Coming out of a wild Week 7, the Coaches Poll has a new No. 1 and a reshuffled top 25 after a Saturday that sent a handful of ranked teams tumbling.
The biggest mover near the top was BYU, which climbed five spots and surged into the top three after piling up 343 total points in the ballot. The Cougars did it with a signature win over then-second-ranked Notre Dame, a result that clearly changed the way the coaches viewed the top of the sport.
Kentucky also made a five-spot jump after shaking off a slow start and taking advantage of key Oklahoma giveaways in a road upset. At 6-1, the Wildcats are suddenly being treated as a legitimate playoff threat.
Florida made an even bigger statement in the poll, rising nine places to get back in after slipping out during a two-game losing streak. The Gators’ win at Texas was enough to win back the coaches’ confidence this week.
Texas took the hardest fall of the group, dropping 12 spots after coughing up a two-touchdown lead against Florida. With that loss, the Longhorns’ playoff outlook is now hanging by a thread.
Missouri also slid, falling eight spots after being held to a field goal in a 31-3 loss at Ole Miss.
Notre Dame and Alabama both lost ground too, though their drops were less severe. Notre Dame slipped three spots after losing on the road at BYU, while Alabama fell six places following a road defeat at Tennessee. That marked a second straight loss for the Crimson Tide after the week before’s setback against Georgia.
Two teams were pushed out of the rankings entirely. Mississippi State, which had been No. 19 last week, disappeared from the poll after a 31-0 loss at LSU without quarterback Kamario Taylor. Oklahoma State also got the boot after a narrow loss to Houston.
The teams that received votes but fell short of the top 25 were Arizona with 141, Oklahoma State with 87, James Madison with 80, Auburn with 55, Mississippi State with 32, Nebraska with 19, Oregon State with 17, New Mexico with 16, UTSA with 13, Michigan with 10, North Dakota State with 8, Wisconsin with 7, Duke with 7, North Carolina with 5, Pittsburgh with 4, Air Force with 3, and North Texas with 1.
In Other News...
DeBoer Called Out What Fueled Alabamas Offensive Meltdown At Tennessee
Tennessees defense spent Saturday night making Alabama look unsteady in all the ways that matter, forcing four turnovers and holding the Crimson Tide to just 201 total yards in a 26-10 loss in Knoxville. DeSean Bishop led the way for the Vols with 159 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Alabama was stuck all night trying to find any rhythm against a defense that kept the pressure on and the Tide off schedule.
Kalen DeBoer was left to sort through the offensive breakdown afterward, and his halftime message pointed straight at the emotional side of the meltdown. Alabama needed more composure and better decisions, but those fixes were easier to identify than to find once Tennessee had taken control of the game and turned every mistake into a bigger problem for the Tide. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Saban Backed Alabama But His GameDay Warning Stood Out
As ESPNs College GameDay rolled through its weekly pick segment, the usual mix of confidence and caution came out around Alabamas trip to Tennessee. Pat McAfee and Steve Young leaned into some eye-catching calls elsewhere on the board, but the conversation around the Crimson Tide centered on a familiar theme: talent is one thing, handling the road in that atmosphere is another. Nick Saban was part of the broadcast lineup, adding his perspective as the analysts weighed the strengths and challenges facing both teams.
The picks themselves mostly tilted Alabamas way, with the panel generally backing the Crimson Tide against Tennessee while Young was the outlier. Still, Sabans presence gave the segment extra weight, especially as the discussion turned from simple prediction to warning signs and execution. Even in a show built around official picks, the broader takeaway was less about who everyone chose and more about how thin the margin can be when Alabama steps into a game like this. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Saban Sees One Real Threat In Alabama's Trip To Neyland
The buildup to Alabamas Week 7 trip to Neyland Stadium is centered on more than just the rankings, because Tennessees defense has given the Crimson Tide a real reason to pause. Former Alabama coach Nick Saban singled out the Volunteers on College GameDay, pointing to a group that can limit scoring, defend the pass and pressure the quarterback, all traits that tend to make life difficult for even the most polished offenses.
For Alabama, that means every possession could matter in a matchup that already carries plenty of weight. The Tide are headed into one of the SECs louder environments with a defense on the other side that looks built to make the game uncomfortable, and how Alabama handles that pressure may go a long way toward deciding whether the afternoon in Knoxville turns into a statement or a struggle. [Read more 🡒]