The College Football Playoff race took a hit in Week 6, and Florida absorbed it. The Gators lost 45-17 to Missouri on Oct. 3 while most of the top 10 rolled.
Texas was off. The Longhorns sit No. 1 in the latest AP Top 25 at 4-0, ahead of Georgia, Notre Dame and Miami. Here is how the weekend reshapes the picture.
College Football Playoff race loses a Florida contender
Florida came in 4-0 and ranked eighth in the AP poll. A week earlier it beat Ole Miss 52-28. Missouri flipped that momentum with a 45-17 win, covered in our Missouri vs. Florida recap.
The loss stings because the schedule only gets harder. Florida still faces Texas on Oct. 17 and Georgia on Oct. 31, and a second loss would push the Gators toward the edge of the field.
Ohio State, Alabama and Georgia answer
Ohio State entered the day 3-1 with its only loss a 24-23 defeat to Texas on Sept. 12. The Buckeyes beat Iowa 31-14, as we detailed in Ohio State beats Iowa.
Alabama routed Mississippi State 56-23 and stayed unbeaten. Our look at the Alabama ranking debate shows why the Crimson Tide keep climbing. Georgia handled Vanderbilt 38-14 to hold the No. 2 spot in the AP poll.
Miami, Notre Dame and Indiana keep pace
Miami beat Clemson 41-13. Notre Dame topped North Carolina 37-26, and Indiana beat Rutgers 47-15. LSU, which lost to Ole Miss 32-24 on Sept. 19, crushed McNeese 63-14.
Texas leads the College Football Playoff race on resume
Texas is 4-0 with wins over Ohio State and Tennessee. Those two games were decided by a combined four points: 24-23 and 20-17. The Longhorns play Oklahoma on Oct. 10 and Florida a week later, so the cushion won’t last.
Week 6 scores that mattered
- Missouri 45, Florida 17
- Ohio State 31, Iowa 14
- Alabama 56, Mississippi State 23
- Georgia 38, Vanderbilt 14
- Miami 41, Clemson 13
- Notre Dame 37, North Carolina 26
- Indiana 47, Rutgers 15
What to watch next
The College Football Playoff race gets clearer fast. Alabama and Georgia meet Oct. 10. Ohio State and Indiana play Oct. 17, the same day Miami faces Florida State. Georgia and Florida close the month on Oct. 31.
Check the full ESPN rankings and the AP Top 25 poll when the new numbers post Sunday and Monday.
