Georgia returns to No. 1 in USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll after Alabama's loss
With all the ranked-on-ranked matchups on the Week 7 college football slate, there were bound to be a lot of changes in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll. That is indeed the case, with four top 10 teams losing their first game, including formerly top-ranked Alabama.
Georgia returns to the top spot following an easy romp over Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs received 43 of 63 first-place votes this week and top the poll by 39 total points. Ohio State, which had the weekend off, moves up to No. 2 while increasing its first-place vote total to 17.
Michigan climbs to No. 3 after handling then-No. 10 Penn State. The Wolverines picked up a single No. 1 vote and edge Tennessee by three points for the third position. The Vols vault four places to No. 4 after taking down the Crimson Tide but picked up a pair of first-place nods. Clemson, a winner at Florida State, holds steady at No. 5.
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Alabama checks in at No. 6 following its loss, just ahead of future opponent Mississippi at No. 7. TCU makes a seven-spot leap to No. 8 after rallying to upend previously unbeaten Oklahoma State. Oregon and UCLA round out the top 10 after an open date on the eve of their head-to-head showdown.
Oklahoma State slips to No. 11, followed by Southern California, down six spots following its one-point loss at Utah, while the Utes move up to No. 15. Syracuse climbs to No. 14 with a trip to Clemson up next.
No. 20 Illinois and No. 25 Tulane make their season debuts in the poll. The Fighting Illini make their first Top 25 appearance since Oct. 16, 2011, while the Green Wave are in for the first time since the final rankings of the 1998 season on Jan. 6, 1999.
Kansas and Baylor fall out after losses, reducing the Big 12's representation in the poll by two.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coaches Poll: Georgia leads Ohio State at No. 1 after Alabama loss
