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    College football coaches ranking projection: Can Oregon surpass Texas?

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    The debate for No. 1 in the new American LBM Coaches Poll will come down to Texas and Oregon. Will the Longhorns hold on to first place or will voters be swayed by the Ducks’ win against Ohio State?

    See if the Ducks can chip away at much of the Longhorns’ lead and pick up a dozen or more first-place votes. But Texas took care of business in the rivalry against Oklahoma and should remain at No. 1 as the only undefeated team in the SEC.

    The next question is where Ohio State falls after entering the weekend at No. 2. There is a case for a slight drop to No. 3 as the two teams switch positions after a narrow win at Oregon. Another option for No. 3 is Penn State after the Nittany Lions’ win in Southern California.

    Teams like Alabama and Tennessee were able to get close wins as heavy favorites, with the Volunteers needing overtime to get past Florida.

    This is what this week’s top 10 should look like after another wild Saturday:

    1.Texas (6-0)

    The Longhorns looked a little sluggish coming out of the gate against Oklahoma, but eventually pulled away for a solid 34-3 victory. The divide between these two rivals is clear. One is a national championship contender and the other might struggle to get to six wins and a bowl game.

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    2. Oregon (6-0)

    Let’s admit the truth: Ohio State probably would have risen to No. 1 in this week’s poll if the Buckeyes had gotten the road win. But that’s not true for Oregon, despite a 32-31 win that shows the program is one of the best in the FBS. The Ducks will settle for No. 2 and a bunch of first-place votes despite being the first Big Ten team other than Michigan to top Ohio State since Purdue in 2018.

    3. Penn State (6-0)

    Trailing 20-6 at halftime against Southern California, Penn State came out big in the second half behind a big performance from quarterback Drew Allar and some late defensive stops to earn a 33-30 victory in overtime. The Nittany Lions aren’t perfect, but they look good enough to finish near the top of the Big Ten and reach the playoffs.

    4. Ohio State (5-1)

    Given the lack of solid options, there’s a good chance the Buckeyes simply switch places with the Ducks and land at No. 3 in the new poll. Even if Penn State gets an edge because of its perfect record, Ohio State should stay ahead of Georgia and push the Bulldogs back one spot to No. 5.

    5. Georgia (5-1)

    It’s been a bit of a rocky road for Georgia since the start of SEC Play. There was a close win against Kentucky, the loss to Alabama, a less-than-impressive win against Auburn and Saturday’s 41-31 victory against Mississippi State. In addition to allowing one of the weakest teams in the league to score 30 points, quarterback Carson Beck threw two more interceptions, giving him five in his past three games.

    6. Miami (6-0)

    The Hurricanes were off this week, but return next Saturday with an interesting road trip to Louisville. That’s one of four likely bowl teams they’ll play the rest of the way, along with Duke, Georgia Tech and Syracuse. It’s not a very difficult schedule.

    7. Alabama (5-1)

    The loss to Vanderbilt didn’t dump Alabama out of the top 10, and an ugly win against South Carolina won’t either. But you can’t ignore some of the warning signs that come from a close call against an opponent outside the Crimson Tide’s weight class. This team has looked extremely beatable since storming out to a big lead early in the win against Georgia.

    8. LSU (5-1)

    After a touchdown with just a few minutes left in regulation, LSU scored with less than 30 seconds left to force overtime and then defeated Mississippi 29-26 to score a huge win by deep playoff implications. That might be enough to give the Tigers a lead over Alabama — they probably deserve it — but voters are more likely to reward them with a two-point jump from last week’s poll.

    9. Clemson (5-1)

    Clemson, winners of five in a row, will be back in the top 10 for the time since the 2023 preseason poll. The Tigers have come a long way since being defeated by Georgia in the opener, with huge gains, especially on the offensive side of the ball. With Cade Klubnik playing like an All-America candidate, Clemson has scored 40 or more points in four of those five wins, including a 49-14 victory on Saturday against Wake Forest.

    10. Tennessee (5-1)

    Needing overtime and scoring just 23 points to beat Florida isn’t going to impress anyone, especially a week after Tennessee’s offense pulled off a similar disappearing act in a loss to Arkansas. That will give the Volunteers a place compared to last week’s poll. But with few legitimate options to replace it — perhaps Notre Dame or Iowa State — Tennessee shouldn’t fall too far.

    (This story was updated to add a photo.)

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