The Clemson Tigers had a bye in Week 6 of the 2026 college football season, which gave Tigers fans a chance to enjoy some of the chaos that unfolded Saturday.
That chaos resulted in a lot of movement near the top of Sunday's new US LBM Coaches Poll following a wild day of upsets.
After previously top-ranked Texas fell to Oklahoma and former Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables on a field goal as time expired in the Red River Rivalry, a new team rose to No. 1 in Sunday's Coaches Poll rankings. The Georgia Bulldogs (6-0) took over the top spot after beating the Alabama Crimson Tide (5-1), 20-17, in Tuscaloosa.
Notre Dame (6-0) rose to No. 2 with ACC frontrunner Miami (5-0) moving up one spot to No. 3. Defending national champion Indiana (6-0) rose one spot to No. 4.
Ohio State (5-1), the highest-ranked one-loss team, rounded out the top five.
Texas fell five spots to No. 6 while Alabama stayed at No. 7. BYU and Texas Tech remained Nos. 8 and 9, respectively. Ole Miss reentered the top 10 of the Coaches Poll following a convincing 52-17 win at Vanderbilt. The Rebels moved up one spot after LSU and Lane Kiffin suffered a stunning 35-34 loss at Kentucky in overtime.
As for the ACC outside of Miami, SMU (4-1) dropped one spot in Sunday's rankings to No. 22. A new conference team climbed into the top 25 for the first time this season: Wake Forest debuted at No. 23 following a 38-14 win over NC State in Raleigh. The Demon Deacons have started 5-1 under second-year coach Jake Dickert.
Two ACC teams dropped out of the rankings: Duke, which had been ranked No. 23, fell 28-25 to Georgia Tech in the closing seconds at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta. Pitt, which debuted at No. 25 last week following a 5-0 start, dropped out of the rankings after a 21-17 loss to Bill Belichick's North Carolina Tar Heels.
Clemson (3-2 overall, 2-1 ACC), as expected, received no votes for top-25 consideration in Sunday's Week 7 Coaches Poll.
New No. 1 in Coaches Poll top 25 rankings after chaotic Week 6
Here's a look at the full top 25 rankings in the US LBM Coaches Poll entering Week 7.
Schools Dropped Out
No. 15 Florida; No. 23 Duke; No. 24 Pittsburgh;
Others Receiving Votes
Northwestern 107; Arizona 92; Nebraska 74; Oklahoma 50; Wisconsin 39; Duke 35; James Madison 33; Florida 32; Pittsburgh 25; New Mexico 16; UTSA 10; Baylor 9; Memphis 6; Oregon State 2; North Carolina 1;
Clemson star linebacker Sammy Brown is happy with where the Tigers are
— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) October 11, 2026
📸 Bob Donnan, USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con https://t.co/lMcS1LwXiF pic.twitter.com/FZhZHgtQAW
Clemson football schedule 2026
All times Eastern.
- Sept. 5: at LSU Tigers (L, 51-10)
- Sept. 12: vs. Georgia Southern Eagles (W, 22-7)
- Sept. 19: vs. North Carolina Tar Heels (W, 28-20)
- Sept. 25: at California Golden Bears (W, 24-10)
- Oct. 3: vs. Miami Hurricanes (L, 41-13)
- Oct. 17: vs. Charleston Southern Buccaneers, noon ET, ACC Network
- Oct. 24: vs. Virginia Tech Hokies, TBA
- Oct. 31: at Florida State Seminoles, TBA
- Nov. 7: at Syracuse Orange, TBA
- Nov. 14: vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, TBA
- Nov. 20: at Duke Blue Devils, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
- Nov. 28: vs. South Carolina Gamecocks, TBA
Record: 3-2 overall, 2-1 conference.
Former Clemson star running back is ready for first career NFL start
— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) October 11, 2026
📸 Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect https://t.co/ytCfNDJNSO pic.twitter.com/S8RicgmQEt
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: College football top 25 rankings: new No. 1 in US LBM Coaches Poll after chaos
