Ohio State Drops to No. 10 in Latest Coaches Poll After Upset Loss to USC

The college football landscape shifted significantly in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll, presented by USA TODAY Sports, following a major upset in Week 9. Ohio State, which entered the week ranked No. 2, tumbled eight spots to No. 10 after a 30-18 loss to an unranked USC team. CBS Sports reports that while much of the conversation surrounding the Buckeyes has focused on backup quarterback Luke Fahey, the team's defensive performance was the primary issue. Despite the drop, the two-loss Buckeyes remain in contention for the College Football Playoff (CFP). The victory provided a significant boost for USC, which jumped eight positions from No. 25 to No. 17. According to Yahoo Sports, USC must now win its remaining games to maintain a viable path toward the CFP or the Big Ten Championship Game, noting that a 9-3 finish would likely be insufficient. A future matchup between USC and Indiana is identified as a potential deciding factor for playoff advancement. Other notable movements in the poll include: * **Miami:** Remains No. 1 following a 38-35 road victory over North Carolina. This marks Miami's first road win as the top-ranked team since 2002. * **Georgia:** Moved from No. 3 to No. 2 after a 27-8 win against Florida. Conversely, Florida fell out of the rankings entirely after previously sitting at No. 20. * **Indiana:** Now ranked No. 3 after a dramatic overtime victory against Minnesota. The game featured the first time in FBS history that two 60-yard field goals were converted in a single game. * **New Mexico:** Debuted in the poll at No. 25, moving up from the "others receiving votes" category. The rankings also highlight a complicated situation in the Big Ten. UCLA currently stands as the conference's only unbeaten team at No. 5. Yahoo Sports notes that while Indiana has only one loss, that loss came against Ohio State, meaning the Buckeyes hold the head-to-head tiebreaker should it be needed for the Big Ten title game. In the ACC, SMU dropped from No. 16 to No. 24 following a loss to Syracuse, a result CBS Sports suggests may have removed them from playoff contention. Other shifts included Texas Tech moving up one spot to No. 13 after defeating Arizona. --- HOT covers what Americans are searching for most right now. Sources: CBS Sports: https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/coaches-poll-top-25-ohio-state-usc-week-10-rankings/; Yahoo Sports: https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/usc-rises-eight-spots-us-183833859.html. Machine-written by gemma4:31b-cloud from those reports. Fact check against them by gpt-oss:120b-cloud.