The Alabama Crimson Tide enjoyed a much-needed bye in Week 9 of the 2026 college football season. Many other top-10 teams had to fight to avoid an upset Saturday, including one that didn't.
The only top-10 upset came out west where Southern California and Lincoln Riley got a big monkey off their backs with a 30-18 win over second-ranked Ohio State. The Buckeyes suffered their second loss of the season and now face College Football Playoff uncertainty heading into the final month of the regular season with starting QB Julian Sayin, a former Alabama commitment, sidelined with an injury.
Indiana needed overtime for the second straight week to survive a Big Ten opponent the Hoosiers were heavy favorites against. Indiana avoided a loss with a 23-16
win over Minnesota in Bloomington.
Notre Dame survived a first-half scare from Navy and led by only one point at intermission, but the Fighting Irish outscored the Midshipmen 21-0 in the second half ahead of its pivotal Week 10 contest against No. 1 Miami.
The Hurricanes also got a scare Saturday from unranked North Carolina, who attempted three onside kicks before Miami recovered and ran out a 38-35 win in Chapel Hill. BYU survived an upset bid from Arizona State after the game was tied at 17 entering the fourth quarter.
Like Miami and Notre Dame, BYU has a huge matchup looming in Week 10 with its "Holy War" rivalry against Utah looming. The Utes had no trouble with Cincinnati in a 49-25 at Nippert Stadium.
Alabama, of course, has its own high-stakes test in Week 10 with a visit to LSU in a top-15 matchup. In the meantime, here's where the Crimson Tide rank in Sunday's new US LBM Coaches Poll.
SEC Power Rankings: Multiple teams rising ahead of massive Week 10
— Roll Tide Wire (@RollTideWire) November 1, 2026
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Did Alabama football rise in new Coaches Poll after Week 9 bye?
Alabama (6-2) is ranked No. 9 in the Week 10 US LBM Coaches Poll, up one spot from last week. The Crimson Tide are ranked one spot below the BYU Cougars (7-1), and are one spot ahead of the Ohio State Buckeyes (6-2).
Alabama remains the third highest-ranked SEC team in the Coaches Poll behind Georgia (8-1) and Kentucky (7-1). The Bulldogs routed Florida in Week 9 and rose to No. 2 in the poll after their 27-8 win over the Gators, coupled with Ohio State's loss. Kentucky was idle in Week 9.
Southern California (7-2) saw the biggest rise of any team in the rankings, climbing eight spots after its upset win over the previously second-ranked Buckeyes.
Ohio State and the SMU Mustangs (6-2) suffered the biggest drops of any ranked teams from a week ago, falling eight spots apiece. SMU fell in a last-second loss at Syracuse in Week 9.
Massive Big Ten upset cause top-10 reshuffle in new Coaches Poll
With Ohio State's 12-point loss to USC, the Coaches Poll saw another shakeup near the top of the rankings. Seven teams, including all three SEC members, rose in the top 10 of Sunday's poll.
Here's a look at the full top 25 rankings in the US LBM Coaches Poll heading into Week 10.
Schools Dropped Out
No. 20 Florida
Others Receiving Votes
South Carolina 91; Florida 81; UTSA 76; Duke 76; Virginia Tech 53; Oregon 41; Minnesota 10; Oklahoma State 9; Liberty 6; North Texas 4; Wisconsin 3; Memphis 2; North Dakota State 1; Nebraska 1; Cincinnati 1
Updated SEC football standings entering loaded Week 10 slate
— Roll Tide Wire (@RollTideWire) November 1, 2026
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Alabama football schedule 2026
Alabama (6-2, 4-2 SEC) faces LSU (6-2, 3-2) at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge in Week 10 of the 2026 college football season. Kickoff for Alabama-LSU is 2:30 p.m. CT. The game can be seen on ABC.
All times Central.
- Sept. 5: vs. East Carolina Pirates (W, 48-10)
- Sept. 12: at Kentucky Wildcats (W, 45-17)
- Sept. 19: vs. Florida State Seminoles (W, 50-36)
- Sept. 26: vs. South Carolina Gamecocks (W, 49-18)
- Oct. 3: at Mississippi State Bulldogs (W, 56-23)
- Oct. 10: vs. Georgia Bulldogs (L, 20-17)
- Oct. 17: at Tennessee Volunteers (L, 26-10)
- Oct. 24: vs. Texas A&M Aggies (W, 31-20)
- Nov. 7: at LSU Tigers, TBA
- Nov. 14: at Vanderbilt Commodores, TBA
- Nov. 21: vs. Chattanooga Mocs, 1 p.m., SEC Network+
- Nov. 28: vs. Auburn Tigers, TBA
Record: 6-2 overall, 4-2 SEC.
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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: How far did Alabama football rise in US LBM Coaches Poll after bye?
