The 2024 college football season continues to be unpredictable and wildly entertaining. As a result, ranking the top 25 teams in the nation can be a challenging task. The latest US LBM Coaches Poll following Week 9 shows where coaches rank the strong-performing programs as we enter the home stretch of the regular season.
In Week 9, the Alabama Crimson Tide managed to bounce back in a big way following a road loss to the Tennessee Volunteers, which marked the team’s second loss on the season. In a home matchup against a ranked Missouri Tigers team, the Crimson Tide showed up on both sides of the ball to shut out the Tigers and improve to 6-4 on the year.
Staying in the SEC, the Texas A&M Aggies came back from a slight defecit to earn a massive in-conference win over the LSU Tigers. Aggies head coach Mike Elko has his team rolling into the final few games of the season with sole possession of first place in the SEC. As for LSU, the Tigers will host Alabama in a must-see game in Week 11 that will essentially serve as a College Football Playoff elimination game.
Speaking of Texas A&M, their in-state rival, the Texas Longhorns nearly fell into the same trap as Alabama in Nashville against the Vanderbilt Commodores. A win is a win, even if it is only by a field goal. Perhaps the real story here is that Clark Lea is the right man for the job at Vandy.
Both Alabama and Texas A&M climbed slightly in the polls, while Texas maintained at No. 6.
In the ACC, one of the most heated rivalries in all of college football went as expected. The struggling Florida State Seminoles fall to 1-7 on the season after losing to the Miami Hurricanes on the road. Miami’s path to the College Football Playoff seems to be a smooth one, but it’s up to head coach Mario Cristobal and his team to maintain this level of play. As we’ve seen in the past, ‘The U’ has had the makings of a national championship contender at some point in the regular season, but suffered from some sort of catastrophic implosion within the last couple of weeks. Cam Ward has this program on pace to be competitive in the playoffs.
Looking to the Big Ten, the Oregon Ducks are looking stronger every week. After a relatively slow start to the season, head coach Dan Lanning has corrected course and is set to cruise into the College Football Playoffs. Unless something wildly unpredictable takes place, which would oddly be somewhat predictable given the way this season has gone so far.
The Ohio State Buckeyes earned a win this past week over the Nebraska Cornhuskers, but it wasn’t without a scare. A few minor mistakes cost Nebraska the game. So, credit is given to Ohio State for getting the win, but Ryan Day and the Buckeyes will be closely watched as the regular season nears the end. Neither Oregon or Ohio State moved in the poll.
In the Big 12, BYU continues to prove doubters wrong by steamrolling through the regular season schedule. Should BYU manage to keep it up, there is a College Football Playoff spot with their name on it, possibly one that includes a first-round bye.
See where college football coaches ranked your favorite team, if at all, in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll following Week 9 of the 2024 season.
US LBM Coaches Poll:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon Ducks | 8-0 | 1,349 (53) |
| 2 | Georgia Bulldogs | 6-1 | 1,270 (1) |
| 3 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 7-0 | 1,239 |
| 4 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 6-1 | 1,160 |
| 5 | Miami Hurricanes | 7-1 | 1,136 |
| 6 | Texas Longhorns | 7-1 | 1,096 |
| 7 | Tennessee Volunteers | 6-1 | 987 |
| 8 | Clemson Tigers | 6-1 | 942 |
| 9 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 7-1 | 853 |
| 10 | Iowa State Cyclones | 7-0 | 846 |
| 11 | Texas A&M Aggies | 7-1 | 806 |
| 12 | BYU Cougars | 8-0 | 786 |
| 13 | Indiana Hoosiers | 8-0 | 741 |
| 14 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 6-2 | 619 |
| 15 | Kansas State Wildcats | 7-1 | 533 |
| 16 | LSU Tigers | 6-2 | 530 |
| 17 | Pittsburgh Panthers | 7-0 | 495 |
| 18 | Ole Miss Rebels | 6-2 | 475 |
| 19 | Boise State Broncos | 6-1 | 459 |
| 20 | SMU Mustangs | 7-1 | 346 |
| 21 | Army Black Knights | 7-0 | 278 |
| 22 | Washington State Cougars | 7-1 | 160 |
| 23 | Missouri Tigers | 6-2 | 114 |
| 24 | Illinois Fighting Illini | 6-2 | 89 |
| 25 | Memphis Tigers | 7-1 | 76 |