The Tigers didn’t exactly deliver the most convincing performance in Saturday’s 21-17 win over Auburn.
LSU was outgained by nearly 200 yards and had to dig itself out of a three-score deficit, but coach Brian Kelly’s team earned a gritty win on the road to move to 2-0 in SEC play and end a two-game losing streak against AU.
The Tigers aren’t quite ranked in this week’s USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, but they did receive 89 votes. That was second to only Cincinnati (140) among unranked teams. With a top-10 team coming to town in Tennessee next week, a victory would certainly propel the Tigers into the field.
A look at the full Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
| 1 | Alabama | 5-0 | 1,568 (34) | +1 |
| 2 | Georgia | 5-0 | 1,545 (23) | -1 |
| 3 | Ohio State | 5-0 | 1,492 (7) | – |
| 4 | Michigan | 5-0 | 1,374 | – |
| 5 | Clemson | 5-0 | 1,352 | – |
| 6 | Southern California | 5-0 | 1,247 | – |
| 7 | Oklahoma State | 4-0 | 1,225 | – |
| 8 | Tennessee | 4-0 | 1,142 | +1 |
| 9 | Ole Miss | 5-0 | 1,082 | +2 |
| 10 | Penn State | 5-0 | 990 | +2 |
| 11 | Utah | 4-1 | 919 | +2 |
| 12 | Oregon | 4-1 | 823 | +3 |
| 13 | Kentucky | 4-1 | 811 | -5 |
| 14 | NC State | 4-1 | 732 | -4 |
| 15 | Wake Forest | 4-1 | 668 | +6 |
| 16 | BYU | 4-1 | 594 | +4 |
| 17 | Kansas | 5-0 | 433 | +10 |
| 18 | TCU | 4-0 | 425 | +14 |
| 19 | UCLA | 5-0 | 421 | +19 |
| 20 | Kansas State | 4-1 | 324 | +10 |
| 21 | Syracuse | 5-0 | 306 | +4 |
| 22 | Baylor | 3-2 | 230 | -8 |
| 23 | Mississippi State | 4-1 | 194 | +12 |
| 24 | Washington | 4-1 | 161 | -6 |
| 25 | Arkansas | 3-2 | 141 | -6 |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 16 Oklahoma; No. 17 Texas A&M; No. 22 Florida State; No. 23 Minnesota; No. 24 Pittsburgh.
Others Receiving Votes
Cincinnati 140; Louisiana State 89; Florida State 74; Florida 41; Washington State 38; Maryland 37; James Madison 30; Minnesota 23; Texas 22; Texas A&M 20; Air Force 20; Oklahoma 19; Coastal Carolina 11; Purdue 10; North Carolina 9; Tulane 6; Notre Dame 5; Illinois 3; Central Florida 2; Pittsburgh 1; Duke 1
Here’s how the rest of the SEC fared in this week’s poll.