Coaches Poll winners, losers: Voters love Lane Kiffin, skeptical of Indiana
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OK, so maybe the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll won’t be exactly right: Last year’s preseason Top 25 had Penn State at No. 3 and Indiana at No. 19, so, uh, oops.
But as a primer for the season to come, the Coaches Poll illustrates the wide gap between the Big Ten, the SEC and the rest of the Bowl Subdivision, as well as the subtle separation between those two Power Four heavyweights.
The Big Ten and SEC combine for the top four, five of the top six and nine of the top 11 teams in the preseason Top 25, and 17 teams overall.
Led by No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Oregon and No. 6 Indiana, the Big Ten is chasing a fourth national championship in a row. The SEC will lean on No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Texas to snap its painful title drought.
What the Top 25 does not have is a team from the Group of Six. The poll is also unkind to the ACC, which is seen by voters as the weakest of the Power Four leagues.
The preseason Coaches Poll officially triggers the start of the 2026 season. Here are the biggest winners and losers from the freshly minted Top 25:
Coaches Poll winners
Big Ten
The king of the FBS hill chases a fourth consecutive national championship behind a deep collection of Top 25 contenders headlined by three in particular: Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State. But that’s not all the Big Ten has to offer — though it may be enough to keep the title streak alive. The conference has another five ranked teams in No. 14 Southern California, No. 16 Michigan, No. 17 Penn State, No. 19 Washington and No. 22 Iowa. Among this second group, USC and UW have the highest ceiling and could challenge for an at-large College Football Playoff berth if things click into place.
LSU
The No. 13 Tigers have the highest preseason ranking of the six teams in the Coaches Poll to finish last season unranked. The reasons are simple. There’s new coach Lane Kiffin. The inherited talent left behind by the former staff. A ridiculously good transfer class headlined by quarterback Sam Leavitt, offensive tackle Jordan Seaton and edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen. An SEC schedule that brings Texas, No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 11 Alabama and No. 23 Clemson to Death Valley. Voters believe the pieces are place for a splash first season for Kiffin and a possible run at the national title.
Miami
The voting panel might not be head over heels with the ACC — more on that below — but Miami lands at No. 7 after finishing as last year’s runner-up, giving the program its highest preseason ranking since 2004. After an uneven few decades, are we headed toward another Miami renaissance? There’s no doubt this is the team to beat in the ACC despite losing several huge pieces on defense. The offense will have to carry the load behind transfer quarterback Darian Mensah, running back Mark Fletcher Jr. and do-everything receiver Malachi Toney.
Coaches Poll losers
Indiana
Not that it’s Indiana’s fault that some voters remain a little skeptical of a program that has gone 27-2 and claimed a national title in the past two seasons. The Hoosiers did earn 14 first-place voters, the most this side of Ohio State. But for voters to rank IU No. 6 overall and third in the Big Ten reflects an apparent level of distrust with a team that has every reason to believe it can go back-to-back thanks to a strong returning core and newcomers such as quarterback Josh Hoover and receiver Nick Marsh. Once again, the Hoosiers will need to prove it on the field.
ACC
Voters clearly like Miami as a title contender but are not high on the ACC as a whole, ranking just another two teams toward the back end of the poll in No. 20 SMU and Clemson. At this point, it’s fair to ask if the Tigers are ranked for their on-field potential or still-relevant national reputation. Another two teams were among the top vote getters just outside the rankings in Louisville and Virginia. The season could very well play out differently; maybe Florida State rebounds or Virginia Tech pops in James Franklin’s debut. But the dearth of ranked ACC teams reflects a reputational issue for the conference that will only be fixed by on-field success against other Power Four leagues.
Group of Six
There are no Group of Six teams — it’s now six non-major conferences with the rebirth of the Pac-12 — in the preseason poll for the second time in three years. This is probably a little bit off the mark: Three Group of Six teams (Tulane, James Madison and Navy) were ranked to end last season, for example. But there is no question the Group of Six has been and continues to be decimated by the transfer portal, with top contributors and all-conference picks leaving every winter for the Power Four (and Power Four money). While a Group of Six team is guaranteed to make the playoff and at least one should post 11 or more regular-season wins, voters are acutely aware of the notable talent gap between the major and non-major conferences.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coaches Poll winners, losers: Voters love Lane Kiffin, skeptical of Indiana
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