Coaches Poll top 25: Texas and Alabama tied for No. 4 as Michigan jumps to top in college football rankings

The Coaches Poll featured some movement at the top following the conference championship games

By David Cobb

Dec 3, 2023 at 12:12 pm ET • 1 min read

USATSI

The new Coaches Poll underscored just how fierce the debate is over whether Alabama or Texas belongs at No. 4 coming out of Championship Week. Both teams earned 1,351 points in the poll, tying for fourth after each won their conference championship games on Saturday.

Alabama and Texas are both 12-1, and while the Crimson Tide knocked off two-time reigning national champion Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, their resume is also damaged a by a home loss to the Longhorns in Week 2. Despite that head-to-head win, the Longhorns couldn't separate themselves from Alabama in the Coaches Poll this week, even after thrasing Oklahoma State 49-21 in the Big 12 Championship game.

Michigan rose to No. 1 in the poll following Georgia's loss. No. 2 Washington and No. 3 Florida State are each up a single a spot as well because of Georgia's loss. Despite losing to Washington in the Pac-12 Championship Game, Oregon only fell to No. 8 and holds the claim of highest-ranked two-loss team. Elsewhere, SMU rose five spots to No. 19 as a result of its AAC Championship Game victory over Tulane.

Here is a full look at the Coaches Poll top 25 after Championship Week, with first-place votes listed in parentheses.