Coaches Poll top 25: Georgia rises, Tennessee falls in college football rankings for Week 13

Where things stand in the Coaches Poll top 25 college football rankings as we look ahead to some important Week 13 games across the country.

What you need to know as the Coaches Poll top 25 college football rankings are updated heading into Week 13 action. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

As we move out of another Statement Saturday across the country, it’s time to pick up the pieces and see where they fall in the updated Coaches Poll top 25 college football rankings for Week 13.

Once again, the SEC was ground zero in the College Football Playoff conversation, and in the new rankings picture, as Georgia stood firm with its back against the wall and, facing postseason oblivion, put on a show against rival Tennessee in a signature win to stay in contention.

That resulted in some changes in the top 10 of this week’s rankings, as did the first loss suffered by BYU that slightly alters the top of the Big 12 standings, especially after Colorado’s big win.

Where does that leave everything in the updated top 25 college football rankings moving into next weekend?

Let’s take a look at what teams moved up, who slid down, and who stayed put in the Week 13 rankings, according to the coaches’ vote.

Coaches Poll top 25 rankings

First-place votes in parentheses

1. Oregon (55)
2. Ohio State
3. Texas
4. Penn State
5. Indiana
6. Notre Dame
7. Alabama
8. Georgia
9. Ole Miss
10. Miami
11. Tennessee
12. SMU
13. Boise State
14. Texas A&M
15. BYU
16. Clemson
17. Army
18. Colorado
19. South Carolina
20. Tulane
21. Iowa State
22. Arizona State
23. UNLV
24. Memphis
25. Kansas State

Teams that dropped out

No. 18 Washington State. So long to the now 8-2 Cougars, who dropped their second game of the season in a late-night upset at New Mexico, ending a win streak that dated back to September.

No. 21 Missouri. Despite taking two leads in the fourth quarter, Mizzou didn’t have enough to stop South Carolina from storming back, now dropping to 7-3 and effectively ending whatever slim chances the Tigers had at a run for the playoff.

No. 22 LSU. Out of the coaches’ rankings this week after losing a third-straight game, this time on the road against an unranked Florida team that has critics loud and legion around Brian Kelly’s management of the program.

No. 24 Louisville. A stunning loss on the road against ACC bottom-feeder Stanford throws a wrench into the Cardinals’ momentum coming out of that big win at Clemson, dropping this team out of most national rankings coming into this week.

Other teams receiving votes

These teams got votes from the coaches in their ballots this week, but not enough to qualify for the official top 25 rankings

Washington State 65; Illinois 56; Missouri 44; Syracuse 18; James Madison 11; Duke 9; Pittsburgh 7; Louisiana 5; Louisville 2; Vanderbilt 1; Sam Houston 1; LSU 1; Colorado State 1

Coaches Poll biggest movers

Kansas State (Down 6). A loss at home to Arizona State hurts the Wildcats’ shot at the Big 12 title once again and just clinging to the last spot in the rankings this week.

Arizona State (Up 6). Conversely, the Sun Devils are a team to watch in that very interesting conference championship picture over the next couple weeks.

BYU (Down 7). The coaches punished the Cougars pretty heavily for a loss at home against Kansas that ended their undefeated season, but they’re still atop the Big 12 standings for now heading into a big matchup against Arizona State.

Tennessee (Down 7). Nico Iamaleava wasn’t able to put up enough offense on the road in a loss to Georgia that could have the selection committee re-evaluating the Vols’ playoff bona fides as we head into the next CFP rankings in a few days.

Tulane (Up 6). Trouncing Navy by a 35-0 count has the Green Wave in the AAC title game against Navy and looking like a genuine contender out of the Group of Five ranks.

Memphis (Up 7). Another big win for the Tigers, who are now in a tie for third-place in the American standings.

College football’s undefeated teams

And then there were three.

BYU and the Cardiac Cougars were close, very close, to preserving their undefeated record with a late push at home against Kansas, but were unable to convert a fourth down with the end zone in sight and slid to 9-1.

That won’t have too great an effect, if any, on BYU’s ability to contend for the Big 12 championship, and by proxy, the College Football Playoff this season.

But it does leave us with just three embodiments of perfection in college football as we move into Week 13 action.

Two of those three undefeated teams will be big underdogs heading into next weekend, as the Hoosiers visit Ohio State and the Black Knights take on Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium.

Big Ten: Oregon, Indiana

AAC: Army

More ... ESPN top 25 college football rankings for Week 13

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