GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The Gators moved up two spots in the latest
College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday night on ESPN.
Florida (10-2), ranked 11th for the past three weeks, climbed to ninth following last week's 40-17 home win over Florida State to close the regular season. The Gators clinched their second consecutive 10-win season under head coach
Dan Mullen with a dominant victory over the Seminoles, their first win at home against FSU since 2009.
Meanwhile, Alabama dropped from fifth to 12th after losing to Auburn and Minnesota fell out of the top 10 after losing to Wisconsin, which jumped to No. 8 in the rankings and is the highest-ranked two-loss team, one spot ahead of the Gators.
Rob Mullens, chairman of the CFB Playoff Selection Committee, was asked why the Badgers are the highest-ranked two-loss team.
"Their impressive win over Minnesota gave them three wins over top-25 teams,'' Mullens said on a conference call with reporters. "Their loss to No. 1 Ohio State, then a close loss late at Illinois. We see them as a balanced team, top 10 nationally in relative offense and defense."
The top four stayed the same for the second consecutive week, with Ohio State No. 1, followed by LSU, Clemson and Georgia. LSU and Georgia meet on Saturday in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta.
Florida's only losses are to No. 2 LSU and No. 4 Georgia and by moving up in Tuesday's rankings, the Gators improved their quest for a second consecutive spot in a New Year's Six bowl.
The 13-member CFB Playoff Committee, which includes UF Athletic Director
Scott Stricklin, released its fourth rankings of the 2019 season on Tuesday night.
This is the fourth of six CFB Playoff rankings to determine the teams that will play for the national championship. In its sixth season, the top four teams in the final CFB Playoff rankings at the end of the regular season earn berths in the NCAA semifinals. The winners play for the national championship in New Orleans on Jan. 20 in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
