The SEC is flexing hard in the latest USA Today Coaches Poll, with 10 league teams landing in the Week 4 top 25.
Texas stayed put at No. 1, holding off No. 2 Georgia, No.
3 Notre Dame, No. 4 Indiana and No.
5 Miami. That top five did not move from last week, but the rest of the rankings brought some real shakeup, especially for the SEC.
Ole Miss made the biggest leap near the top of the poll, climbing to No. 6 after knocking off LSU on Saturday night. LSU slid to No. 11 after the loss.
Alabama checked in at No. 8, while Tennessee landed at No. 13.
Texas A&M is No. 20, Mizzou sits at No.
21, Florida comes in at No. 22 and Oklahoma rounds out the SEC contingent at No. 24.
The league’s depth showed up in the teams just outside the rankings, too. Mississippi State, Kentucky and Vanderbilt all received votes, but only Mississippi State drew the most attention after its 3-0 start and comeback win over South Carolina still wasn’t enough to crack the top 25.
That omission stood out in a poll that otherwise kept Oklahoma in the mix despite the Sooners’ narrow win over New Mexico on Saturday.
Here’s the full Week 4 Coaches Poll:
Texas
Georgia
Notre Dame
Indiana
Miami
Ole Miss
Ohio State
Alabama
BYU
Texas Tech
LSU
USC
Tennessee
Penn State
Utah
Oregon
Iowa
Michigan
Louisville
Texas A&M
Mizzou
Florida
Washington
Oklahoma
SMU
Others receiving votes: Houston 116; Mississippi State 114; Duke 70; West Virginia 55; Kentucky 54; Oklahoma State 36; Pittsburgh 35; Virginia Tech 30; Vanderbilt 29; Boise State 29; Tulsa 20; UCLA 18; Kansas State 18; Western Michigan 17; Nebraska 11; North Dakota State 8; Northwestern 4; Clemson 3; Massachusetts 2; James Madison 2; Arizona 1.
In Other News...
Alabama Just Got A Troubling Roster Update Fans Didnt Expect
Alabamas roster has taken a quieter turn than fans were expecting, with head coach Kalen DeBoer confirming that offensive lineman Chris Booker is no longer with the Crimson Tide. DeBoer did not offer a specific reason for Bookers departure, leaving one more unanswered question for a team that has been managing its depth as the season moves along.
There was at least some better news on the injury front. Linebacker Cayden Jones is out for the season with an undisclosed injury, but running back AK Dear and wide receiver Noah Rogers are expected to be available after working back from injuries. For Alabama, the bigger picture now is how quickly the lineup can settle again after another unexpected shift. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Just Got A Clearer SEC Warning Before Week 4
Week 3 across the SEC offered another reminder that the leagues hierarchy is still taking shape, and Alabama is heading into Week 4 with the standings conversation getting sharper by the day. Ole Miss and LSU delivered one of the weekends most watched conference matchups, while teams around the league kept shuffling the picture through a mix of league and nonconference results.
The updated power rankings reflect that kind of volatility, with wins and losses already forcing a fresh look at Arkansas, South Carolina, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, Mississippi State, Florida and Texas A&M. For Alabama, the takeaway is less about where everyone sits today than how quickly the margin for error can change once the next round of SEC games arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Enters SEC Play With A Problem DeBoer Must Fix Fast
Alabama is 3-0 and fresh off a 50-36 win over Florida State, but the unbeaten start did not erase the issues that have shown up early in games. As SEC play begins, Kalen DeBoer, Ryan Grubb and Kane Wommack spent part of their press conference talking through the slow starts, the need for continued player development and the areas that still need tightening up, with the defense drawing particular attention.
South Carolina is next, and the tone around Tuscaloosa was less about celebrating the record than about making sure Alabama plays cleaner when the games get harder. DeBoer and his coordinators also fielded questions about the status of key players, a reminder that September momentum only matters if the Tide can carry it into the conference schedule with the sort of urgency this team has not always shown early. [Read more 🡒]