Week Eight Amway Coaches Poll: Duke Rises to #21
The Week Eight Amway Coaches Poll came out on Sunday and there was a lot of action, but the Duke Blue Devils safely remained in the poll. The Duke bye week enabled the Blue Devils to climb up to number twenty-one in the poll, their highest standing between this poll and the Associated Press Poll.
Duke’s resume took another huge shot this week when Georgia Tech lost again. The Yellow Jackets lost to the Pitt Panthers by three to send their losing streak to five games. They can no longer be considered a quality win and they would be lucky to make a bowl game at this point. Miami would be the next team that could give Duke some credibility on the schedule. Outside the conference, Northwestern got pounded by the Iowa Hawkeyes. That reduced the value of Duke’s only loss on the season.
North Carolina is climbing in the others receiving votes section. The Tar Heels handled the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at home. The Tar Heels have the same problem that the Blue Devils do with schedule credibility. The Tar Heels’ loss to South Carolina is looking like a bad one, and there are no big heads on the North Carolina mantle. There are only big scores. Duke may represent the best chance for the Heels to gain traction in the polls.
The AP Poll looks about the same as this one. Duke rose up to twenty-third in that poll and the Tar Heels are garnering votes.
Week 8 Amway Coaches Poll
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (45)
2. Baylor Bears (12)
3. TCU Horned Frogs (4)
4. Michigan State Spartans
5. LSU Tigers (1)
6. Clemson Tigers
7. Utah Utes
8. Alabama Crimson Tide
9. Florida State Seminoles
10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
11. Stanford Cardinal
12. Oklahoma State Cowboys
13. Iowa Hawkeyes
14. Florida Gators
15. Oklahoma Sooners
16. Texas A&M Aggies
17 (tie). Memphis Tigers
17 (tie). Michigan Wolverines
19. California Golden Bears
20. Toledo Rockets
21. Duke Blue Devils
22. Houston Cougars
23. Ole Miss Rebels
24. Temple Owls
25. Georgia Bulldogs
Others receiving votes:
Mississippi State 62, BYU 21, UCLA 18, North Carolina Tar Heels 17, Texas Tech 14, Georgia 12, Western Kentucky 11, Arizona State 10, Wisconsin 8, Boise State 8, Utah State 7, Northwestern 4