Upsets involving some of the biggest names in the US LBM Coaches Poll should lead to a major shakeup near the top of this week’s Top 25.
There were not one, not two, not three, but four teams in the top 10 that fell on a Saturday that appeared mundane before games kicked off.
No. 2 Alabama lost to Vanderbilt. No. 4 Tennessee lost at Arkansas. No. 9 Missouri was blown out by No. 21 Texas A&M. No. 10 Michigan lost at Washington.
About the only sure thing in this week’s poll, set to be released around noon on Sunday, is that Texas will remain No. 1. The Longhorns were off on Saturday heading into next weekend’s rivalry game against No. 17 Oklahoma.
Where things go from there is almost anyone’s guess. Here’s our best estimate for how the top 10 will look when the new poll is released:
The Longhorns will be the no-doubt No. 1 after splitting first-place votes with Alabama. Texas has looked the part of the nation’s best team but can’t afford to take Oklahoma lightly despite the Sooners’ struggles in the transition to the SEC.
The Buckeyes passed an early test against Iowa after a slow start pitted with two first-half turnovers and another turnover on downs. But things changed after the Buckeyes began to lean on an incredible receiver corps headed by veteran Emeka Egbuka and freshman standout Jeremiah Smith. Egbuka had three scores in the 35-7 win.
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The loss to Alabama looks a little bit worse, though that’s not a big deal down the line for Georgia’s playoff hopes. The big question in this week’s poll is how voters handle the comparison between the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide. In the end, Alabama won the head-to-head game but lost to Vanderbilt, and only the second part is impossible to ignore.
The Ducks had no problems against Michigan State and stayed on track for an unbeaten-against-unbeaten matchup against Ohio State this coming Saturday. A win there wouldn’t necessarily push Oregon to No. 1 in the poll, but you could easily see the Ducks rising to No. 2 and replacing the Buckeyes as the top-ranked team in the Big Ten. You might even see the Ducks leap ahead of Georgia to land at No. 3, but that three-spot jump after beating the Spartans might be overgenerous.
The Nittany Lions haven’t put together complete, 60-minute games in recent wins against Illinois and UCLA, playing both opponents tight for the first half before eventually pulling away in the second. That’s a concern for that game in early November against Ohio State, for example. But Penn State continues to look like one of the surest bets for an at-large playoff bid.
Miami’s ridiculous comeback at California keeps the Hurricanes among the few unbeaten Power Four teams still standing and as the top-ranked team from the ACC. On a Saturday when just about every major contender was being pushed to the limit as the favorite, Miami should get some credit for surviving this test on the road.
That the Tide won’t fall out of the top 10 can be attributed entirely to that win against Georgia. There are some other wins that look good, including a road victory against Wisconsin, but the truth is the Tide get by on two things: the win last Saturday and the fact that they’re, you know, Alabama.
Losing 19-14 at Arkansas is remarkable given how Tennessee had looked like a borderline juggernaut in September. It goes to show how rocky things will be in the deepest SEC in conference history. There are issues that have to be addressed coming out of the weekend, but you only need to look back on last month to see how good the Volunteers can be.
After getting knocked from the ranks of unbeaten teams last Saturday with a 20-17 loss to Kentucky, the Rebels should hop back into the top 10 after an easy win at South Carolina. While there’s something about this team that’s hard to predict, it’s clear the Rebels can play with and beat almost anyone when on their game.
LSU was No. 12 in last week’s poll and seem likely to get a slight bump into the top 10 heading into a crucial game against Ole Miss. The Tigers have been a little hit or miss even when not including a loss to Southern California in the season opener, but they’ve won four in a row and are one of just three teams still unbeaten in SEC play.
