Arch Manning fumble seals Texas' 27-24 loss to Florida — SkimNews
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- Texas led 17-3 in the second quarter before Florida ran off 24 consecutive points to seize a 27-17 lead, with backup quarterback Tramell Jones starting for the injured Aaron Philo
- Arch Manning cut the deficit to 27-24 on a 9-yard TD pass to Cam Coleman with 4:21 left, but was sacked and fumbled on the ensuing possession, ending his streak of 11 home wins as Texas's starter
- Texas lost top defensive player Colin Simmons to an apparent leg injury in the second half, potentially sidelining the star edge rusher going forward
- Texas fell from No. 1 in the AP poll earlier this month to likely outside the top 10 after Saturday's loss, following back-to-back defeats against unranked opponents after September wins over Ohio State and Tennessee
- Florida improved to 5-2 (3-2 SEC) and now faces top-ranked Georgia inside Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Oct. 31, with a win almost certain to push the Gators back inside the top 15 ahead of the CFP Selection Committee's first rankings
- Florida coach Jon Sumrall acknowledged pregame his team 'has not responded well' in recent outings and needed to 'fight till the finish,' concerns the Gators answered by rallying from 14 down
- Texas's remaining schedule — Ole Miss, Mississippi State, at Missouri and at LSU — features four opponents currently ranked inside the top 25, leaving no margin for error the rest of the way
Why it matters: Texas's cushion for a CFP berth has collapsed: after being slotted into bowl projections at No. 7 entering the week, the Longhorns now must navigate four straight games against top-25 opponents while possibly missing their best defensive player, with one more loss likely knocking them out of the 12-team field entirely. Florida's upset simultaneously resurrects the Gators' own CFP case, giving a 5-2 team a marquee win and a winnable path through Oklahoma, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Florida State.
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