College football: Gators drop out of polls

Its third loss in five games knocked Florida from this week's college polls Sunday.

The Gators (4-3, 2-3 SEC), who were ranked No. 17, lost 49-42 at LSU on Saturday. Their third consecutive loss to the Tigers dropped them out of the USA TODAY Sports AFCA football coaches poll.

Georgia (7-0) stays at No. 1. Oklahoma vaulted into the No. 2 spot following its most impressive offensive performance of the campaign — a 21-point defeat of TCU. Cincinnati rolled past Central Florida and improves one place to No. 3, just 11 poll points behind the Sooners. Alabama, a big winner at Mississippi State following its first loss of the year, moves up to No. 4.

The latest Associated Press Top 25 failed to have a team from the state of Florida on the list for the first time since Nov. 20, 2011. The Gators dropped out, ending a run of 52 consecutive poll appearances.

With that, the state that had 11 AP national championships in a 31-season span from 1983 through 2013 — and none since — was gone from the poll as well.

Florida's next game is Oct. 30 against Georgia in Jacksonville.

Coming off back-to-back losses, LSU (4-3) pummeled the Gators on the ground at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. The Tigers ran for almost as many yards (321, including 287 by Tyrion Davis-Price) as they had in their three previous games combined (327).

Starting with last season's loss to a similarly damaged LSU team in Gainesville, Florida has gone 2-6 against Power Five teams. The victories are against Vanderbilt and Tennessee but that record does include two competitive games against Alabama, one in the SEC championship.

Even another win against the Gators could save LSU coach Ed Orgeron, who is reportedly out following this season.