The lead between the top two could tighten in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll after Utah’s 40-39 road win against Arizona.
That gives the Utes three wins against teams in the current rankings. Combined with its unbeaten record, Utah could cut into Georgia’s advantage in first-place votes. The Utes had 14 first-place votes to the Bulldogs’ 54 in last week’s Top 25.
But Georgia delivered its own win against a ranked opponent in Missouri, though this win came at home. That will guarantee that Georgia remains No. 1 with room to spare.
There may be no movement in the new top 10 unless voters are swayed by Wake Forest’s 49-21 win against SMU. Ranked No. 11 heading into the weekend, the Demon Deacons would need to leapfrog Texas Tech after the Red Raiders’
win at Oklahoma State.
Here’s how the top 10 of this week’s Coaches Poll should look:
1. Georgia (9-1)
Georgia has unlocked a new level of game control. The Bulldogs led Florida 24-0 at halftime on Halloween, led Ole Miss 28-0 at halftime last week and then put up 21 points in the first quarter of Saturday’s 48-21 romp against Missouri. There is a big gap between Georgia and the rest of the Power Four.
2. Utah (10-0)
Utah added another quality win by topping Arizona, stacking the Wildcats alongside Houston and Brigham Young. Importantly, the Utes stayed at least a full game ahead of the rest of the Big 12 with two games left before the conference title game.
3. Notre Dame (9-1)
Notre Dame suffered no post-Miami hangover with a 41-7 win against Boston College. The Irish have scored at least 31 points in every game but two (Michigan State and Brigham Young). Freshman running back Jonaz Walton had 141 yards against the Eagles for his third 100-yard game of the year.
4. UCLA (10-0)
The Bruins picked off three passes, recovered a fumble and notched a safety to beat Illinois 22-14 and move to 10-0 for the third time in program history. This wasn’t a great performance, no, but it was par for the course for a team that finds ways to win.
5. Indiana (9-1)
Indiana beat Southern California 27-13 for its first win by double digits since winning 47-15 at Rutgers on Oct. 3. The Hoosiers can lose one of the next two and very likely still earn an at-large playoff berth. Winning both games to end November will send Indiana back to the Big Ten title game.
6. Miami (9-1)
Duke was right on Miami’s heels into the fourth quarter before the Hurricanes pulled in front for a 36-25 win. Playing for the second game in a row without star receiver Malachi Toney, quarterback Darian Mensah threw for 382 yards and a score.
7. Alabama (8-2)
A sloppy 21-6 win against Vanderbilt won’t hurt Alabama’s reputation with voters. But maybe it should? The Commodores turned the ball over twice inside the Tide’s 15-yard line and missed a field goal. But in the end the result wasn't really in doubt.
8. Texas (8-2)
The Longhorns were on the ropes late in the third quarter but scored the game’s final 12 points to stun LSU 22-21. The game-winning score was a 4-yard touchdown pass by Arch Manning capping a 58-yard drive with two seconds left.
9. Tennessee (8-2)
Five field goals helped Tennessee score a 22-7 win against miserable Texas A&M. Alone, nothing about that score or the Volunteers’ performance is worthy of the top 10. But Tennessee has found a method for papering over its limitations and has ridden this style of play to the doorstep of an at-large playoff bid.
10. Texas Tech (9-1)
Winning 52-27 at Oklahoma State is probably Texas Tech’s best result on the year, especially with Houston losing to Colorado and Arizona drawing its third loss. The road win should be enough to stay ahead of Wake Forest.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football rankings poll projection. Could Georgia lose ground to Utah
