Texas Climbs the Coaches Poll After Rivalry Win; ACC Turmoil Persists
Texas gains ground in the latest Coaches Poll following a significant victory over Texas A&M, while the ACC faces uncertainty heading into championship weekend.
Texas secured a notable 27-17 victory against their long-time rivals, the Texas A&M Aggies, capping off their regular season with a robust performance that saw them rise to No. 14 in the latest Coaches Poll, while Texas A&M slid to No. 7.
The Longhorns, who were previously ranked 16th, now await news on whether they qualify for the College Football Playoff, where they have a chance to become the first team with three losses to make it to the final bracket.
“I think we’re absolutely a playoff team,” Sarkisian remarked. “We’re the first team since the national champions of 2019 to have beaten three top-10 teams in the same season.”
Unbeaten Ohio State remains atop the Coaches Poll after their victory over Michigan, which halted a four-game losing streak in their rivalry series. They will face a formidable Indiana team in the upcoming conference championship.
Coaches Poll Week 15 Rankings:
- Ohio State (63 votes)
- Indiana
- Georgia
- Oregon
- Ole Miss
- Texas Tech
- Texas A&M
- Oklahoma
- Notre Dame
- Alabama
- BYU
- Vanderbilt
- Miami
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- USC
- Michigan
- James Madison
- North Texas
- Tulane
- Arizona
- Georgia Tech
- Tennessee
- Navy
Dropped Out: Pittsburgh, SMU. Others receiving votes include Iowa (85), Houston (73), Missouri (52).
ACC Situation: Losses by Pittsburgh and SMU led to their removal from the Coaches Poll. However, Duke now stands poised to compete for the league title against Virginia. If Duke wins, they could pave the way for multiple playoff invitations from the Group of Five.
“This is a College Football Playoff team,” Cristobal declared following Miami’s success on Saturday. “We’re coming together strong, and we’re ready to compete.”
