Coaches Poll top 25: Georgia tightens grip on No. 1, Wake Forest enters top 10 in college football rankings

The Demon Deacons jumped into the top 10 for the first time since 2022 after throttling SMU on the road in Week 11

Nov 15, 2026 at 1:10 pm ET • 2 min read

No. 1 Georgia tightened its stranglehold on the top spot of the Coaches Poll, picking up a few extra first-place votes to separate from the rest of the field after a 48-21 demolition of Missouri. 

However, the bigger story comes down the ballot, where Wake Forest jumped into the top 10 for the first time since 2022. The Demon Deacons obliterated SMU 49-7 in Dallas, pushing them ahead of No. 11 Texas Tech in the rankings, despite the Red Raiders' dominant win against Oklahoma State. 

Outside of Wake Forest, the top 12 remained unchanged after a week of relative peace. No. 2 Utah played a tight game against No. 20 Arizona, but managed to survive thanks to a late 70-yard touchdown pass from Devon Dampier. The late comeback snapped a streak of five straight weeks of losses by top-two opponents, the most since 2007. 

No. 5 Indiana dominated No. 19 USC to remain at 8-1, while No. 6 Miami outlasted an upset bid from No. 24 Duke. No. 14 Oregon and No. 15 Boise State were also big risers after impressive wins. No. 18 Kentucky and No. 19 USC both fell five spots after losses. 

There was plenty of movement at the bottom of the rankings, though, as SMU, South Carolina and New Mexico all dropped out. No. 22 Louisville, No. 24 Duke and No. 25 Florida each jumped into the rankings, setting up a potentially strong finish for the ACC. The rankings feature 11 teams with at least three losses, and a pair of SEC teams sitting at 8-4. This time last year, there were only three teams with three or more losses in the polls. 

Here's how the Coaches Poll top 25 shakes out heading into Week 12. 

Coaches Poll

Rank	Team	Record	PTS	1st	Prev	Chg
1	Georgia	9-1	1802	58	1	-
2	Utah	10-0	1729	11	2	-
3	Notre Dame	9-1	1630	1	3	-
4	UCLA	10-0	1594	0	4	-
5	Indiana	9-1	1540	3	5	-
6	Miami (FL)	9-1	1483	0	6	-
7	Alabama	8-2	1364	0	7	-
8	Texas	8-2	1303	0	8	-
9	Tennessee	8-2	1209	0	9	-
10	Wake Forest	9-1	1172	0	11	1
11	Texas Tech	9-1	1157	0	10	1
12	BYU	8-2	1057	0	12	-
13	Iowa	8-2	927	0	15	2
14	Oregon	7-3	783	0	19	5
15	Boise State	9-1	714	0	18	3
16	Ole Miss	6-3	699	0	17	1
17	Ohio State	7-3	644	0	20	3
18	Kentucky	7-3	592	0	13	5
19	USC	7-3	534	0	14	5
20	Arizona	7-3	399	0	21	1
21	Houston	7-3	312	0	16	5
22	Louisville	7-3	235	0	NR	10
23	LSU	6-4	160	0	22	1
24	Duke	7-3	123	0	NR	2
25	Florida	6-4	95	0	NR	-

Others Receiving Votes: 

Liberty 87; Memphis 70; New Mexico 48; Missouri 47; SMU 39; UTSA 38; South Carolina 35; Northwestern 17; Air Force 14; Nebraska 12; Louisiana Tech 12; North Texas 11; Oklahoma 8; Illinois 8; Auburn 7; Minnesota 6; Oklahoma State 5; Toledo 2; Virginia 1; North Dakota State 1