Michigan football sticks at No. 3 behind OSU in USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

Eddie Timanus, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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The top five teams remain the same in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll. But three other top-10 teams weren’t as fortunate over the weekend as their hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff were severely damaged. Those loses opened the door for three new teams to join the top 10.

Georgia continues to hold down the No. 1 spot after taking care of business against the SEC’s other Bulldogs of Mississippi State. Georgia was voted first on 61 of 63 ballots this week, with No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan getting one first-place selection each. TCU stays put at No. 4, followed by No. 5 Tennessee. Southern California moves up one spot to No. 6 as does No. 7 LSU.

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Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson (32) reacts after a defensive stop during the fourth quarter against Mississippi at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson (32) reacts after a defensive stop during the fourth quarter against Mississippi at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

Then comes the three newcomers. Alabama and Clemson return to the top 10 at No. 8 and 9, respectively. No. 10 Utah rises three spots as does No. 11 North Carolina and No. 12 Penn State.

Oregon tumbles seven spots to No. 13 after a tough home loss to Washington, while the Huskies vault eight positions to No. 15 thanks to that win. Mississippi drops five notches to No. 14 after coming up short against Alabama. The third top-10 upset victim, UCLA, slides six places to No. 16 following a late-night setback against unranked Arizona.

Four teams move into the top 25, headed by No. 20 Florida State and No. 21 Cincinnati. Coastal Carolina checks in at No. 23 and Oklahoma State returns to the poll at No. 24. The Seminoles are in the rankings for the first time since the preseason poll of the 2018 season.

Texas, Liberty, Illinois and Kentucky fall out after losses.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michigan football sticks at No. 3 behind OSU in coaches poll