Coaches Poll Prediction: Can They Fix Last Week's Mess?

Last week’s Coaches Poll was “interesting,” according to collegefootballnews.com — and that is putting it mildly.

The poll had LSU one spot ahead of Ole Miss, even though the Rebels had beaten the Tigers the previous week with a bit of fanfare. It had Penn State at No. 22 while Wisconsin, whose only loss was to Notre Dame, sat at No. 34 after winning in Happy Valley. Washington was ranked ahead of Minnesota, and SMU was placed above Louisville.

The source calls these “questionable rankings” and suggests the poll was simply off. But the biggest issue was the head-to-head inconsistency: Ole Miss had proven itself on the field against LSU, and the rankings ignored that result.

Now the question is whether the voters will fix it. Collegefootballnews.com predicts the Coaches Poll “gets cleaned up a bit this week,” but that is a prediction — the actual changes have not been confirmed.

BIG WINNERS AND LOSERS

Collegefootballnews.com predicts Florida, Penn State, and Michigan as this week's Coaches Poll Big Losers. Florida took the hardest hit, dropping from No. 8 after losing 45-17 to Missouri — a blowout that erased any argument for keeping the Gators near the top.

Missouri, the team that delivered that loss, is the source's pick as a Big Winner, rising from No. 25 on the strength of the same 45-17 victory. USC also moves up from No. 18 after beating Washington 25-21, and Oklahoma State rounds out the predicted winners despite not playing last week.

These are predictions, not confirmed results. The actual Coaches Poll has not been released, and the source's projections are based on how voters typically respond to head-to-head outcomes and margin of defeat.

The Florida slide is the clearest signal. A team that was undefeated at No. 8 lost by 28 points to an unranked opponent — that kind of result usually forces a significant correction. Missouri, meanwhile, gets the reward for a statement win that should push it well inside the top 20.

Penn State's expected drop comes after last week's questionable No. 22 placement, while Michigan's slide reflects a season that has not matched preseason expectations. The source does not specify exact landing spots for the losers, only that they will fall.

TEAMS ON THE BUBBLE