Florida Gators Debut at No. 6 in College Football Playoff Rankings
The time everyone has been waiting for has finally arrived with the College Football Playoff rankings revealed for the first time tonight to kickoff the 2020-21 bowl season.
For the Florida Gators, they land at No. 6, and are in the running for the first time at this point in a season in the Dan Mullen era to compete for a National Championship title.
Entering the week, the Gators remained unchanged in the Associated Press rankings, landing at No. 6 behind No. 5 Texas A&M, which is the only program thus far this season to defeat the 6-1 Gators. Florida is now currently on a four-game winning streak after starting the season 2-1.
Similar to the AP Top 25, Texas A&M stands ahead of Florida in the CFP Rankings, at No. 5
The Gators also remained unchanged in the weekly Coaches poll, ranking No. 5.
RELATED: No Changes for Florida Gators in AP Top 25, Coaches Poll
Led by Heisman candidate quarterback Kyle Trask, Florida has looked exceptional on offense, becoming one of the most explosive offenses in the nation. Thus far this season, Trask has completed 174 out of 246 (70.7%) of his passes for 31 touchdowns and just three interceptions. His 31 touchdowns are the most through seven games for an SEC quarterback in history.
The program, under head coach Dan Mullen, also features several key offensive playmakers such as tight end Kyle Pitts, who is slated to be a top-15 draft pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Pitts has missed the past two games due to surgery on his nose and a concussion but has accounted for 24 receptions for 414 yards and eight touchdowns thus far this season.
On defense, Florida ranks No. 1 in the SEC for sacks per game with 3.0, and No. 2 in tackles-for-loss per game with 6.43. The Gators' defense is led by players like cornerback Kaiir Elam and defensive linemen Kyree Campbell and Zachary Carter. Campbell was named the SEC's co-defensive lineman of the week for his performance against Vanderbilt.
This Florida team has performed like a College Football Playoff contender throughout the season, particularly given its explosive offense. We'll see if the CFP committee agrees and gives UF a bump into the top four soon.
Below, you can find the entire top 25.
1. Alabama
2. Notre Dame
3. Clemson
4. Ohio State
5. Texas A&M
6. Florida
7. Cincinnati
8. Northwestern
9. Georgia
10. Miami
11. Oklahoma
12. Indiana
13. Iowa State
14. Brigham Young
15. Oregon
16. Wisconsin
17. Texas
18. Southern California
19. North Carolina
20. Coastal Carolina
21. Marshall
22. Auburn
23. Oklahoma State
24. Iowa
25. Tulsa
