, even in the altered offseason and all that entails, it’s about the Gators taking advantage of a prime opportunity to stake their claim as the kings of the SEC East.

The epicenter for optimism with Florida stems from continuity and quality at quarterback, something that has been far from a given since the departure of Tim Tebow. Kyle Trask took the reins last season and never looked back. He’s not a Trevor Lawrence prototype superstar by any means but he’s proven he’s a quality player.

Trask has weapons around him to help the cause, too. Kyle Pitts is the best tight end in the country while wide receivers Kadarius Toney and Trevon Grimes are reliable downfield weapons for the offense as well. The running back duo of Miami transfer Lorenzo Lingard and Dameon Pierce are quality options as well. The only thing that could hold this group back is an offensive line that, though experienced, left a lot to be desired a year ago.

Todd Grantham’s defense must rebuild but they are still loaded with talent on every level, more than enough for the highly respected defensive mind to coax out another top-tier performance. And if that’s the case and Trask can continue to build off what he showed a year ago, Florida should be capable of playing with any team in the country.