Kentucky remains unranked, but the SEC has eight teams in the US LBM Coaches Poll.
The losing streak for Kentucky football was extended to three games on Saturday night, as the Wildcats fell to Auburn 24 – 10. It’s been a tough year for both teams, but the Tigers dominated most of the game.
Neither team is likely to find themselves ranked in the US LBM Coaches Poll anytime soon. However, the SEC continues to dominate the polls. This week, eight of the 16 teams in the conference are ranked in the top 25 of the coaches poll.
The LSU Tigers took the biggest drop this week, falling nine spots to number 16. Missouri also dropped six spots after their loss. Vanderbilt fell out of the top 25, but they still got votes, along with Arkansas.
Here’s where Alabama ranks in the new US LBM Coaches Poll, released Sunday. The Crimson Tide shut out the Missouri Tigers, 34-0, on Saturday.
The Alabama Crimson Tide had a big bounce-back win on Saturday against the Missouri Tigers at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Tide started slowly but turned a close game at halftime into a second-half rout in a 34-0 shutout victory.
As a result, Alabama (6-2) moved up one spot to No. 14 in the new US LBM Coaches Poll, released Sunday.
The top six teams in the Coaches Poll remained the same. The Oregon Ducks (8-0) stayed at No. 1 after a dominant 38-9 win over the Illinois Fighting Illini. The Georgia Bulldogs (6-1) were No. 2 with the Penn State Nittany Lions (7-0) at No. 3.
The Ohio State Buckeyes (No. 4, 6-1) and Miami Hurricanes (No. 5, 8-0) rounded out the top five with the Texas Longhorns (7-1) at No. 6.
Jalen Milroe, Ryan Williams and the Crimson Tide are ranked one spot below the Indiana Hoosiers (8-0) at No. 13 and one spot ahead of the Kansas State Wildcats (7-1) at No. 15.
Alabama moved past the LSU Tigers, who fell nine spots to No. 16 following their 38-23 loss to the Texas A&M Aggies (7-1) at Kyle Field. The Crimson Tide and Tigers (6-2) will meet on Nov. 9 in what amounts to a playoff elimination game in Baton Rouge.
Kickoff time and TV info for Alabama-LSU have not been announced.
The full Week 9 US LBM Coaches Poll rankings are below.
Week 9 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
Schools Dropped Out
No. 24 Navy; No. 25 Vanderbilt
Others Receiving Votes:
Colorado 75; Tulane 27; Louisiana 14; Vanderbilt 13; Navy 10; UNLV 7; Arizona State 5; Virginia Tech 3; Duke 3; Arkansas 3; Louisville 2; James Madison 2; Michigan 1;
The Tigers jumped past the LSU Tigers, who fell 38-23 to the Texas A&M Aggies Saturday night at Kyle Field in College Station.
The top six teams in the Coaches Poll remained the same. The Oregon Ducks (8-0) stayed at No. 1 after a dominant 38-9 win over the Illinois Fighting Illini. The Georgia Bulldogs (6-1) were No. 2 with the Penn State Nittany Lions (7-0) at No. 3.
The Ohio State Buckeyes (No. 4, 6-1) and Miami Hurricanes (No. 5, 8-0) rounded out the top five with the Texas Longhorns (7-1) at No. 6.
Clemson ranked one spot below the Tennessee Volunteers (6-1) at No. 7 and one spot ahead of Notre Dame (7-1) at No. 9 following the Fighting Irish’s 51-14 win over previously ranked Navy. The Iowa State Cyclones (7-0) stayed at No. 10.
Within the ACC, the Pitt Panthers (7-0) rose three spots to No. 17 while the SMU Mustangs (7-1) moved up two spots to No. 20.
The full Week 9 US LBM Coaches Poll rankings are below.
Week 9 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
8-0
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
Schools Dropped Out
No. 24 Navy; No. 25 Vanderbilt
Others Receiving Votes:
Colorado 75; Tulane 27; Louisiana 14; Vanderbilt 13; Navy 10; UNLV 7; Arizona State 5; Virginia Tech 3; Duke 3; Arkansas 3; Louisville 2; James Madison 2; Michigan 1;
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.
Kentucky women’s basketball begins the year ranked 22nd in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
On Wednesday, the first USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll was released, and Kentucky basketball came in ranked 23rd. A day later, the women’s Coaches Poll is out, and the Kentucky women’s team is ranked as well at number 22.
Much like Mark Pope, coach Kenny Brooks is in his first season with the Wildcats, and had to build a roster from the top down. He brought in a number of transfers, along with a few Freshman additions to do so.
