Washington joins top five of college football's US LBM Coaches Poll, while USC tumbles
The biggest game of the weekend produced the most notable change in the US LBM Coaches Poll as Washington joins the top five.
The Huskies move up to the No. 5 spot after edging Oregon in a Pac-12 thriller. This is their first top-five ranking since Oct. 8, 2017. Washington nudges ahead of No. 6 Penn State. The Nittany Lions easily handled Massachusetts and will get their shot at a signature win in just a week when they visit No. 3 Ohio State.
The top four teams stay put with relatively little drama, although No. 1 Georgia perhaps let Vanderbilt hang around longer than its fans would have liked. Nonetheless, the Bulldogs retain 58 of 64 first-place votes. Michigan received four firsts this week after taking care of Indiana, and third-ranked Ohio State also got a No. 1 nod following a win at Purdue.
Florida State also holds steady at No. 4 after rolling past Syracuse. Oklahoma, which had the week off, remains at No. 7 while picking up a first-place vote. Texas and Alabama are tied for eighth this week, and North Carolina cracks the top 10 for the first time this season.
TOP 25: Complete US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 7
HIGHS AND LOWS: Washington leads Week 7 winners and losers
Oregon slips just three places to No. 11. Southern California took a much bigger hit, tumbling seven spots to No. 16 after losing big at Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish rise to No. 18. Louisville, which lost at unranked Pittsburgh on the heels of its Notre Dame victory, drops six places to No. 21. UCLA, which fell at No. 13 Oregon State, narrowly holds on to the No. 25 position, staving off unbeaten James Madison by three poll points.
No. 22 Air Force makes its debut in the poll for the first time since the final poll of the 2019 season after getting past Mountain West challenger Wyoming. No. 23 Iowa and No. 24 Tulane return.
Washington State, Kentucky and Kansas are the week’s dropouts.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coaches Poll: Washington joins top five, USC takes tumble
