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Sports Seriously
The debate for No. 1 in the new US LBM Coaches Poll will come down to Texas and Oregon. Will the Longhorns hold onto the top spot or will voters be swayed by the Ducks’ win against Ohio State?
Look for the Ducks to take a big chunk out of the Longhorns’ lead and draw a dozen or more first-place votes. But Texas took care of business in the rivalry against Oklahoma and should stick at No. 1 as the only unbeaten team in the SEC.
The next question is where Ohio State falls after entering the weekend ranked No. 2. There is a case for a small drop to No. 3, as the two teams flip positions after a narrow Oregon win. Another option for No. 3 is Penn State after the Nittany Lions’ overtime win at Southern California.
Teams such as Alabama and Tennessee were able to pull out close wins as major favorites, with the Volunteers needing overtime to get past Florida.
Here’s how this week’s top 10 should look after another wild Saturday:
1. Texas (6-0)
The Longhorns looked a little sluggish coming out of the gate against Oklahoma but eventually pulled away for a solid 34-3 win. The gap between these two rivals is obvious. One is a national championship contender and the other might struggle to get to six wins and a bowl game.
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2. Oregon (6-0)
Let’s admit the truth: Ohio State probably would’ve risen to No. 1 in this week’s poll had the Buckeyes scored the road win. But that’s not true for Oregon despite a 32-31 victory that shows the program’s credentials as one of the best in the FBS. The Ducks will settle for No. 2 and a bunch of first-place votes despite becoming the first Big Ten team other than Michigan to top Ohio State since Purdue in 2018.
3. Penn State (6-0)
Down 20-6 at halftime against Southern California, Penn State came up big in the second half behind a good showing from quarterback Drew Allar and some late defensive stops to land a 33-30 win in overtime. The Nittany Lions aren’t perfect but are looking good enough to finish near the top of the Big Ten and get into the playoff.
4. Ohio State (5-1)
Given the lack of solid options, there’s a good chance the Buckeyes simply swap spots with the Ducks and land at No. 3 in the new poll. Even giving Penn State the edge by virtue of its perfect record, Ohio State should stay ahead of Georgia and knock the Bulldogs down one spot to No. 5.
5. Georgia (5-1)
It’s been a little bit of a rocky road for Georgia since kicking off SEC play. There was a narrow win against Kentucky, the loss to Alabama, a less-than-impressive win against Auburn and Saturday’s 41-31 win against Mississippi State. In addition to letting one of the weakest team in the league crack 30 points, quarterback Carson Beck threw another two interceptions to give him five in his past three games.
6. Miami (6-0)
The Hurricanes were off this week but return this coming Saturday with an interesting road trip to Louisville. That’s one of four likely bowl teams they’ll play the rest of the way, along with Duke, Georgia Tech and Syracuse. It’s not a very hard schedule.
7. Alabama (5-1)
The loss to Vanderbilt didn’t dump Alabama out of the top 10 and an ugly win against South Carolina won’t, either. But you can’t ignore some of the warning signs coming out of a close call against an opponent outside the Crimson Tide’s weight class. This team has looked extremely beatable since storming out to a big lead early in the win against Georgia.
8. LSU (5-1)
Down by a touchdown with just minutes to go in regulation, LSU scored with under 30 seconds left to force overtime and then beat Mississippi 29-26 to score a huge win with deep playoff implications. That may be enough to push the Tigers ahead of Alabama — they probably deserve it — but voter are more likely to reward them with a two-spot jump from last week’s poll.
9. Clemson (5-1)
Winners of five in a row, Clemson is set to get back into the top 10 for the time since the 2023 preseason poll. The Tigers have come a long way since getting whipped by Georgia in the opener, with huge gains in particular on the offensive side of the ball. With Cade Klubnik playing like an All-America contender, Clemson has scored 40 or more points in four of these five wins, including a 49-14 victory on Saturday against Wake Forest.
10. Tennessee (5-1)
Needing overtime and scoring just 23 points to beat Florida won’t impress anyone, especially coming a week after Tennessee’s offense pulled off a similar disappearing act in a loss to Arkansas. That will drop the Volunteers a spot from last week’s poll. But with few legitimate options to step in its place — maybe Notre Dame or Iowa State — Tennessee shouldn’t fall too far.
(This story was updated to add a photo.)