Georgia Amoore was among the big names Brooks brought with him from Virginia Tech. She is a preseason All-SEC player, and brings experience in Brooks’ offense, and leadership. She’s surrounded with plenty of talent, though, as well.
Kentuck’s number 22 ranking is a solid start for the team. They’re the sixth of seven SEC teams to make the top 25. South Carolina is at the top, with the Texas Longhorns, LSU Tigers, and Oklahoma Sooners also in the top 10.
The Clemson Tigers placed outside the Top 25, same as with the preseason AP Top 25 poll last week. The Tigers garnered eight votes for Top 25 consideration in the coaches poll.
Bill Self’s Kansas Jayhawks took the No. 1 spot in the preseason poll, followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide at No. 2. The two-time defending champion UConn Huskies were ranked No. 3, with the Houston Cougars No. 4 and Duke Blue Devils No. 5.
Duke and the No. 10 North Carolina Tar Heels were the only ACC schools that were ranked in the Top 25. Behind Duke and UNC, Clemson’s eight votes for consideration were the most of any ACC school outside the Top 25.
The Tigers made the NCAA Tournament last season as a No. 6 seed and reeled off three straight wins against the No. 11 seed New Mexico Lobos, the No. 3 seed Baylor Bears and the No. 2 seed Arizona Wildcats to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 1980. Clemson fell, 89-82, to Alabama with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
Coach Brad Brownell’s 2024-25 team returns sixth-year senior guard Chase Hunter and senior forward Ian Schieffelin, the ACC’s Most Improved Player from a season ago.
The Tigers open the season on Monday, Nov. 4 at Littlejohn Coliseum against Charleston Southern. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).
Rank
School
Last Year’s Record
Points
1
Kansas
23-11
743 (15)
2
Alabama
25-12
718 (6)
3
Connecticut
37-3
717 (6)
4
Houston
32-5
698 (4)
5
Duke
27-9
625
6
Iowa State
29-8
591
7
Gonzaga
27-8
575
8
Baylor
24-11
545
9
Arizona
27-9
510
10
North Carolina
29-8
498
11
Auburn
27-8
465
12
Tennessee
27-9
437
13
Purdue
34-5
390
14
Creighton
25-10
342
15
Texas A&M
21-15
332
16
Arkansas
16-17
272
17
Marquette
27-10
268
18
Indiana
19-14
208
19
Texas
21-13
166
20
Cincinnati
22-15
163
21
Florida
24-12
130
22
UCLA
16-17
123
23
Kentucky
23-10
95
24
Illinois
29-9
87
25
Mississippi
20-12
66
Dropped Out:
No. 13 North Carolina State (26-15); No. 15 Clemson (24-12); No. 18 San Diego State (26-11); No. 20 Utah State (28-7); No. 22 Saint Mary’s (26-8); No. 23 South Carolina (26-8); No. 24 Washington State (25-10); No. 25 Texas Tech (23-11)
Others Receiving Votes:
Texas Tech (23-11) 60; Rutgers (15-17) 57; St. John’s (20-13) 42; Xavier (16-18) 26; Michigan State (20-15) 25; Brigham Young (23-11) 16; Oregon (24-12) 16; Kansas State (19-15) 11; Boise State (22-11) 9; Saint Mary’s (26-8) 9; Clemson (24-12) 8; Dayton (25-8) 7; Ohio State (22-14) 7; Maryland (16-17) 4; Grand Canyon (30-5) 3; Mississippi State (21-14) 2; Princeton (24-5) 2; San Diego State (26-11) 2; Virginia (23-11) 2; Wake Forest (21-14); Wisconsin (22-14)
The USA TODAY Sports Board of Coaches is made up of 31 head coaches at Division I institutions. All are members of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The board for the 2024-25 season: Tobin Anderson, Iona; Adrian Autry, Syracuse; John Becker, Vermont; Randy Bennett, Saint Mary’s; Jeff Boals, Ohio; Alvin Brooks, Lamar; Scott Drew, Baylor; Matt Driscoll, North Florida; Dan Earl, Chattanooga; Jonas Hayes, Georgia State; Alan Huss, High Point; Donte’ Jackson, Grambling; Ben Jacobson, Northern Iowa; James Jones, Yale; Greg Kampe, Oakland; Brad Korn, Southeast Missouri State; Greg McDermott, Creighton; Nick McDevitt, Middle Tennessee; Mike McGarvey, Lafayette; Niko Medved, Colorado State; Dan Monson, Eastern Washington; Chris Mooney, Richmond; Nate Oats, Alabama; Eric Olen, UC San Diego; Matt Painter, Purdue; Michael Schwartz, East Carolina; Patrick Sellers, Central Connecticut State; Zach Spiker, Drexel; Brett Tanner, Abilene Christian; Stan Waterman, Delaware State; Jeff Wulbrun, Denver.
