Alabama’s bye week didn’t keep the Crimson Tide from gaining ground in the latest coaches poll.
After Saturday’s slate and Sunday’s update, Alabama moved up one spot to No. 9 nationally, climbing from No. 10 despite not playing. The jump came after Ohio State slipped following a road loss to Southern Cal, giving the Tide the edge as the highest-ranked two-loss team in the coaches poll.
The top of the rankings shifted around them, too. Miami held on to No. 1 after beating North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Georgia moved up to No. 2 after its blowout of Florida, while Indiana rose to No. 3 after surviving an overtime scare against Minnesota. Utah climbed to No. 4, and UCLA moved up two spots to complete the top five.
Notre Dame stayed at No. 6, with Kentucky moving up one spot.
Alabama was the only team behind BYU in the poll. Ohio State dropped to No. 10, with Texas at No. 11.
Southern Cal made the biggest jump in the rankings, climbing eight spots to No. 17.
On the other end, Ohio State and SMU suffered the steepest falls, dropping eight positions apiece after SMU lost to Syracuse and slid to No. 23.
The Crimson Tide will return to action Saturday in Baton Rouge against LSU, which also had the weekend off. The Tigers are ranked No. 15 in the coaches poll.
Coaches poll top 25 rankings
Miami
Georgia
Indiana
Utah
UCLA
Notre Dame
Kentucky
BYU
Alabama
Ohio State
Texas
Ole Miss
Texas Tech
Wake Forest
LSU
Tennessee
Southern Cal
Houston
Missouri
Iowa
Boise State
Arizona
Northwestern
SMU
New Mexico
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