AUSTIN, Texas — There is a new No. 1 team in the Coaches Poll Top 25 rankings, due to the performance of the Georgia Bulldogs.
Georgia knocked off previous No. 1 Texas, as the Bulldogs won 30-15 on Saturday. That moves Oregon up to No. 1 in the poll.
Georgia, which was previously No. 4, now sits at No. 2 following its big win. Texas dropped to No. 6, while Penn State is No. 3 and Ohio State comes in at No. 4. Miami rounds things out at No. 5.
The win for the Bulldogs was massive, as they now have multiple wins over teams ranked in the top 10 of the Coaches Poll Top 25 rankings. Georgia beat Clemson back in Week 1. Clemson has not lost since that game.
Georgia won in large part because of a stout defensive performance. Pick a defensive stat and Georgia excelled at it. The Bulldogs had 7.0 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, four turnovers and held Texas to just 2 of 15 on third down attempts.
“I think the biggest thing was not knowing what we were in every play and affecting the timing of the routes,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said after the win. “We’ve got good pass rushers when we can go. The bigger factor in the game was the inability to run the ball because we felt like if they could run the ball it was going to be tough. They really never established the run, and that’s what this league is. That’s what you’ve got to do in this league because if you can’t do that it makes you more one-dimensional.”
Saturday was also the 100th career win for Smart. He needed just 117 games to get there, besting his mentor Nick Saban by one game for the fastest coach to reach 100 wins at one school.
Smart was awarded the game ball on Saturday for the milestone.
“It’s pretty cool to hit that number because when I started, I thought that was unreachable and unattainable,” Smart said. “And now, in 10 years, 9 years, I don’t know how many years it is, we get there. It’s a credit to this university and the support we have that we’ve been able to do that.”
Smart will have to wait two weeks to get his 101st win, as the Bulldogs don’t play again until Nov. 2. The Bulldogs will face Florida in Jacksonville, Fla.
Below, you can see the full Coaches Poll Top 25 rankings for Week 9.
Coaches Poll Top 25 rankings for Week 9
- Oregon
- Georgia
- Penn State
- Ohio State
- Miami
- Texas
- LSU
- Tennessee
- Clemson
- Iowa State
- Notre Dame
- BYU
- Indiana
- Texas A&M
- Alabama
- Kansas State
- Missouri
- Ole Miss
- Boise State
- Pitt
- Illinois
- SMU
- Army
- Navy
- Vanderbilt