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USA TODAY Sports released its preseason men’s basketball coaches poll on Wednesday, and the Duke Blue Devils will start the year in fifth.
USA TODAY Sports released the initial preseason results of its coaches poll on Wednesday, and the Duke Blue Devils begin the 2024-25 season as a top-five team.
After last year’s run to the Elite Eight, head coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] lost 10 members of his rotation to the NBA, transfer portal, or expired eligibility. The turnaround in college basketball is always immediate, however, and the addition of top-ranked freshman [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] and three other five-stars have the Blue Devils on the short list of national championship favorites again.
7-foot-2 center Khaman Maluach and Wisconsin native Kon Knueppel both sit within the top 10 NBA draft prospects, according to ESPN analyst Jonathan Givony, and Scheyer also lured three players with starting experience from the transfer portal. Mason Gillis reached the national championship game with Purde, and Maliq Brown led the ACC in effective field goal percentage with Syracuse.
Even with all of that talent, however, the Blue Devils did not receive a first-place vote among the 31 ballots. The Kansas Jayhawks sit atop the rankings after starting No. 1 on almost half of the preseason ballots. The Alabama Crimson Tide, Connecticut Huskies, and Houston Cougars all also start above Duke.
Check out the complete USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll below.
Rank
School
Last Year’s Record
Points
1
Kansas
23-11
743 (15)
2
Alabama
25-12
718 (6)
3
Connecticut
37-3
717 (6)
4
Houston
32-5
698 (4)
5
Duke
27-9
625
6
Iowa State
29-8
591
7
Gonzaga
27-8
575
8
Baylor
24-11
545
9
Arizona
27-9
510
10
North Carolina
29-8
498
11
Auburn
27-8
465
12
Tennessee
27-9
437
13
Purdue
34-5
390
14
Creighton
25-10
342
15
Texas A&M
21-15
332
16
Arkansas
16-17
272
17
Marquette
27-10
268
18
Indiana
19-14
208
19
Texas
21-13
166
20
Cincinnati
22-15
163
21
Florida
24-12
130
22
UCLA
16-17
123
23
Kentucky
23-10
95
24
Illinois
29-9
87
25
Mississippi
20-12
66
Receiving Votes
Texas Tech 60; Rutgers 57; St. John’s 42; Xavier 26; Michigan State 25; Oregon 16; BYU 16; Kansas State 11; Saint Mary’s 9; Boise State 9; Clemson 8; Ohio State 7; Dayton 7; Maryland 4; Grand Canyon 3; Wake Forest 2; Virginia 2; San Diego State 2; Princeton 2; Mississippi State 2; Wisconsin 1
Kentucky basketball begins the 2024-25 season ranked 23rd in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
The 2024-25 college basketball season is just about to kick off, and fans are ready to see how their favorite teams will perform. Kentucky basketball fans are also getting an early look at how the team is perceived in the polls. On Wednesday, they got a look at the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
The Wildcats are debuting a brand new roster after the coaching change to Mark Pope. There are talented players, but questions abound about how they’ll perform.
The Coaches Poll has the Cats ranked 23rd, and the eighth highest ranked team from the SEC. The Alabama Crimson Tide lead the SEC teams at number two overall. John Calipari’s new squad, Arkansas, is ranked 16th.
It’s set to be an interesting season for not only Kentucky basketball, but for all of college basketball. Here is the full results of the Coaches Poll.
Kansas takes top spot while SEC claims most teams in preseason top 25.
The start of the 2024-25 college basketball season is almost upon us, which means it is time to unveil the preseason USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll. There should be no surprise where Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks find themselves. Given how the football team has fared this season, the locals in Lawrence have been patiently waiting for tip-off to the season.
As a whole, the Big 12 has a strong showing in the rankings with five teams in the top 10 but only one other team in the top 25. They are a conference that is looking to be top-heavy but this will be a conference to keep an eye on moving forward.
The two-time defending national champion UConn Huskies check in at No. 3 behind Kansas and No. 2 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. Dan Hurley is ready for a run at third straight title. An event that hasn’t occurred since seven straight titles in the late 60s and early 70s by John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins. This year’s Bruins team is one of four Big Ten teams to make the preseason poll.
