The latest US LBM Coaches Poll brought plenty of movement, even if the weekend itself didn’t deliver many true shakeups on the field.
Ohio State stayed put at No. 1, and the Buckeyes did it in commanding fashion. They picked up 50 first-place votes as they head into a highly anticipated trip to Texas.
Behind them, Georgia climbed to No. 2 with seven first-place votes, while Texas rose to No. 3 and collected one top vote of its own. Notre Dame and Indiana each moved up one spot to complete the top five, with the Fighting Irish earning four first-place votes and the defending national champion Hoosiers holding onto 11.
Oregon took the biggest hit near the top. The Ducks slipped from No. 2 to No. 6 after a close call against Boise State.
They still received one No. 1 vote, but enough voters pushed them down to make the drop stick. Miami (Fla.) remained at No.
LSU made the week’s biggest leap among the top teams, jumping five spots to No. 8 after its prime-time rout of Clemson. Texas A&M and Oklahoma fill out the top 10, while Mississippi and Alabama each slid one spot to No. 11 and No. 12.
Michigan’s place in the poll survived, but only just. The Wolverines are down to No. 24 after their controversial win over Western Michigan, an eight-spot fall from their preseason ranking. Clemson was the only team to fall out completely, and Florida and Virginia entered the poll in a tie for 25th.
The full top 25 now reads: Ohio State, Georgia, Texas, Notre Dame, Indiana, Oregon, Miami (Fla.), LSU, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Alabama, Texas Tech, USC, BYU, Penn State, SMU, Tennessee, Washington, Utah, Iowa, Houston, Missouri, Michigan, and tied at No. 25, Virginia and Florida.
Among the teams receiving votes outside the top 25 were Louisville, Illinois, Boise State, Arizona, South Carolina, Memphis, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Nebraska, Arizona State, Minnesota, Western Michigan, New Mexico, North Dakota State, Kansas State, Navy, UCLA, Duke, UNLV, Clemson, San Diego State, North Carolina and Colorado.
In Other News...
Michigans Opener Already Sparked A Response Fans Will Notice Against Oklahoma
Rod Moore did not sugarcoat Michigans season-opening showing against Western Michigan, calling it well below the standard the Wolverines expect. The reaction inside the program was immediate, too, with team captains calling an emergency player-only meeting to address what went wrong and to reset the tone before the schedule tightens up.
The response showed up on the practice field, where the defense ramped up its physical intensity in preparation for Oklahoma. Edge defender Dom Nichols also drew attention for both his strong play and his work ethic, a reminder that Michigan is trying to turn a flat opener into a sharper, more urgent version of itself before a much bigger test arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Win Is Now At Center Of A Stunning Official Fight
The final sequence of Michigans 13-12 win over Western Michigan has turned into more than a narrow nonconference finish. A reviewed Hail Mary added one second back onto the clock, and that extra snap led to the game-winning catch that kept the Wolverines on top. The Big Ten later backed the decision after its own video review, treating the ending as a properly administered piece of officiating in a game that was already tense enough on the field.
Now the dispute has moved from the scoreboard to the offices that govern the sport. The Mid-American Conference has formally appealed to the NCAA FBS Oversight Committee and the College Football Playoff, asking them to recognize Western Michigan as the winner. For Michigan, the result stands for now, but the unusual fight over a single second has made this one of the more talked-about finishes of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Win Sparked A Debate Fans Should Care About
Michigans disputed 13-12 win over Western Michigan did more than send people scrambling through the rule book. It also reignited a familiar gripe about how college football handles the last moments of a close game, with ESPNs Rece Davis arguing that fans would be better served by a single shared game clock and by live access to replay officials conversations so the process feels less opaque.
The sequence at the end of the game made the frustration easy to understand: the broadcast clock hit zero, but replay officials restored one second after using a synchronized system, and Michigan turned that final snap into the touchdown that decided it. Officials and conference representatives backed up the replay process, and Western Michigan president Richard N. Yensen acknowledged the clocks did not match while saying he did not view the outcome as unfair, but the larger transparency debate is unlikely to fade soon. [Read more 🡒]