Florida holds top regional seed in CBS Sports' preseason bracketology

· Yahoo Sports

CBS Sports released its preseason bracketology ahead of the 2026-27 men's college basketball campaign, and once again, the Florida Gators find themselves among the top seeds in the projected 76-team field.

However, unlike ESPN's bracketology, which has the Orange and Blue as the top overall seed and the No. 1 team in the South Region, CBS Sports writers David Cobb and Jacob Fetner gave Duke the nod for the top overall spot and have Florida as the top seed in the Midwest.

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"While Florida landed at No. 1 in the AP preseason poll, Duke is the No. 1 overall seed in CBS Sports preseason Bracketology," said Cobb and Fetner. "The Blue Devils return four key rotation players from a 35-3 team and supplemented the group with the nation's No. 2 freshman class and No. 11 transfer haul."

The Gators tip off their upcoming regular-season schedule on Monday, Nov. 2, against the Miami Hurricanes in the Orion180 Tip-Off Classic at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida.

Top seeds in CBS Sports' 2027 bracketology

Duke holds the top overall seed in CBS Sports' preseason bracketology and the No. 1 seed in the East, while Houston holds the top seed in the South, Florida reigns above the Midwest and Arizona sits atop the West.

"Why Duke over Florida here? The Blue Devils have a much easier path in the ACC than the Gators, who must battle through a stacked SEC that features challenges almost every night," the authors state.

SEC schools in CBS Sports' 2027 bracketology

The SEC leads all conferences with 13 member schools in the 76-team field, while the Big Ten follows with 10, the Big 12 and ACC both with nine, and the Big East with five. The Pac-12 has three representatives and the Atlantic 10 has two, rounding out the leagues with at least a pair of teams projected to make the Big Dance.

Florida leads the way in the conference with its top seed in the Midwest, followed by Alabama (No. 2, East), Vanderbilt (No. 3, West), Tennessee (No. 4, South), Texas (No. 4, West), Arkansas (No. 5, East), Kentucky (No. 7, South), Auburn (No. 7, West), Georgia (No. 9, East), Texas A&M (No. 9, West), Missouri (No. 10, Midwest), Oklahoma (No. 11, Midwest) and LSU (No. 12, Midwest).

LSU sits among the last four in, while Ole Miss is among the first four out of the tournament.

CBS Sports' 2027 bracketology outlook

SDEastSouthMidwestWest1DukeHoustonFloridaArizona2AlabamaIllinoisUConnMichigan St3KansasVirginiaTexas TechVanderbilt4Iowa StTennesseeGonzagaTexas5ArkansasMichiganSt. John'sPurdue6NebraskaWisconsinMiamiLouisville7Saint LouisKentuckyUNCAuburn8Ohio StVCUBYUVillanova9GeorgiaUCLAIowaTexas A&M10ClemsonSMUMissouriSaint Mary's11Utah StMarquetteGrand CanyonProvidenceOklahomaAkron12IndianaNC StateFlorida StCincinnatiLSUBaylorWest VirginiaColorado St13UNC WilmingtonWichita StMurray StHigh Point14YaleMcNeeseSt. ThomasWestern Kentucky15Montana StMerrimackETSUVermontJMUUC Irvine16LipscombLIUAustin PeayTennessee StAmericanRobert MorrisHowardBethune-Cookman

Last Four In

  • Colorado State
  • West Virginia
  • LSU
  • Baylor

First Four Out

  • Xavier
  • Ole Miss
  • San Diego State
  • Creighton

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida holds top regional seed in CBS Sports' preseason bracketology

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