Oregon has ascended to No. 2 in the Coaches Poll for the first time since 2014 following a historic victory over Ohio State, marking the program’s first win against a top-two opponent. Meanwhile, Texas maintained its position at No. 1 after securing 53 out of 55 first-place votes.
In the latest rankings, Penn State moved up to No. 3, surpassing Georgia, who fell to No. 4 after a narrow 41-31 victory against Mississippi State. Ohio State dropped three spots to No. 5 after their close loss to Oregon. Additionally, LSU and Clemson improved their standings, both jumping over Tennessee to re-enter the top 10, now ranked at No. 8 and No. 9 respectively.
On a noteworthy note, Army has made its return to the poll for the first time since 2018 following a commanding 44-10 win against UAB, bringing their season record to 6-0. This is the Black Knights’ best start since 1945, the year they clinched a national title and saw Heisman Trophy winner Doc Blanchard emerge. Nebraska also re-entered the rankings at No. 25.
In Week 8’s Coaches Poll, the following teams dropped out: No. 16 Oklahoma and No. 17 Utah. Other teams receiving votes included Oklahoma (81), Arizona State (49), Navy (37), Utah (31), Vanderbilt (26), Syracuse (13), UNLV (12), Iowa (12), Texas Tech (9), Liberty (9), Washington State (8), Memphis (4), Louisville (4), James Madison (3), and Tulane (2).