College Football Coaches Poll 2021: Complete Week 11 Rankings Released
Attention at this point of the season has turned to the College Football Playoff rankings, but the sport's coaches may have provided a Tuesday preview with the latest edition of their poll.
Following its 43-6 rout of Missouri, Georgia still sits atop the latest Coaches Top 25 Poll, which was released Sunday:
1. Georgia
2. Alabama
3. Cincinnati
4. Oklahoma
5. Ohio State
6. Oregon
7. Notre Dame
8. Michigan
9. Michigan State
10. Oklahoma State
11. Texas A&M
12. Ole Miss
13. Wake Forest
14. Iowa
15. BYU
16. Texas-San Antonio
17. Houston
18. Baylor
19. North Carolina State
20. Auburn
21. Coastal Carolina
22. Pittsburgh
23. Penn State
24. Wisconsin
25. UL Lafayette
Saturday brought plenty of chaos and near-misses, with many of the nation's top teams receiving stiff tests from unranked foes.
Most notably, Purdue handled Michigan State, No. 3 in the initial CFP rankings, with relative ease in a 40-29 victory. Boilermakers quarterback Aidan O'Connell threw for 536 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions, while wide receiver David Bell posted 11 catches for 217 yards and a score.
Purdue beat Iowa this season when the Hawkeyes were undefeated and will have another chance at upsetting a playoff contender with a showdown against Ohio State set for Week 11.
Michigan State wasn't the only previously unbeaten contender to lose Saturday, as North Carolina defeated Wake Forest 58-55. It is not unreasonable to suggest the result virtually eliminated the ACC from CFP contention.
Elsewhere, TCU beat Baylor, Arkansas beat Mississippi State, Tennessee beat Kentucky, Illinois beat Minnesota and Boise State beat Fresno State. All five victors were unranked in the first CFP poll, while the losers were all ranked and looking to play their way into favorable bowl games.
Saturday could have brought even more chaos, but Alabama escaped a showdown with LSU with a six-point win. The Tigers had three drives in Alabama territory during the fourth quarter alone, but they ended with zero points.
Ohio State also survived a scare from Nebraska, which has made a habit of losing close games to contenders this season. The Cornhuskers lost by more than one score for the first time all year in Saturday's 26-17 defeat, but they had the ball while down six in the fourth quarter with a chance to pull off a stunning upset.
Cincinnati also almost saw its quest to become the first Group of Five team to reach the CFP end during Saturday's 28-20 win over Tulsa.
The Golden Hurricane turned over the ball on downs at the Bearcats' 2-yard line in the game's final two minutes, only to have one more chance to force overtime when Cincinnati fumbled while trying to run out the clock. Yet Tulsa failed to score, with quarterback Davis Brin sliding instead of extending the ball at the goal line on third down and Steven Anderson fumbling on fourth down.
While the Bearcats didn't do themselves any favors in the style-points department, their victory and results elsewhere ensure they remain alive in the chase for a playoff spot.
