Coaches Poll top 25: Georgia, Alabama, Texas slide; Miami No. 1 in Week 8 college football rankings

There's a new No. 1, while BYU soared into the top 5 with its thrilling win over Notre Dame, which fell six spots

Oct 18, 2026 at 1:01 pm ET • 1 min read

There's a new No. 1 for the third consecutive week in the latest Coaches Poll following a Saturday to remember across college football after five top-10 teams suffered losses.

Miami has jumped to the top spot for the first time this season after holding off Florida State and remaining unbeaten, doing so in controversial fashion on a disputed, intercepted Hail Mary as time expired on the Seminoles.

Joining the Hurricanes with a surge in the Week 8 rankings is unbeaten BYU after toppling previously second-ranked Notre Dame. The Cougars rose to No. 3, while the Fighting Irish dropped to No. 8 this week.

Previously top-ranked Georgia's stunning 27-24 home loss to Auburn pushed the Bulldogs back a few spots to No. 4. Georgia, which was previously 41-4 when ranked No. 1 under Kirby Smart, including an 18-0 at home, had won nine straight against Auburn dating back to 2017.

Texas slipped outside of the top 10 after losing to Florida, two weeks after earning No. 1 billing following its 4-0 start, which included a victory over Ohio State. The Buckeyes are No. 2 in the latest rankings, moving up after taking out Indiana on the road and snapping the Hoosiers' 22-game winning streak in a matchup of top-5 teams.

Ohio State did lose quarterback Julian Sayin to a shoulder injury for "several weeks" as Big Ten title hopes and CFP placement hang in the balance.

The fifth top-10 team to lose on Saturday was Alabama. The Crimson Tide never got going offensively during Tennessee's 26-10 victory and mustered just 201 total yards against Jim Knowles' defense.

The No. 11 Vols moved ahead of No. 13 Alabama as a result.

New to the Coaches Poll this week are Florida and Oregon.

Coaches Poll

RANK	SCHOOL	RECORD	POINTS	LW
1	Miami (50)	6-0	1791	3
2	Ohio State (13)	6-1	1725	5
3	BYU (10)	6-0	1698	8
4	Georgia	6-1	1469	1
5	Texas Tech	6-0	1414	9
6	Indiana	6-1	1378	4
7	Ole Miss	5-1	1371	10
8	Notre Dame	6-1	1332	2
9	Utah	6-0	1222	11
10	UCLA	6-0	1206	12
11	Tennessee	6-1	1193	11
12	Kentucky	6-1	979	13
13	Alabama	5-2	813	7
14	Iowa	5-1	807	14
15	USC	6-1	796	11
16	Houston	6-1	730	16
17	LSU	5-2	569	21
18	Texas	4-2	520	6
19	Wake Forest	6-1	514	23
20	SMU	5-1	458	22
21	Missouri	5-2	274	13
22	Boise State	5-1	266	24
23	Northwestern	5-1	256	NR
24	Florida	5-2	250	NR
25	Oregon	4-2	189	25

Dropped out

No. 19 Mississippi State; No. 20 Oklahoma State;

Others Receiving Votes

Arizona 141; Oklahoma State 87; James Madison 80; Auburn 55; Mississippi State 32; Nebraska 19; Oregon State 17; New Mexico 16; UTSA 13; Michigan 10; North Dakota State 8; Wisconsin 7; Duke 7; North Carolina 5; Pittsburgh 4; Air Force 3; North Texas 1;