The US LBM Coaches Poll panel has weighed in, and while it will not necessarily reflect the opinion of the College Football Playoff committee, it does present a bit of history on its own.
Indiana, as expected, will enter the postseason as the No. 1 team on the heels of its Big Ten title victory against Ohio State. It marks the first top ranking for the Hoosiers in the history of the coaches poll. The vote was not quite unanimous, however, as SEC champion Georgia did receive one of the 62 first-place votes cast this week. The Bulldogs will enter the playoff as the No. 2 team overall, which will also likely be their seed once the bracket is unveiled. Ohio State falls to No. 3. Big 12 champion Texas Tech leapfrogged Oregon into the No. 4 spot, again likely presaging the Red Raiders earning a first-round bye in the playoffs.
A trio of likely SEC playoff participants hold down the next three spots. No. 6 Mississippi, No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 8 Oklahoma figure to be first-round hosts along with the fifth-ranked Ducks.
TOP 25: Complete US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 15
For what it’s worth, the voters moved Notre Dame and Miami (Fla.) into the last two top-10 slots, sliding Alabama down to No. 11 after its one-sided loss to Georgia in the SEC finale. Brigham Young falls just two spots to No. 13 behind No. 12 Vanderbilt, with No. 14 Texas and No. 15 Utah holding their respective positions.
In other rankings of note, Sun Belt champion James Madison holds steady at No. 19. North Texas, which lost to No. 18 Tulane in the American final, is the week’s lone dropout. Houston climbs back into the poll at No. 24. Virginia stays in at No. 21, a demotion of five positions following its loss to Duke in the ACC title game.
This story was updated to change a video.
