AP Photo/Barry Reeger

College Football Coaches Poll 2021: Week 9 Top 25 Rankings Announced

Tyler Conway

The top of the poll largely remains the same, but at least two potential playoff teams saw their chances end over the weekend to shake up the latest Coaches Poll.

Georgia reigns supreme as the top team in the nation and is now followed by Cincinnati and Alabama, both of whom leapfrogged Oklahoma. Ohio State rounds out the Top Five.

Here is how the entire poll played out.

1. Georgia
2. Cincinnati
3. Alabama
4. Oklahoma
5. Ohio State
6. Michigan
7. Michigan State
8. Oregon
9. Ole Miss
10. Iowa
11. Notre Dame
12. Kentucky
13. Wake Forest
14. Texas A&M
15. Oklahoma State
16. SMU
17. Penn State
18. Baylor
19. Pitt
20. San Diego State
21. Auburn
22. UTSA
23. Iowa State
24. Coastal Carolina
25. NC State

Oklahoma remaining undefeated is a slight miracle considering how poorly the Sooners have played this season. Lincoln Riley's team trailed by as many as 10 points and was down 17-14 going into the fourth against the Kansas Jayhawks before scoring 21 points in the final 15 minutes. 

Upset losses by Penn State and Oklahoma State created the largest ripple in the polls, with both teams nosediving several spots.

The Nittany Lions were part of the first nine-overtime game in college football history, a ghastly 20-18 affair that saw them unable to mount any offense against an Illinois team that entered 2-5. Penn State's nightmarish offensive performance saw the Lions put up only 227 total yards of offense while failing to capitalize on three Illini turnovers.

"Obviously we did not have our guys ready to play. I think there was a difference between playing Iowa on the road and having that type of loss with the type of injuries we had going into our bye week," coach James Franklin told reporters. "But at the end of the day, all that matters is that we get the job done, and we did not today."

Penn State has lost two straight games, going from potential Big Ten favorite to being in serious danger of dropping three consecutive contests with next week's visit to Ohio State looming.

Iowa State continued getting its season back on the right track with a 24-21 win over eighth-ranked Oklahoma State. Brock Purdy threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns, and Breece Hall added the game-winning touchdown on the ground with five minutes, 29 seconds remaining.

The Cyclones began the season as a top-10 team but failed to look the part in an ugly 2-2 start. They've since reeled off three straight wins to jump back into the Top 25. 

"The character of this game is what we've talked about," Cyclones coach Matt Campbell told reporters. "It's not always going to be pretty. It's not always going to be easy."

Coastal Carolina also lost any hope it had of reaching a New Year's Six bowl game with a 30-27 loss to Appalachian State.

   

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