College football rankings: Florida Gators hold in AP Top 25, fall in Coaches Poll after loss to Alabama

By Adam Silverstein
September 19, 2021
College football rankings: Florida Gators hold in AP Top 25, fall in Coaches Poll after loss to Alabama
Football

Coming off a disappointing yet hope-inspiring 31-29 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide in Week 3, the Florida Gators have more or less maintained their spots in the latest set of of college football rankings. Florida held firm at No. 11 in the AP Top 25 but fell two spots to that same ranking in the Coaches Poll.

In the Coaches Poll, UF was only jumped by Penn State, though it also fell behind Notre Dame. The top 10 did not change after AP voters had their say, though there was some shifting. The end result was Florida remaining the third-highest ranked one-loss team behind Clemson and Ohio State despite having a “better” defeat and looking more poised than both of those teams in their respective losses.

The Gators were not ranked among the top 25 teams in the 2018 preseason poll but have been ranked among the top 15 in three consecutive preseason and postseason polls under head coach Dan Mullen. UF was No. 13/11 entering the 2021 season.

Alabama, the defending national champions remain the near-consensus No. 1 team in the nation. It received 59 of 62 first-place votes from the AP pollsters and 64 of 65 from the coaches. Georgia remained second in the AP Top 25 with Oregon sliding up to No. 3, Oklahoma moving back to No. 4 and Iowa jumping into the fifth spot.

AP Top 25

1. Alabama (59)
2. Georgia (3)
3. Oregon
4. Oklahoma
5. Iowa
6. Penn State
7. Texas A&M
8. Cincinnati
9. Clemson
10. Ohio State
11. Florida
12. Notre Dame
13. Ole Miss
14. Iowa State
15. BYU
16. Arkansas
17. Coastal Carolina
18. Wisconsin
19. Michigan
20. Michigan State
21. North Carolina
22. Fresno State
23. Auburn
24. UCLA
25. Kansas State

Coaches Poll

1. Alabama (64)
2. Georgia (1)
3. Oklahoma
4. Oregon
5. Texas A&M
6. Iowa
7. Clemson
8. Penn State
9. Cincinnati
10. Notre Dame
11. Florida
12. Ohio State
13. Ole Miss
14. Iowa State
15. Wisconsin
16. BYU
17. Coastal Carolina
18. Arkansas
19. Michigan
20. North Carolina
21. Michigan State
22. Oklahoma State
23. Auburn
24. UCLA
25. Fresno State

For the first time in years, the Gators are represented on the voting panel with head coach Dan Mullen contributing as one of 65 coaches submitting votes. Others with State of Florida or SEC ties include Manny Diaz of Miami, Bryan Harsin of Auburn, Clark Lea of Vanderbilt, Gus Malzahn of UCF, Sam Pittman of Arkansas, Nick Saban of Alabama and Kirby Smart of Georgia.

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