Coaches Poll top 25: Texas rises, Ohio State falls in college football rankings for Championship Weekend

Where things stand in the Coaches Poll top 25 college football rankings as we come out of a bitter and consequential Rivalry Week that separated the contenders from the pretenders and helped finally sort out what Championship Weekend will look like.

Ohio State was the big loser of the weekend, dropping a fourth-straight game against Michigan, despite being a 20-odd point favorite this time, throwing the College Football Playoff picture into some confusion as we look ahead to the postseason.

Texas brought it some order, dominating Texas A&M in a Lone Star Showdown game more than a decade in the making, punching a ticket to the SEC Championship Game, where the Longhorns will get a chance at revenge against the Georgia team they lost to earlier this year.

Where does that leave everything in the updated top 25 college football rankings coming out of the 2024 regular season finale and moving into the postseason?

Let’s take a look at what teams moved up, who slid down, and who stayed put in the latest rankings, according to the coaches’ vote.

Coaches Poll top 25 rankings

First-place votes in parentheses

Oregon (53)
Texas
Penn State
Notre Dame
Georgia
Tennessee
SMU
Ohio State
Indiana
Boise State
Alabama
South Carolina
Arizona State
Miami
Ole Miss
Iowa State
Clemson
BYU
UNLV
Missouri
Illinois
Colorado
Army
Memphis
Syracuse

Teams that dropped out

These teams played themselves out of the Coaches Poll rankings this week

No. 18 Tulane. That stunning upset loss on Thanksgiving night against Memphis had the coaches drop the Green Wave out of the rankings altogether, although they’ll still play Army for the AAC championship at West Point this week.

No. 19 Texas A&M. A loss at home against playoff hopeful Texas was enough for the coaches to dump the Aggies out of the poll after they blew a chance to play for the SEC championship, but they still got some votes this week.

Other teams receiving votes

The coaches lent some of their votes to these teams, but enough of them in the final tally to qualify for the official rankings coming out of Week 14

Texas A&M 90; Duke 39; Tulane 37; Louisville 18; Kansas State 15; Louisiana 11; Michigan 2; Georgia Tech 2; Miami (OH) 1; Iowa 1

Coaches Poll biggest movers

Ohio State (Down 6). An expected drop for the Buckeyes, who are picking up the pieces after losing a fourth-straight to Michigan despite being huge favorites.

Syracuse (Up 4). That big win against ACC title favorite Miami helped propel the Orange into the rankings after finishing the regular season with a strong 9-3 record.

Clemson (Down 5). A loss at home to rival South Carolina was the third for the Tigers this year, but with Miami’s loss, they’ll play for the ACC title, and by proxy, a playoff berth.

Colorado (Up 5). The Buffs are back in the coaches’ rankings this week after smashing Big 12 punching bag Oklahoma State by a 52-0 count and likely giving Travis Hunter the Heisman.

College football’s undefeated club

The most exclusive club in the sport, with just one member as the regular season comes to a close.

Sitting all alone embodying perfection is the consensus No. 1 team in the national rankings and the presumptive top seed once again in this week’s College Football Playoff bracket projection.

Oregon clinched the only undefeated record among FBS teams in the regular season after thrashing rival Washington in its last game before embarking on the postseason.

The Ducks have already clinched a place in the Big Ten Championship Game, where they will face off against surprise contender Penn State, which earned the other spot in the game after Ohio State’s stunning loss to Michigan.

What Championship Weekend looks like

Coming out of Rivalry Week, we finally have the complete picture of what teams will play for their respective conference championships, helping set the stage for the final College Football Playoff rankings as the selection committee looks to sort it all out.

ACC: SMU vs. Clemson

Clemson had a wild Saturday, losing at home to rival South Carolina, but learning later that day that it would play for the ACC title after Miami’s loss at Syracuse, against an SMU team that could fall out of playoff consideration if it loses to the three-loss Tigers in Charlotte.

Big 12: Arizona State vs. Iowa State

All 256 potential scenarios the Big 12 needed to sort out have been tidied up, after the Sun Devils clinched with a win over Arizona, and then Iowa State beat Kansas State and then watched BYU beat Houston to take the other half of the game.

Big Ten: Oregon vs. Penn State

Both these teams are locks for the College Football Playoff, so likely all this game should really determine is who gets seeded where, and what team likely gets the No. 5 seed and a first-round playoff game in their own stadium.

SEC: Georgia vs. Texas

A rematch of what remains the Longhorns’ only loss of the season, when, as the No. 1 team in the nation, they succumbed to the Bulldogs at home in a 30-15 decision. Both these teams should be in the College Football Playoff regardless of what happens in Atlanta.

AAC: Tulane vs. Army

Army earned the right to host the AAC title game after Tulane was upset by Memphis on Thanksgiving night, an important distinction as the Black Knights look to use the matchup as a jumping-off point for playoff consideration, but they need outside help from the Mountain West first.

Mountain West: UNLV vs. Boise State

Boise State is in the College Football Playoff with a win as the committee’s favorite from the Group of Five ranks, but UNLV could make it with a win here, too, given it was ranked last week, whereas Army wasn’t, and Tulane now isn’t, taking some of the shine off the AAC.

CUSA: Western Kentucky vs. Jacksonville State

A rematch of the Conference USA game we just saw played this past weekend, one the Hilltoppers won on a last-second field goal, ending JSU’s eight-game win streak.

MAC: Ohio vs. Miami

Ohio has won five straight games and Miami has taken seven in a row, and this game is a rematch of when the RedHawks beat the Bobcats by a 30-20 count.

Sun Belt: Marshall vs. Louisiana-Lafayette

A strong showing from the conference this year, as eight teams become bowl eligible. The team that hosts this game has won the last five, and this year it’s Louisiana that plays it at home.

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