There are going to be plenty of eyes in the SEC with John Calipari leaving Kentucky to take over the Arkansas Razorbacks program. The Hogs are among nine teams hailing from the conference, including newcomer the Texas Longhorns. Here is how the full rankings look:
2024-25 Preseason Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll
Rank
School
Last Year’s Record
Points
1
Kansas
23-11
743 (15)
2
Alabama
25-12
718 (6)
3
Connecticut
37-3
717 (6)
4
Houston
32-5
698 (4)
5
Duke
27-9
625
6
Iowa State
29-8
591
7
Gonzaga
27-8
575
8
Baylor
24-11
545
9
Arizona
27-9
510
10
North Carolina
29-8
498
11
Auburn
27-8
465
12
Tennessee
27-9
437
13
Purdue
34-5
390
14
Creighton
25-10
342
15
Texas A&M
21-15
332
16
Arkansas
16-17
272
17
Marquette
27-10
268
18
Indiana
19-14
208
19
Texas
21-13
166
20
Cincinnati
22-15
163
21
Florida
24-12
130
22
UCLA
16-17
123
23
Kentucky
23-10
95
24
Illinois
29-9
87
25
Mississippi
20-12
66
Dropped Out:
No. 13 North Carolina State (26-15); No. 15 Clemson (24-12); No. 18 San Diego State (26-11); No. 20 Utah State (28-7); No. 22 Saint Mary’s (26-8); No. 23 South Carolina (26-8); No. 24 Washington State (25-10); No. 25 Texas Tech (23-11)
Others Receiving Votes:
Texas Tech (23-11) 60; Rutgers (15-17) 57; St. John’s (20-13) 42; Xavier (16-18) 26; Michigan State (20-15) 25; Brigham Young (23-11) 16; Oregon (24-12) 16; Kansas State (19-15) 11; Boise State (22-11) 9; Saint Mary’s (26-8) 9; Clemson (24-12) 8; Dayton (25-8) 7; Ohio State (22-14) 7; Maryland (16-17) 4; Grand Canyon (30-5) 3; Mississippi State (21-14) 2; Princeton (24-5) 2; San Diego State (26-11) 2; Virginia (23-11) 2; Wake Forest (21-14); Wisconsin (22-14)
The USA TODAY Sports Board of Coaches is made up of 31 head coaches at Division I institutions. All are members of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The board for the 2024-25 season: Tobin Anderson, Iona; Adrian Autry, Syracuse; John Becker, Vermont; Randy Bennett, Saint Mary’s; Jeff Boals, Ohio; Alvin Brooks, Lamar; Scott Drew, Baylor; Matt Driscoll, North Florida; Dan Earl, Chattanooga; Jonas Hayes, Georgia State; Alan Huss, High Point; Donte’ Jackson, Grambling; Ben Jacobson, Northern Iowa; James Jones, Yale; Greg Kampe, Oakland; Brad Korn, Southeast Missouri State; Greg McDermott, Creighton; Nick McDevitt, Middle Tennessee; Mike McGarvey, Lafayette; Niko Medved, Colorado State; Dan Monson, Eastern Washington; Chris Mooney, Richmond; Nate Oats, Alabama; Eric Olen, UC San Diego; Matt Painter, Purdue; Michael Schwartz, East Carolina; Patrick Sellers, Central Connecticut State; Zach Spiker, Drexel; Brett Tanner, Abilene Christian; Stan Waterman, Delaware State; Jeff Wulbrun, Denver.
Kentucky football falls further away from the US LBM Coaches Poll after a week eight loss to Florida.
If Kentucky had any hopes of getting back into the running for the US LBM Coaches Poll this week, it was quickly put to rest after kickoff.
Saturday night was a disappointing one for Kentucky football and Wildcats fans. Those who were hoping that the loss to Vanderbilt was just a slight hiccup were proven wrong, and Kentucky lost to Florida 48 – 20.
The Gators got out in front early, and then pulled away in the second half. Kentucky’s offense continued its trend of being unable to get on track, and just getting out-scored.
In the SEC as a whole, there was another big shake-up, with the Georgia Bulldogs knocking off the top ranked Texas Longhorns. Georgia is now the highest ranked team in the conference, at number two. Vanderbilt also enters the top 25 this week.
Overall, nine SEC teams are inside the top 25 after week eight. Here is the full US LBM Coaches Poll Top 25:
