There won’t be a change at No. 1, unlike last week, but the latest US LBM Coaches Poll will have at least two new teams in the top 10 after losses by Texas A&M and LSU.
The Aggies suffered the worst of the two losses, falling at home to Kentucky 31-21 after losing the plot coming out of halftime with the score tied. The Aggies will tumble out of the top 10 and face questions about their status as a College Football Playoff contender
LSU trailed by 17 points at halftime but rallied the tie the game at 24-24 before Trinidad Chambliss took over to deliver one of Mississippi’s most memorable regular-season wins.
There won’t be any changes in the top five of Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame, Indiana and Miami. But voters will have to think over whether or not
to keep Ohio State at No. 6 or move ahead Mississippi after its rise from No. 9.
Here’s how the top of the poll should shake out:
1. Texas (3-0)
After such an emotional win against Ohio State last Saturday, it wasn’t surprising to see Texas look sluggish at times in a 30-6 win against Texas-San Antonio. This wasn’t the best night for Arch Manning, who went 17 of 33 for 164 yards but did toss two scores without an interception.
2. Georgia (3-0)
Georgia played around with Arkansas for a few minutes before pulling away for a 45-17 win that saw Gunner Stockton attempt just 13 passes. The Bulldogs have scored 178 points in three games.
3. Notre Dame (3-0)
The Irish didn’t really start to flex until the second half of a 27-10 win against Michigan State, when they shut down the Spartans and pulled away for a 13th win in a row by double digits, extending the program record.
4. Indiana (3-0)
Indiana’s 38-0 win against Western Kentucky was the Hilltoppers’ most competitive game of the season, coming after a 49-14 loss to Nevada to open the year and a 70-20 shellacking against Georgia.
5. Miami (3-0)
The 33-20 win against Wake Forest on Friday night is a little misleading: Miami led 31-7 more than midway through the third quarter before the Demon Deacons got some things working on offense. Darian Mensah opened the game with 24 completions in a row to set an ACC record.
6. Ohio State (2-1)
After last week’s heartbreak against the Longhorns, the Buckeyes got back on track with 35 first-half points and a 59-3 rout of Kent State. Jeremiah Smith added to his resume with 85 receiving yards to become career yardage leader in program history.
7. Mississippi (3-0)
The Rebels have a great argument for No. 6 based on the win against LSU and the win to open the year against Louisville, which should be in this week's poll after topping SMU. That's still a three-spot leap from last week and would require a move ahead of Ohio State, and voters are very high on the Buckeyes.
8. Alabama (3-0)
Alabama started slowly and fell behind 21-3 to Florida State before turning on the jets for a 50-36 win. While the postgame focus was on Seminoles coach Mike Norvell, the Crimson Tide have played inconsistently the past two weeks and have to clean things up,
9. Texas Tech (3-0)
This would require leapfrogging Southern California, which was No. 11 in last week’s poll. But the Red Raiders earned a very good win against Houston while the Trojans struggled to beat Rutgers.
10. USC (4-0)
This feels a little weird given the need to go four quarters in a 42-35 win at Rutgers. But USC was No. 11, won on the road in the Big Ten and should hold off Brigham Young and Tennessee.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football rankings projection after Week 3: How high does Mississippi rise?
