Coming out of an historic Saturday massacre, there is once again a new No. 1 team in the college football rankings as the Coaches Poll revealed their new ballot after Week 7.
But that’s not the only decision the coaches had to make, with a full half of their top ten taking consequential losses over the weekend, and a total of eight of their top 25 teams took an L, forcing another reassessment of who is who heading into Week 8.
Coaches Poll Week 8 College Football Rankings
First-place votes in parentheses
- Miami (50)
- Ohio State (13)
- BYU (10)
- Georgia
- Texas Tech
- Indiana
- Ole Miss
- Notre Dame
- Utah
- UCLA
- Tennessee
- Kentucky
- Alabama
- Iowa
- USC
- Houston
- LSU
- Texas
- Wake Forest
- SMU
- Missouri
- Boise State
- Northwestern
- Florida
- Oregon
Coaches Poll Top 25 Risers
BYU (Up 5) didn’t take the No. 1 position as some predictions suggested, but they catapulted into the top three, gaining 343 total points on the ballot after its signature win against second-ranked Notre Dame.
Likewise for Kentucky (Up 5), which rebounded from a slow start and capitalized off some key giveaways to take down Oklahoma on the road as an underdog. Now 6-1, the Wildcats are a legit playoff threat.
Florida (Up 9) is back in the Coaches Poll rankings after sliding out following a two-game losing streak, but a statement win at Texas was enough to regain the confidence of the coaches in this week’s ballot.
Who the Coaches Dropped in the Rankings
Texas (Down 12) predictably took the biggest hit in this week’s rankings after losing that two-touchdown lead to the Gators, and its playoff chances are on very thin ice.
Another SEC hopeful in Missouri (Down 8) slumped after mustering just a field goal in a 31-3 loss at Ole Miss.
Notre Dame (Down 3) and Alabama (Down 6) saw modest drops after road losses to BYU and Tennessee, respectively. Bama dropped a second-straight game after taking an L to Georgia the week prior.
Mississippi State was No. 19 in last week’s Coaches Poll, but dropped out entirely after an ugly 31-0 loss at LSU without quarterback Kamario Taylor on the field.
The coaches also dumped Oklahoma State after a narrow defeat to Houston.
What Teams Just Missed Out?
These teams got votes in the Coaches Poll, but not enough to make the top 25 rankings.
Arizona 141; Oklahoma State 87; James Madison 80; Auburn 55; Mississippi State 32; Nebraska 19; Oregon State 17; New Mexico 16; UTSA 13; Michigan 10; North Dakota State 8; Wisconsin 7; Duke 7; North Carolina 5; Pittsburgh 4; Air Force 3; North Texas 1.
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