The Gators came down to Earth in a major way against the Tigers
October 4, 2026
at 1:27 p.m. ET
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1 minute reading
Florida entered Week 5 in great shape. He was ranked 8th in the coaches poll, and there was hope of making the College Football Playoff.
Then the Gators traveled to Columbia and got a serious reality check at Missouri in the form of a 45-17 loss. Jadan Baugh, a Heisman Trophy contender just a few days ago, ran for 13 yards on 12 carries. Tigers quarterback Austin Simmons dismantled the Florida secondary for 340 yards and two touchdowns.
As a result of this lopsided loss, the Gators fell to 15th in the coaches poll. The Tigers, meanwhile, have flown all the way to No. 16, where they inexplicably remain behind Florida.
Another team that came back to Earth a bit was Mississippi State, which got a taste of the SEC’s elite level in a 56-23 loss to Alabama. Kamario Taylor and the Bulldogs are still ranked 20th, but some of their shine has worn off after this disappointing home performance.
Elsewhere, Iowa slipped to 18th with its loss to Ohio State, and Kentucky joined the party after surviving an overtime thriller against South Carolina.
Week 5 Coaches Poll
1 | Texas | 4-0 | 1,806 | 45 | 1 | – | 1/4 |
2 | Georgia | 5-0 | 1,760 | 20 | 2 | – | 2/3 |
3 | Notre Dame | 5-0 | 1,630 | 1 | 3 | – | 3/5 |
4 | Miami | 5-0 | 1,622 | 0 | 4 | – | 4/7 |
5 | Indiana | 5-0 | 1,556 | 8 | 5 | – | 4/6 |
6 | Ohio State | 4-1 | 1,514 | 0 | 6 | – | 1/7 |
7 | Alabama | 5-0 | 1,483 | 0 | 7 | – | 7/12 |
8 | BYU | 4-0 | 1,214 | 0 | 9 | +1 | 8/15 |
9 | Texas Technology | 5-0 | 1,169 | 0 | 10 | +1 | 9/13 |
10 | LSU | 4-1 | 1,136 | 0 | 11 | +1 | 7/13 |
11 | Ole Mademoiselle | 3-1 | 1,059 | 0 | 12 | +1 | 6/12 |
12 | Utah | 4-0 | 1,015 | 0 | 13 | +1 | 12/21 |
13 | Oregon | 3-1 | 948 | 0 | 15 | +2 | 2/18 |
14 | Tennessee | 4-1 | 768 | 0 | 17 | +3 | 13/18 |
15 | Florida | 4-1 | 672 | 0 | 8 | -7 | 8/NR |
16 | Missouri | 4-1 | 646 | 0 | 25 | +9 | 16/25 |
17 | U.S.C. | 5-1 | 643 | 0 | 18 | +1 | 18/11 |
18 | Iowa | 4-1 | 457 | 0 | 14 | -4 | 14/22 |
19 | Houston | 4-1 | 391 | 0 | 20 | +1 | 19/NR |
20 | Mississippi State | 4-1 | 355 | 0 | 16 | -4 | 16/NR |
21 | EMS | 4-1 | 354 | 0 | 19 | -2 | 16/25 |
22 | UCLA | 4-0 | 318 | 0 | 23 | +1 | 22/NR |
23 | Duke | 4-0 | 274 | 0 | 21 | -2 | 21/NR |
24 | Pittsburgh | 5-0 | 242 | 0 | NR | +5 | 24/NR |
25 | Kentucky | 4-1 | 210 | 0 | NR | +2 | 25/NR |
Schools are dropping out
No. 22 Penn State; No. 24 Michigan
Others receive votes
Oklahoma State 187; Boise State 161; Nebraska 117; Wake Forest 87; Northwest 70; Wisconsin 47; James Madison 42; Minnesota 40; North Dakota State 29; Arizona 15; New Mexico 7; Baylor 3; Virginia Tech 1; Texas A&M 1; Kansas State 1
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