While the college football world is debating the resumes of the teams that earned a spot in the College Football Playoffs and those who didn’t, the final US LBM Coaches Poll ahead of bowl season was released.
With the Georgia Bulldogs coming up short against the Alabama Crimson Tide, we have a new No. 1 team as the Michigan Wolverines slid into that spot. Right behind them is a future conference foe, the Washington Huskies. Both teams had every right to be the No. 1 team considering how they finished the season at 13-0. The next team on the list was Florida State who finished 13-0 with an ACC championship under their belt.
No team benefitted more in the latest poll than the SMU Mustangs who won the AAC title on the road against Tulane. The Ponies jumped five spots to No. 19, head of the Conference USA champion Liberty Flames. The biggest loser on this day would be the team that lost to SMU as the Green Wave fell six spots.
As far as the rest of the top five, both the Texas Longhorns and Alabama Crimson Tide jumped four and five spots respectively at winning their conference title. The Georgia Bulldogs fell to No. 6 just behind both Texas and Alabama who tied with 1,351 total points to be the No. 4 team in the nation.
Here is the full US LBM Coaches Poll:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
| 1 | Michigan | 13-0 | 1,535 (51) | +1 |
| 2 | Washington | 13-0 | 1,482 (8) | +1 |
| 3 | Florida State | 13-0 | 1,358 | +1 |
| 4 | Texas | 12-1 | 1,351 | +3 |
| 4 | Alabama | 12-1 | 1,351 | +4 |
| 6 | Georgia | 12-1 | 1,275 | -5 |
| 7 | Ohio State | 11-1 | 1,187 | –1 |
| 8 | Oregon | 11-2 | 1,092 | -3 |
| 9 | Missouri | 10-2 | 1,023 | – |
| 10 | Penn State | 10-2 | 952 | – |
| 11 | Ole Miss | 10-2 | 932 | – |
| 12 | Oklahoma | 10-2 | 898 | – |
| 13 | LSU | 9-3 | 796 | – |
| 14 | Arizona | 9-3 | 642 | +1 |
| 15 | Louisville | 10-3 | 642 | -1 |
| 16 | Notre Dame | 9-3 | 633 | – |
| 17 | Iowa | 10-3 | 426 | – |
| 18 | North Carolina State | 9-3 | 423 | +2 |
| 19 | SMU | 11-2 | 375 | +5 |
| 20 | Liberty | 13-0 | 315 | +2 |
| 21 | Oklahoma State | 9-4 | 299 | -2 |
| 22 | Oregon State | 8-4 | 295 | -1 |
| 23 | Tennessee | 8-4 | 226 | – |
| 24 | Tulane | 11-2 | 139 | -6 |
| 25 | James Madison | 11-1 | 114 | – |
Others Receiving Votes
Clemson 107; Troy 66; Kansas State 64; Utah 36; Kansas 17; West Virginia 8; Miami (OH) 8; Toledo 7; Boise State 7; San Jose State 3; New Mexico State 1