Alabama handed Georgia its first loss of the year in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday, and the Crimson Tide is now back at No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.
Georgia dropped down to No. 3 after the loss setting up a potential rematch in the College Football Playoff. Michigan gets the No. 2 spot after beating Iowa 42-3 for the Big Ten Championship, and Cincinnati becomes the first Group of Five team to finish in the Top 4.
It’s often said that the SEC is the toughest conference in all of college football, but it seems that there’s a pretty steep drop-off after the two elites at the top. Ole Miss checks in at No. 8, but Kentucky is all the way down at No. 20. Texas A&M and Arkansas claimed the 23rd and 24th spots on the list, giving the SEC three of the last six spots inside the top 25.
Florida hasn’t earned a vote in weeks in any major poll, but the new head coach in Gainesville Billy Napier is leaving his Lousiana team as the No. 17 program in the country. The Ragin Cajuns beat the Appalachian State Mountaineers to claim the program’s first outright Sun Belt Conference Championship.
Mississippi State managed to land a few votes and finished with two points.
Full USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
| 1 | Alabama | 12-1 | 1,540 (54) | +1 |
| 2 | Michigan | 12-1 | 1,474 (5) | +1 |
| 3 | Georgia | 12-1 | 1,420 | -2 |
| 4 | Cincinnati | 13-0 | 1,392 | – |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 11-1 | 1,266 | +1 |
| 6 | Baylor | 11-2 | 1,204 | +3 |
| 7 | Ohio State | 10-2 | 1,170 | – |
| 8 | Ole Miss | 10-2 | 1,134 | – |
| 9 | Oklahoma State | 11-2 | 1,036 | -4 |
| 10 | Michigan State | 10-2 | 903 | +3 |
| 11 | Utah | 10-3 | 893 | +6 |
| 12 | Pittsburgh | 11-2 | 886 | +3 |
| 13 | Oklahoma | 10-2 | 853 | -2 |
| 14 | BYU | 10-2 | 792 | – |
| 15 | Oregon | 10-3 | 589 | -5 |
| 16 | Iowa | 10-3 | 561 | -4 |
| 17 | UL-Lafayette | 12-1 | 444 | +4 |
| 18 | NC State | 9-3 | 436 | +2 |
| 19 | Wake Forest | 10-3 | 389 | -1 |
| 20 | Kentucky | 9-3 | 327 | +2 |
| 21 | Houston | 11-2 | 315 | -5 |
| 22 | Clemson | 9-3 | 252 | +2 |
| 23 | Texas A&M | 8-4 | 239 | – |
| 24 | Arkansas | 8-4 | 185 | +1 |
| 25 | Texas-San Antonio | 12-1 | 146 | +2 |
Dropped from the rankings:
No. 19 San Diego State
Others receiving votes:
Wisconsin 105; Utah State 85; San Diego State 62; Minnesota 17; Air Force 15; Penn State 5; Fresno State 5; UCLA 3; Mississippi State 2; Coastal Carolina 2; Appalachian State 2; Purdue 1.
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