Gators finish No. 12 in coaches rankings, No. 13 in final Associated Press poll

Florida finished out of the top 10 of the final Amway Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports college football rankings Tuesday, the first time in coach Dan Mullen's tenure in Gainesville the Gators didn't place in the top seven.

The Gators, the SEC Eastern Division champs, ranked No. 12 in the coaches' poll after starting the season at No. 8. They were No. 7 in the final coaches' poll following the 2019 season and No. 6 following Mullen's first season in 2018.

UF, which lost its final three games of the 2020 season to finish 8-4, was ranked No. 13 in the Associated Press poll, a drop of three spots from the final regular-season rankings in December. The Gators were ranked No. 8 in the AP preseason rankings Aug. 31.

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Alabama finished the season No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the 11th time, extending its record by completing the program’s first perfect season since 2009. The Crimson Tide were a unanimous No. 1 in the final poll, getting 61 first-place votes, after beating Ohio State 52-24 in the College Football Playoff championship game Monday night.

After registering an 11-2 mark in Mullen's second season, the Gators finished with a No. 6 ranking in the final AP Top 25 poll of the 2019 season, their highest finish in the AP Top 25 since the 2009 season when they finished third.

That was coming off a 10-3 mark following the 2018 season, good for a tie for seventh with Georgia (11-3).

The Tide, Aggies and Bulldogs give the Southeastern Conference three teams in the top seven. The SEC finished 7-2 in the bowls, counting Alabama's national championship victory.

The final AP poll:

1. Alabama 13-0

2. Ohio St. 7-1

3. Clemson 10-2

4. Texas A&M 9-1

5. Notre Dame 10-2

6. Oklahoma 9-2

7. Georgia 8-2

8. Cincinnati 9-1

9. Iowa St. 9-3

10. Northwestern 7-2

11. BYU 11-1

12. Indiana 6-2

13. Florida 8-4

14. Coastal Carolina 11-1

15. Louisiana-Lafayette 10-1

16. Iowa 6-2

17. Liberty 10-1

18. North Carolina 8-4

19. Texas 7-3

20. Oklahoma St. 8-3

21. Southern Cal 5-1

22. Miami 8-3

23. Ball St. 7-1

24. San Jose St. 7-1

25. Buffalo 6-1

Others receiving votes: Appalachian St. 41, Tulsa 35, Army 24, Oregon 21, Texas Tech 21, Memphis 12, TCU 12, UAB 10, Washington 10, NC State 7, Nevada 7, Wisconsin 3, West Virginia 1, Marshall 1.