The Coaches Poll just got a new boss, and it’s an old familiar one. Georgia is back at No. 1, and Notre Dame is right behind at No. 3 after knocking off the top-ranked team in the country.
The Week 11 Coaches Poll landed Sunday, and the top of it looked like a game of musical chairs. The short version: one team handled business, one team got its revenge, and one famous program is suddenly in trouble.
Georgia Takes Back the Top Spot in the Coaches Poll
The Bulldogs (8-1) pulled in 54 first-place votes and 1,796 points. Last week they were No. 2. After a loss to Auburn, they lost the top spot three weeks ago, so they took it back the loud way.
Georgia went to Oxford and beat Ole Miss 42-7, a 35-point margin. It was also Kirby Smart’s first win in three tries at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, according to On3. The Bulldogs led 28-0 at halftime.
That’s not a road win. That’s a statement.
The AP agrees. Georgia is also No. 1 in the Week 11 AP Poll, a rare moment of harmony between the two voting groups. Meanwhile, Ole Miss (6-3) tumbled from No. 12 to No. 17. For more on how the Bulldogs got here, see how Georgia fell first when five of the AP’s top seven lost.
Notre Dame Gets Its Revenge on Miami
The night’s big story happened in South Bend. No. 4 Notre Dame beat No. 1 Miami 31-24, and C.J. Carr was the reason. He went 29-of-40 for 319 yards and three touchdowns, per CBS News Miami.
The Irish jumped out to a 24-3 lead early in the third quarter. Then Miami’s Darian Mensah, who threw three touchdown passes, started a comeback. Still, Notre Dame held on. “We knew they weren’t going to go down without a fight,” Carr said, per AP.
It was Miami’s first loss of the season, and the Hurricanes played without injured receiver Malachi Toney. It also avenged last year’s 27-24 loss to Miami, a defeat that helped keep the Irish out of the 2025 playoff. As a result, Notre Dame (8-1) jumped from No. 6 to No. 3 in the top 25 poll with 1,613 points and two first-place votes. Miami slid to No. 6.
Ohio State Has a Very Different Saturday
While Notre Dame was celebrating, Ohio State was living through a nightmare. Oregon beat the Buckeyes 41-28 in Columbus, scoring 38 unanswered points along the way, per NBC4.
That’s Ohio State’s second straight loss. It’s the first time since 2011 the Buckeyes have dropped back-to-back regular-season games, and it ended a 12-game home winning streak. Ohio State is 6-5 over its last 11 games, so the Buckeyes now sit at No. 20 in the Coaches Poll. In the AP version, the slide was just as ugly for Ohio State.
NBC4 says the loss all but ends Ohio State’s hopes of reaching the 12-team playoff. Meanwhile, Oregon, ranked 23rd going in, is now No. 19.
The Top 10 Coaches Rankings, and Why the SEC Is Smiling
Here’s how the top 10 shakes out in the coaches rankings: Georgia, Utah, Notre Dame, UCLA, Indiana, Miami, Alabama, Texas, Tennessee and Texas Tech.
The SEC owns four of those spots, with Georgia, Alabama, Texas and Tennessee all in the top 10. In addition, eight SEC teams made the top 25, according to Saturday Down South. That matters because the playoff committee votes with its eyes, and the SEC is putting on a show.
What Happens Next After the Week 11 Rankings
Georgia hosts Missouri next at Sanford Stadium. Missouri lost 34-20 to Texas on Saturday.
Here’s the thing: the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season arrive this week, and that’s where the real argument starts. Georgia has the No. 1 spot in both polls. Now it needs the committee to agree.
Three weeks of regular season remain. Based on the last month, nobody is safe at No. 1, and that’s the best part. So who’s next to get knocked off?
