Rivalry Week in college football produced its fair share of upsets and wild finishes, resulting in some notable changes in the US LBM Coaches Poll.
Oregon remains the unanimous No. 1 team. The Ducks handled border rival Washington and head into the Big Ten title game with a clean slate. Texas is now the unanimous choice at No. 2, picked second behind the Ducks on all 53 ballots after the Longhorns won at Texas A&M along with Ohio State’s loss to Michigan. The Buckeyes tumbled six spots to No. 8 after their fourth consecutive defeat to their rival kept them from the Big Ten title game.
Penn State, which inherits a spot opposite Oregon in the Big Ten finale, moves up to No. 3. Notre Dame climbs to fourth with Georgia, set for a rematch with Texas, rounds out the top five. No. 6 Tennessee and No. 7 SMU come next. Indiana is ninth, and Boise State moves into the top 10.
TOP 25: Complete US LBM Coaches Poll rankings after Week 14
UP AND DOWN: Winners and losers from Week 14 in college football
The next few spots will be the subjects of considerable debate in the coming week, especially when the playoff committee reveals its own set of rankings Tuesday night. For now, the voters in the coaches poll place Alabama at No. 11 followed by South Carolina, and demote Miami to No. 14 after a loss at Syracuse knocked the Hurricanes out of the ACC title game. No. 13 Arizona State and No. 16 Iowa State will square off for the Big 12 title, while No. 17 Clemson falls five positions after losing to South Carolina but still gets a crack at SMU for the ACC championship.
Colorado rejoins the poll at No. 22 but didn’t get the help it needed to play for the Big 12 crown. No. 25 Syracuse also moves in. Tulane and Texas A&M drop out.
(This story was updated to add a video and gallery.)
