Coaches Poll top 25: LSU sinks, Vandy rises in Week 9 college football rankings

There was a shakeup in the Coaches Poll top 25 college football rankings coming out of another Carnage Saturday that saw nine ranked teams lose their games.

Where things stand in the Coaches Poll top 25 college football rankings entering the Week 9 games. | Nicole Hester/ The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Your first look at the updated Coaches Poll top 25 college football rankings coming out of an very consequential Upset Saturday and looking ahead to the Week 9 action.

With some high-profile ranked teams losing their games on the same weekend, it’s a sure thing there will be some notable changes in the rankings, and that was true of the Coaches Poll coming out of a major Chaos Saturday across the country.

Eight teams in the previous Coaches Poll lost their games, including two of the top-five and four of the top-ten, causing some important shifts around the top of the rankings, but also among the mid-range teams.

Where does that leave things in the updated Coaches Poll top 25 college football rankings as we come out of Saturday and look ahead to the Week 9 action?

Ohio State took up all the first-place votes in the new poll after the Miami drop and with no coaches willing to give any to the resurgent Hoosiers, who moved into the No. 2 position to replace the Hurricanes.

Alabama and Georgia moved into the top-five after defeating Tennessee and Ole Miss, respectively, and the Rebels maintained a position in the top-ten despite the loss, their first in 2025.

Louisville, Michigan, and Arizona State moved into the Coaches top 25 this week to replace three outgoing teams, while Vanderbilt catapulted into the top-dozen following a marquee win over LSU.

Let’s take a look at what teams moved up, moved down, and who didn’t budge in the rankings for this weekend, according to the coaches’ vote.

Coaches Poll top 25 rankings for Week 9

First-place votes in parentheses

1. Ohio State (65)
2. Indiana
3. Texas A&M
4. Alabama
5. Georgia
6. Oregon
7. Georgia Tech
8. Ole Miss
9. Miami
10. BYU
11. Oklahoma
12. Vanderbilt
13. Notre Dame
14. Missouri
15. Texas Tech
16. Virginia
17. Tennessee
18. Texas
19. LSU
20. USF
21. Cincinnati
22. Louisville
23. Illinois
24. Michigan
25. Arizona State

Where we left off: Last week’s Coaches Poll rankings

Teams that dropped out

Better luck next time to these teams that tumbled out of the Coaches Poll rankings this week after taking another costly loss on Saturday

No. 20 Memphis. One of several undefeated teams to lose their first game over the weekend, it doesn’t look great for the American Conference hopefuls to lose against a lousy UAB team undergoing a coaching change come playoff selection time.

No. 21 USC. Just when they got back in the rankings after beating Michigan, the Trojans tumbled right back out in another one-step-forward, two-steps-back situation for Lincoln Riley following yet another loss to rival Notre Dame.

No. 22 Utah. Two very costly defeats to the class of the Big 12, first against Texas Tech and now most recently to rival BYU, have the Utes sliding out of the national rankings and needing to get their bearings looking ahead to their second-half push.

Other teams receiving votes

These teams earned some votes from the coaches this week, but not enough of them to qualify for the official rankings, leaving them on the outside looking in

Navy 59; USC 52; Utah 51; Tulane 45; Houston 34; Iowa 17; James Madison 9; Iowa State 9; San Diego State 4; North Texas 4; Washington 3; UNLV 3; SMU 3; Memphis 3; TCU 2; Pittsburgh 2; Boise State 2; Northwestern 1.

Coaches Poll top 25 biggest movers

Indiana (Up 1). Miami’s loss allows the Hoosiers to jump into the No. 2 position following a rout against Michigan State, and their newly-extended head coach Curt Cignetti improves to 18-2 at the school.

LSU (Down 9). Brian Kelly’s tenure is unraveling fast following a loss against Vanderbilt, falling to 5-2 and facing a two-game stretch against Texas A&M and Alabama that could throw LSU’s entire season into a tailspin.

Vanderbilt (Up 6). Conversely, the Commodores are playing some of their best football ever, notching a second victory against a ranked SEC opponent this season.

Tennessee (Down 6). Losses against the class of the SEC, against ranked Georgia and now Alabama, don’t exactly help the Vols as they try to build a case to be in the playoff.

Alabama (Up 2). Ty Simpson looks like the best quarterback in college football, pitching another no-turnover game to lift the Crimson Tide over the Volunteers.

Georgia (Up 2). This isn’t exactly a vintage Kirby Smart defense, but it stiffened at the right time while the Bulldogs’ offense did enough to beat Ole Miss and avoid a second loss in what could be a turning point for their SEC title hopes.

Ole Miss (Down 3). The loss at Georgia deprives the Rebels of a place at the top of the SEC standings, leaving less room for error, but there’s still an easy path to something special if they don’t slip up again.

Texas Tech (Down 7). The favorites in the Big 12 took their first loss of the season, in the waning seconds on the road against reigning league champ Arizona State, which is now ranked as a result.

Miami (Down 7). A big drop for the Hurricanes after a surprise loss to now-ranked Louisville, but the rest of this resume warranted the coaches keeping them in the top 10.