The Tigers finished what has been an unquestioned success of a Year 1 for Brian Kelly on a sour note on Saturday night.
In the regular-season finale, LSU fell on the road against a 4-7 Texas A&M team 38-23. It finishes the year 9-3, and though this team still wins the West and will play in Atlanta in next weekend’s SEC Championship, its hopes at making the College Football Playoff are over.
With the loss to a team that finished shy of bowl eligibility, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the Tigers were the biggest faller in this week’s Coaches Poll. They ranked No. 6 entering the week, but they barely remain in the top 15 now.
Here’s the full Coaches Poll after Week 13, powered by USA TODAY Sports.
25
Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-4)
Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports
Previous Ranking: NR
24
UTSA Roadrunners (10-2)
John Gutierrez-USA TODAY Sports
Previous Ranking: 25
23
UCF Knights (9-3)
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Previous Ranking: NR
22
North Carolina Tar Heels (9-3)
Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Previous Ranking: 17
21
Texas Longhorns (8-4)
Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Previous Ranking: 24
20
South Carolina Gamecocks (8-4)
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Previous Ranking: NR
19
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-4)
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Previous Ranking: 15
18
Tulane Green Wave (10-2)
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images
Previous Ranking: 20
17
UCLA Bruins (9-3)
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Previous Ranking: 18