Yeah, Florida. Not Alabama. Why?

Florida has won at Texas A&M and Florida State, and beat LSU and South Carolina at home. It beat the Gamecocks, 44-11. Those four teams are a combined 40-4 against everyone not named Florida.

Florida Coach Will Muschamp is fired up (AP photo)

Of all the 1-loss teams, Florida is the only one whose loss is to a fellow 1-loss team, Georgia.

The Gators squeezed past Missouri and Louisiana-Lafayette after losing to Georgia, but its win over Florida State was the most-impressive victory by a road team on Saturday. And that counts Notre Dame winning at USC and South Carolina doing likewise at Clemson.

Alabama, meanwhile, has beaten LSU and … and … and … three other teams with winning records: Michigan (8-4), Mississippi State (8-4) and Western Kentucky (7-5). The last time the Crimson Tide played someone who wasn’t terrible, it lost, to Texas A&M in Tuscaloosa.

Florida is my No. 2. Here is everyone else:

1. Notre Dame (12-0)

2. Florida (11-1)

3. Alabama (11-1)

4. Oregon (11-1)

Urban Meyer: Cold, wet, and 12-0 (AP photo)

5. Ohio State (12-0). I had the Buckeyes No. 2 last week, but watched them play Michigan Saturday. A nice win, but the eyeball test plus OSU’s soft schedule doesn’t allow me to continue the pretense the Buckeyes are No. 2-worthy.

6. Georgia (11-1). The Bulldogs have beaten Florida and who else? No one, that’s who. The only other time the Dawgs played a ranked team, they lost 35-7 at South Carolina.

7. Kansas State (10-1)

8. Texas A&M (10-2)

9. Stanford (10-2). This could be too low. The Cardinal lost at Notre Dame in OT, and beat Oregon in Eugene in OT.

10. LSU (10-2)

Brennan Clay with the game-winning 18-yard TD run in overtime for Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State (AP photo)

11. South Carolina (10-2)

12. Oklahoma (10-2)

13. Florida State (10-2)

14. Clemson (10-2)

15. Nebraska (10-2)

16. UCLA (9-3)

17. Oregon State (8-3)

Northern Illinois QB romps through the snow in a 49-7 win at Eastern Michigan Friday (AP photo)

18. Northern Illinois (11-1). Jordan Lynch has passed for 23 touchdowns, rushed for 16, and has just four interceptions of 319 pass attempts.

19. Utah State (10-2)

20. Oklahoma State (7-4)

21. Kent State (11-1)

22. Michigan (8-4)

23. Northwestern (9-3)

24. Vanderbilt (8-4). The Commodores have won their last six games. Their losses have come to teams with a combined record of 41-7, three of them named Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

25. San Jose State (10-2)

But in the 60-member poll, Alabama is No. 2, Georgia No. 3, Ohio State No. 4 and Florida No. 5. The people have spoken.

Rank Team Record Votes Previous

1 Notre Dame (60) 12-0 1,500 1

2 Alabama 11-1 1,400 2

3 Georgia 11-1 1,331 3

4 Ohio State 12-0 1,294 4

5 Florida 11-1 1,262 6

6 Oregon 11-1 1,242 5

7 Kansas State 10-1 1,079 7

8 Stanford 10-2 1,061 11

9 LSU 10-2 1,056 8

10 Texas A&M 10-2 1,043 9

11 South Carolina 10-2 916 13

12 Oklahoma 9-2 834 14

13 Florida State 10-2 764 10

14 Nebraska 10-2 704 17

15 Clemson 10-2 667 12

16 Oregon State 8-3 528 16

17 UCLA 9-3 505 15

18 Kent State 11-1 355 23

19 Northern Illinois 11-1 349 24

20 Utah State 10-2 274 25

21 Michigan 8-4 217 20

22 Northwestern 9-3 189 NR

23 Texas 8-3 185 18

24 Oklahoma State 7-4 174 22

25 Boise State 9-2 145 NR

Others Receiving Votes: San Jose State78, Louisville73, TCU67, Penn State61, Rutgers50, Vanderbilt48, San Diego State15, Fresno State12, USC7, Arkansas State5, Arizona4, Cincinnati3, North Carolina1, Ball State1, Mississippi State1