Gators Tumble Out of AP Poll After South Carolina Loss

Unsurprisingly, the Florida Gators fell out of the AP Top 25 on Sunday after a disastrous Week Six defeat to the South Carolina Gamecocks. This marks the Gators' second straight defeat after starting the season 4-0.

"Disappointing football today by us. No excuse for it. Not many words that are going to make any of it right. We have to go back to work and improve. I'm frustrated with every part of what we did today," Gators head coach Jon Sumrall said.

Saturday's contest with South Carolina is the first ugly stain on Sumrall's resume as the Florida head coach. The Gamecocks were on an eight-game SEC losing streak heading into the game.

The Gamecocks produced 393 yards on offense. A majority of their offense came through the air. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers threw for 279 yards and four touchdowns against the Gators' defense.

"In the throw game, they hit some explosive pass plays today," Sumrall said. "It wasn't on just one guy. It was certain guys in different situations, and we have got to win 50/50 balls down the field and be in competitive position to make plays on those balls."

Additionally, South Carolina forced three turnovers against Florida. They picked off Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr. one time each. Philo also fumbled once, which the Gamecocks recovered.

This is the fourth consecutive game for the Florida defense in which their opponents have scored at least 28 points.Furthermore, three of the four SEC opponents this season have scored at least 38 points.

Entering Week Five, Florida worked itself into College Football Playoff talks. That has since dissipated. At one point, they had a 50 percent chance to make the playoffs, but dropped to 15 percent after the loss to Missouri. It is now at 2.6 percent.

One reason it is so low is due to what is in front of them. Florida still has three more AP Top 25 opponents on the schedule.

It starts with the No. 7 Texas Longhorns next week. Then, coming off the BYE week, the Gators take on the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs. Two weeks later, the Gators travel to the No. 15 Kentucky Wildcats.

One other game could worry the Gators. After the Bulldogs matchup, the Gators host the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners are fresh off an upset victory over the Longhorns in Week Six.

If Florida doesn't clean up their act quickly, it could get ugly quickly for the program for the rest of the season.

Enjoy our content? Make Florida Gators on SI a Preferred Source to see more stories from us on Google: https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=si.com

Add us as a preferred source on Google