Florida tumbles to No. 22 in AP poll; No. 16 in coaches’ poll

Florida sinks down 12 places to No. 22 in the newly released AP poll and down seven spots to No. 16 in the latest USA Today coaches’ poll. UF was previously No. 10 in the AP poll and No. 9 in the coaches’ poll. The Gators picked up their second loss of the season yesterday. Florida was thoroughly dominated by Arkansas in Fayetteville.

Of course these rankings matter less than they even did before, as the College Football Playoff Committee began releasing its weekly rankings this past Tuesday. The Gators were slotted just outside of the top-10 at No. 11. With a second loss, the Gators’ College Football Playoff hopes, no matter how slim or unrealistic they may have been to begin with, have died.

The Gators still find themselves the only SEC East team currently in the rankings, though another Florida loss likely scrubs that division from the polls altogether. Elsewhere in the SEC, Alabama still maintains its spot at No. 1 in both polls - where they have been all season. Auburn moves up to No. 8 in both polls, and the Tigers may be setting up a winner-take-all Iron Bowl with the Tide for the SEC West. Texas A&M dropped a few places in both polls after being upset by Mississippi State. The Aggies are at No. 10 and No. 11, in the AP and coaches’ respectively. LSU drops to No. 19 in both polls after beating shut out at home by Alabama. The Bayou Bengals were previously at No. 15 and No. 14.

Florida still has two opponents who are currently ranked remaining on their schedule. As of now, the Gators will finish their season on the road against ranked foes. LSU is at No. 19 in both polls. Florida State moved up one spot in the coaches’ poll, from No. 19 to No. 18, and dropped one spot in the AP poll, from No. 19 to No. 20.