The week nine college football rankings are slowly being released and the Stanford Cardinal are already benefiting. After starting the day with a boost in the Sagarin Ratings, the week nine USA Today/Coaches Poll has been released and Stanford climbed to number three. Stanford benefited from Oklahoma and Wisconsin both losing tough upsets. The Sooners dropped from No. 1 to No. 9, while the Badgers dropped from No. 4 to No. 11.
The Cardinal handled their business against formerly ranked Washington with a 65-21 romp at Stanford Stadium. Now they head down to SoCal to face the USC Trojans. USC is not in the Coaches' Poll due to their probationary status, but a victory over USC would still look good for Stanford. It would not be enough to get them past LSU or Alabama, but it helps for computer purposes.
LSU and Alabama both have a bye this coming week as they prepare for their monster showdown in Tuscaloosa on November 5. This No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown has huge implications with Stanford looking to be one of the biggest beneficiaries. If the Cardinal can win at USC and Oregon State, they are virtually assured of being number two in the coaches poll two weeks from today.
Here's the full USA Today coaches poll top 25 for Week 9:
| 1 | LSU | |
| 2 | Alabama | |
| 3 | Stanford | |
| 4 | Oklahoma State | |
| 5 | Boise State | |
| 6 | Clemson | |
| 7 | Oregon | |
| 8 | Arkansas | |
| 9 | Oklahoma | |
| 10 | Michigan State | |
| 11 | Wisconsin | |
| 12 | Kansas State | |
| 13 | Nebraska | |
| 14 | South Carolina | |
| 15 | Virginia Tech | |
| 16 | Texas A&M | |
| 17 | Michigan | |
| 18 | Houston | |
| 19 | Penn State | |
| 20 | Arizona State | |
| 21 | Georgia | |
| 22 | Texas Tech | |
| 23 | Cincinnati | |
| 24 | West Virginia | |
| 25 | Southern Miss. |