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    • Who will be number 1?
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    Who will be number 1?

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    Texas replaced Georgia. Then Georgia humiliated Texas. Now Oregon is poised to rise to No. 1 in the U.S. LBM Coaches Poll for the first time since 2012.

    Ranked No. 2 in last week’s poll after a thrilling win against Ohio State, the Ducks will step in for the Longhorns following the Bulldogs’ 30-15 win in Austin. The only other undefeated contender for first place is Penn State, but the Nittany Lions should receive few if any first-place votes from the Coaches Poll panel.

    Georgia built a case on dismantling the previously immaculate Longhorns on Saturday night, but the Bulldogs are carrying a loss to Alabama that looks worse considering the Crimson Tide’s struggles in October.

    Alabama is a team on the verge of falling in the rankings after losing to Tennessee. The Tide suffered two losses before November for the first time since 2007, the debut season of former coach Nick Saban.

    With Oregon leading the way, here’s what the Coaches Poll should look like when the new Top 25 is released later today:

    1. Oregon (7-0)

    The Ducks didn’t have to worry in Friday night’s 35-0 win over hapless Purdue. It’s worth comparing how Oregon has hit the ground running in the Big Ten alongside the three other former Pac-12 programs that joined: Washington, Southern California and UCLA are a combined 4-10 in conference play .

    2. Georgia (6-1)

    The victory in Texas reminded us how impressive Georgia can be when steered in the right direction. That hasn’t been the case all season, especially when he fell into a deep and ultimately insurmountable hole at Alabama. But when you take the Longhorns apart piece by piece, it turns out that Georgia might be the best team in the country, as expected in August.

    HEIGHT AND LOW: Georgia, Alabama, headline Week 8 winners and losers

    3. Penn State (6-0)

    After a week off, the Nittany Lions return this Saturday with a suddenly intriguing road trip against Wisconsin. The Badgers have shaken off some early rust with three straight lopsided wins against Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern. In other words, Penn State can’t be fooled by the prospect of the big game with Ohio State starting in November.

    4. Texas (6-1)

    This feels like the right landing spot for Texas. Falling behind the two undefeated Big Ten leaders would see Georgia acknowledge the team’s dominance by winning six straight to open the year. But the fact is that the strength of the schedule is not very good: Michigan is probably the best win for the Longhorns, followed by Oklahoma.

    5. Ohio State (5-1)

    You have to feel sorry for Nebraska, and not just for Saturday’s 56-7 loss to Indiana. Matt Rhule’s team is next for OSU, which has two weeks to digest the Oregon loss. Look for the Buckeyes to take some of the frustration out of the Cornhuskers.

    6. Miami (7-0)

    In a perfect world, Miami’s undefeated record would be enough to elevate the Hurricanes above at least two one-loss teams. But the series of close calls in ACC play will make it difficult for voters to rank Miami higher than No. 6. Clemson’s strong play earns them a potential win in the conference title game.

    7. Tennessee (6-1)

    Beating Alabama would move the Volunteers up three spots from last week’s rankings and ahead of LSU, which looked pretty good in beating Arkansas 34-10. Another contender here is Clemson, who was ranked No. 9 last week and won going away against Virginia. While not perfect, Tennessee is one overtime against the Razorbacks away from being undefeated and possibly No. 1.

    8. LSU (6-1)

    Beating Arkansas by 24 points is remarkable considering the recent history in this series. The previous four meetings, three of which were won by LSU, were decided by a field goal. This one seemed to be going that way for most of the first half before the Tigers started to pull away in the third quarter. That it comes from the emotional high of last week’s loss to Mississippi makes it even more impressive.

    9. Clemson (6-1)

    The Tigers are averaging 41.2 points per game despite only scoring a field goal in the opener against Georgia. Since then, the average has risen to 48.5 points per game, with a high of 66 points against Appalachian State and a low of 29 points against Florida State. Although still under the radar, Clemson looks like a legitimate national championship contender.

    10. Notre Dame (6-1)

    It’s been a steady climb back to this point for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish were No. 7 in the preseason poll. They were still ranked No. 7 after beating Texas A&M, but plummeted to No. 19 after the loss to Northern Illinois. Then No. 18. On to No. 14. Then No. 13, then No. 12. In 11th place heading into Saturday, the Irish will move up one spot after taking care of business against Georgia Tech.

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