College football rankings projection for US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 8 upsets

Get ready for a US LBM Coaches Poll shakeup.

Four teams in last week’s top 10 lost this past weekend, starting with Miami’s ugly, turnover-heavy loss to Louisville on Friday night. That opens the spot behind Ohio State, the unquestioned No. 1 after another Big Ten blowout.

Joining the Hurricanes are Mississippi, which lost to Georgia; Texas Tech, which was stunned late by Arizona State; and LSU, which lost to Vanderbilt for the first time since 1990.

This will lead to a redo of the top five and bring at least two new teams in the top 10. One definite newcomer will be Georgia Tech, which is having its best start to a season in decades.

UP AN DOWN: College football winners and losers from Week 8

Here’s how the top 10 of the Coaches Poll should look when the new Top 25 is released later on Sunday:

1. Ohio State (6-0)

The Buckeyes blanked Wisconsin 34-0 to hand the Badgers back-to-back shutout losses at home for the first time since 1968. Ohio State has the nation’s best defense, and the offense isn’t too bad, either. It’ll only get better as quarterback Julian Sayin gets more comfortable.

2. Indiana (7-0)

The Hoosiers will take another step up the rankings and replace Miami. Indiana avoided a post-Oregon letdown by beating Michigan State 38-13 behind 332 passing yards and four touchdowns from Fernando Mendoza.

3. Texas A&M (7-0)

A&M led Arkansas 21-6 in the second quarter but allowed a pair of touchdowns before the break and then failed to put the Razorbacks away until taking a knee with nine seconds left. While unimpressive, the 45-42 win will keep A&M ahead of the many one-loss teams in the SEC and likely result in their highest ranking since 1995.

Ty Simpson had another two touchdowns and the Crimson Tide pushed their winning streak to six games by beating Tennessee 37-20. Alabama deserves to be the highest-rated one-loss team in the country thanks to wins against the Volunteers and Georgia.

5. Georgia (6-1)

Down 35-26 after three quarters against Mississippi, the Bulldogs dominated the fourth and won 43-35. Gunner Stockton was terrific and the running game was humming, but the biggest takeaway from the win was Georgia’s elite play over the final 15 minutes.

6. Oregon (6-1)

Oregon rebounded from the Indiana loss by taking out some frustrations on poor Rutgers, storming ahead 42-3 in the first half on the way to a 56-10 rout. The Ducks are going to be in the Big Ten and playoff race all the way to the end.

7. Miami (5-1)

Carson Beck’s four interceptions were the difference in Louisville’s 24-21 win. That’s been part of Beck’s story since last season, when he battled turnovers as the starter at Georgia. While this could be a one-off for the most-dtalented team in the ACC, the loss does show that Miami can’t simply roll over the better teams in the conference.

8. Georgia Tech (7-0)

The Yellow Jackets will crack the top 10 after beating Duke 27-18 to start 7-0 overall for the first time since 1966 and 4-0 in the ACC for the first time in 27 years. Tech struck first with a long fumble return for a touchdown but didn’t put the Blue Devils away until two long scoring drives in the fourth quarter.

9. Mississippi (6-1)

Losing to Georgia will dump Ole Miss down the rankings, though there’s nothing too worrisome about the nature of the loss. But losing to Oklahoma next week in Norman could be really damaging for the Rebels and be a potential issue when the playoff selection committee starts comparing playoff candidates in early December.

10. Brigham Young (7-0)

This would be a four-spot leap for the Cougars after a 24-21 Holy War win against Utah. That’s enough to lift BYU past one-loss Oklahoma and ahead of two-loss Notre Dame after the Fighting Irish beat Southern California.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football Top 25 poll ranking projection after Week 8

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