Projected college football rankings after Tennessee humbled by Florida

The matchups in Week 3 of the college football season weren't exactly the most enticing on paper. Yet, we've had Alabama and Georgia narrowly avoiding upsets and No. 15 Kansas State losing 30-27 to the Missouri Tigers on a 61-yard, walk-off field goal. Just when you thought the chaos would dissipate in the late slate of games, the Florida Gators played spoiler.

Florida hosted the No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers, looking to win their seventh head-to-head matchup in the previous eight meetings. Last year, the Volunteers beat the Gators 38-33. Let's say that Florida was adamant about getting some revenge for last year's loss.

The Gators entered halftime with a 26-7 lead over Tennessee and held on to win 29-16 on Saturday.

Quarterback Joe Milton struggled in the first half, completing 8-of-12 pass attempts for 92 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. That interception was Milton's first since 2020. He finished the game completing 20 passes for 287 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception on 34 attempts.

As for the Gators, the star of the game was none other than running back Trevor Etienne, who picked up 172 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.

With Tennessee's loss, they are undoubtedly going to tumble down the AP Top 25 rankings. Will they remain on the list, or will they fall outside of it?

Projected college football rankings after Tennessee loses to Florida

1. Georgia Bulldogs
2. Michigan Wolverines
3. Texas Longhorns
4. Florida State Seminoles
5. USC Trojans
6. Ohio State Buckeyes
7. Penn State Nittany Lions
8. Washington Huskies
9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
10. Utah Utes
11. Oregon Ducks
12. LSU Tigers
13. Alabama Crimson Tide
14. Oregon State Beavers
15. Ole Miss Rebels
16. Colorado Buffaloes
17. Oklahoma Sooners
18. North Carolina Tar Heels
19. Duke Blue Devils
20. Miami Hurricanes
21. Washington State Cougars
22. UCLA Bruins
23. Tennessee Volunteers
24. Missouri Tigers
25. Kansas State Wildcats

Tennessee will remain in the Top 25, albeit barely, by our projections. Given their performance on Saturday, and their struggles against Austin Peay the week prior, they will tumble down the rankings. Given the teams that have yet to play as of this writing and those who picked up wins, Tennessee falls to the No. 23 spot.

Alabama does move up a spot after initially falling to No. 14 on our rankings following their narrow win over South Florida earlier in the day.

The Volunteers will look to get back into the win column next week when they play the UTSA Roadrunners.