Michigan football had a difficult weekend as they witnessed Texas’s 16-game winning streak come to an abrupt end on Saturday at the Big House, losing 31–12.
Before losing to the Longhorns, the Wolverines had won a Big Ten record 29 successive regular season games (going back to October 30, 2021) and 23 straight home games. Consequently, Michigan fell seven positions to No. 16 in the most recent US LBM Coaches Poll, which was made public on Sunday afternoon.
Between Weeks 2 and 3, the top three teams in the Big Ten did not change: No. 2 Ohio State, No. 6 Oregon, and No. 8 Penn State all held their positions. This is true even if this past weekend’s games had close calls for upsets by the Ducks (37-34 victory over Boise State) and the Nittany Lions (34-27 victory over Bowling Green). Then-No. 21 Iowa wasn’t as lucky; with a 20-19 setback to rival Iowa State, the Hawkeyes were knocked out of the Top 25.
Regarding encouraging progress among Big Ten teams, after crushing victories over Utah State (48-0) and Eastern Michigan (30-9), respectively, No. 11 USC and No. 22 Washington both moved up three slots. In 2024, No. 24 Nebraska makes its Coaches Poll debut after defeating rival Colorado 28–10. Of all the listed teams, the Cornhuskers made the biggest jump, moving up a staggering 15 ranks from the “Others Receiving Votes” category.
Illinois (No. 29), Wisconsin (No. 31), Iowa (No. 35), Michigan State (No. 45), and Indiana (T-No. 47) are among the other Big Ten teams who got votes.
Biggest Risers
Nebraska moved up 15 rankings, and No. 23 Iowa State moved up 11 slots after defeating Iowa on Saturday. Along with USC and Washington, the following positions increased by three: No. 7 Missouri, No. 9 Tennessee, No. 12 Miami, No. 14 Oklahoma State, No. 21 Louisville, and No. 25 Memphis.
Biggest Fallers
The most significant decline in the Top 25 occurred at No. 19 Notre Dame, which lost to Northern Illinois 16–14 at home. The Fighting Irish defeated Texas A&M 23–13 in Week 1 to move up to No. 7 in the Coaches Poll. Then-No. 20 Kansas team dropped 16 spots into the “Others Receiving Votes” bracket with a ____ loss to Illinois. Iowa and North Carolina State, which lost to Tennessee 51–10, both dropped out of the poll by 14 spots apiece.
