A dominant showing by the Oklahoma Sooners in their 52-21 win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders put the voters at ease in this week’s USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.
Oklahoma, who fell two spots in last week’s poll after falling behind the Kansas Jayhawks 10-0 at halftime, stayed at No. 4 in this week’s poll. There was little room to climb despite their 31-point win over the Red Raiders. The No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide were off this week, but the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs continued their dominant defensive performance in a 34-7 demolition of the Florida Gators. After having just a 14-12 lead over Tulane, the Cincinnati Bearcats turned it on in the second half and came away with a solid 31-12 win to stay undefeated and the No. 2 team in the nation.
The conference to watch as the season goes along is the Big 10. No. 6 Michigan State picked up a massive win over rival No. 10 Michigan, and the No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes continued their strong run of play with a 33-24 win over No. 23 Penn State. Michigan State still has games against Penn State and Ohio State while the Buckeyes will face Michigan. And that’s all just in the Big 10 East’s final month of the regular season. How all that plays out will certainly have an impact on the College Football Playoff landscape.
In the Big 12, Iowa State dropped out of the polls after their upset loss to West Virginia. Oklahoma State moved up four spots to No. 11 after doing what Oklahoma should have done to Kansas in their 55-3 win. Baylor had arguably the best win in their comeback performance over Texas and moved up to No. 13.
The No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners have a bye this week before heading to Waco to take on the No. 13 Baylor Bears. Oklahoma needs Baylor and Oklahoma State to stay in the top 15 to bolster their chances of making the College Football Playoff. While they should get in if they continue to win and remain undefeated, the murkiness of the Big 10 and a potential SEC Championship matchup of Alabama and Georgia could undoubtedly impact Oklahoma’s standing in the CFB Rankings down the road.
A look at the full coaches poll after this week’s slate of games.
Full USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
| 1 | Georgia | 8-0 | 1,600 (64) | – |
| 2 | Cincinnati | 8-0 | 1,460 | – |
| 3 | Alabama | 7-1 | 1,453 | – |
| 4 | Oklahoma | 9-0 | 1,423 | – |
| 5 | Ohio State | 7-1 | 1,336 | – |
| 6 | Michigan State | 8-0 | 1,325 | +1 |
| 7 | Oregon | 7-1 | 1,198 | +1 |
| 8 | Notre Dame | 7-1 | 1,095 | +3 |
| 9 | Wake Forest | 8-0 | 1,051 | +4 |
| 10 | Michigan | 7-1 | 1,050 | -4 |
| 11 | Oklahoma State | 7-1 | 922 | +4 |
| 12 | Texas A&M | 6-2 | 910 | +2 |
| 13 | Baylor | 7-1 | 815 | +5 |
| 14 | Auburn | 6-2 | 802 | +7 |
| 15 | Ole Miss | 6-2 | 680 | -6 |
| 16 | Iowa | 6-2 | 512 | -6 |
| 17 | Kentucky | 6-2 | 497 | -5 |
| 18 | Texas-San Antonio | 8-0 | 401 | +4 |
| 19 | Houston | 7-1 | 349 | +10 |
| 20 | BYU | 7-2 | 310 | +6 |
| 21 | Coastal Carolina | 7-1 | 301 | +3 |
| 22 | NC State | 6-2 | 265 | +3 |
| 23 | Penn State | 5-3 | 215 | -6 |
| 24 | SMU | 7-1 | 192 | -8 |
| 25 | Pittsburgh | 6-2 | 162 | -6 |
Dropped from the rankings:
No. 20 San Diego State; No. 23 Iowa State
Others receiving votes:
UL Lafayette 156; Fresno State 73; San Diego State 65; Arkansas 65; Minnesota 29; Wisconsin 26; Mississippi State 20; Utah 10; Appalachian State 10; Air Force 9; Liberty 4; Iowa State 4; Clemson 4; Arizona State 1.
