Even the Big Ten has to agree: It’s not easy in the SEC.
Last week, No. 1 Texas barely escaped against No. 17 Tennessee. Texas A&M went from No. 8 in the US LBM Coaches Poll to unranked in two SEC games. It took one game against No. 2 Georgia to erase Oklahoma from the College Football Playoff chase.
Now No. 8 Florida is riding the SEC roller coaster.
Unranked to open the year under new coach Jon Sumrall, the Gators broke in at No. 22 after beating Auburn on Sept. 19, soared to No. 8 after beating No. 12 Mississippi last week and will freefall back down again after a 45-17 loss at No. 25 Missouri.
Three games, three different national conversations. After Auburn: “Florida looks dangerous.” After Ole Miss: “Florida could make the playoff.” And after
Saturday: “Florida’s not that good.”
The truth is probably somewhere closer to the post-Auburn chatter than anything. The Gators play hard and are embracing the environment under Sumrall, who did big things at Troy and Tulane.
But the Tigers revealed some major flaws in the blowout. One is a defense front that struggled to get after Missouri quarterback Austin Simmons and was chewed up by Jamal Roberts, who had 211 yards on 8.8 yards per carry. Another is an offense line that couldn’t get things going for Jaden Baugh.
At this point, the Gators only look comfortable in an up-and-down game where they are in control of the tempo. But that’s not too rare, and talent level alone might get them to nine wins.
To be a real factor, though, Florida needs to get back on track in a flash. After getting South Carolina, it’s Texas and Georgia to end the month.
Florida, Ohio State and Michigan lead this week’s winners and losers:
Winners
Alabama
This offense is really, really good. Quarterback Keelon Russell threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns on just 22 attempts and No. 7 Alabama dropped 14 points in every quarter to swamp No. 16 Mississippi State 56-23. Russell is working with an elite receiver corps: Lotzeir Brooks had a game-high 96 yards and Rico Scott caught two scores as six players made at least two catches and five had at least 32 receiving yards. At this point, Alabama has done enough against a few pretty good teams to be taken as a serious contender. But we’ll know for sure after next week’s matchup with No. 2 Georgia.
Ohio State
With less room for error after last month’s loss to No. 1 Texas, the No. 6 Buckeyes delivered a performance worthy of the Big Ten crown by holding No. 14 Iowa to just 238 yards and out of the end zone until the fourth quarter in a 31-14 road win. Get ready for something that may shock you: Jeremiah Smith had 11 catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns, and was yet again the best player on the field. In three Power Four games, Smith has 31 catches for 587 yards and 7 touchdowns. (Wow.) There’s a loss next to Ohio State’s name but a feeling this may still be the best team in the country.
Missouri
Missouri fans can now hear about a one-game winning streak against ranked teams instead of a nine-game losing streak. While these types of wins can sometimes get devalued as the year goes, for now this is a reputation-making moment for a team that hasn’t really been discussed as a playoff threat. That should change, as should the lack of attention on Austin Simmons. The Ole Miss transfer hit on 23 of 30 attempts for 340 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 11 scores without an interception.
Coaches on the hot seat
Coaches on the slightly cooler seat, actually. Three coaches who went into October under pressure opened the month in style in Florida State’s Mike Norvell, Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell and North Carolina State’s Dave Doeren. The Seminoles beat Virginia 38-7 in one of their best wins in years under Norvell. The Badgers were all over Michigan State in a 31-3 win, not missing a beat after last week’s comeback against No. 22 Penn State. The Wolfpack held on for a 31-28 win against Louisville to climb to 3-2 and erase some of the bad vibes from that awful loss to Vanderbilt.
Wake Forest
It was Stanford, sure. Still, Wake’s 57-3 win against the Cardinal marks the program’s largest margin of victory in an ACC game and speaks to the Demon Deacons’ potential to match last year’s nine-win finish. North Carolina castoff Gio Lopez threw for 265 yards and ran for another 88 yards despite playing only three quarters. Could this team be conference title game contenders? Winning at North Carolina State would move Wake into great position.
Losers
Michigan
Things have changed, and quickly. While there were concerns amid the 3-0 start, the No. 24 Wolverines have now lost two in a row to Iowa and Minnesota. Blame for the 20-14 loss to the Golden Gophers falls on the offense, which managed just 180 yards on 3.7 yards per play and turned the ball over three times. After a bit of an uptick in recent weeks, sophomore Bryce Underwood took a big step back in completing 10 of 21 throws for 101 yards and two interceptions. A quarterback change may be ahead for Michigan, but a trip to the playoff is not.
Shane Beamer
His run at South Carolina is essentially over after a 35-34 overtime loss to Kentucky that ended with the Wildcats converting a two-point try in the first extra frame. After blowout losses to Mississippi State and the Crimson Tide, the Gamecocks had to reboot against Kentucky before taking on Florida and Tennessee on the road. The way things are in the Power Four now, Beamer was already on the hot seat after going 4-8 last year despite being the SEC Coach of the Year in 2024. With almost no hope for a bowl game, things are not looking good.
Washington
Ranked No. 19 in the preseason, Washington has been one of the biggest flops in the Power Four. After ugly wins against Washington State and Utah State in non-conference play, the Huskies lost 25-21 to No. 18 Southern California to fall to 0-2 in the Big Ten and out of the conference race. UW led 21-10 early in the third quarter but crumbled from there, giving up a defensive touchdown after a Demond Williams Jr. fumble and failing to protect Williams when driving for the go-ahead score with under a minute to play.
Navy
After basically running away with the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy last season and finishing in the Top 25, Navy’s huge step back continued with an ugly 14-9 loss to rival Air Force. Now 1-3 and in danger of digging too deep a hole to even gain bowl eligibility, the Midshipmen clearly miss record-setting quarterback Blake Horvath and All-America defensive tackle Landon Robinson.
Kamario Taylor’s Heisman campaign
After a brilliant September put him on the national map, Taylor’s Heisman Trophy campaign may not recover from a two-interception performance against the Crimson Tide. One of those was huge: Taylor tossed a pick-six to give Alabama a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter. While Taylor did throw for three scores and 258 yards overall, that he was so outplayed by Russell will be difficult for him to overcome.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida's flop, Alabama lead college football Week 5 winners and losers
