SEC West gets 3 of top 5, Michigan State moves to 5th in Amway Coaches Poll
Turns out having the week off didn't diminish Mississippi State's poll status.
The Bulldogs remained atop the Amway Coaches Poll, in fact strengthening its lead on No .2 Florida State despite the Seminoles' win against another top-five opponent. Mississippi State received 36 No.1 votes, 10 more than last week, and stretched its lead from a single poll point to 27.
FSU retained 22 first-place votes after outlasting Notre Dame in Tallahassee in a wild finish. No. 3 Ole Miss, a big winner vs. Tennessee, claimed the remaining four No. 1 votes. Those three are the last undefeated squads in the power five conferences.
Alabama, which blanked Texas A&M in dominant fashion, vaulted back into the top five at No. 4. Michigan State held off Auburn for the No. 5 spot, but the voting results give the SEC West four of the top six poll positions.
The voters were kind to Notre Dame, which slipped only three places to No. 8 just behind seventh-ranked Oregon. Georgia and TCU round out the top 10.
Stock up: Kansas State. The Wildcats sit alone atop the hotly contested Big 12 standings after their one-point win at Oklahoma. They gained three spots in the poll to check in at No. 11.
Stock down: Baylor. The Bears weren't as fortunate, unable to mount a late rally like they did a week ago and suffered their first loss of the season at West Virginia. With little on their résumé outside the conference to sustain their ranking, they took the week's biggest hit with a nine-spot plunge to No.13.
Stock up: Arizona State. The Sun Devils avenged a loss to Stanford in last year's Pac-12 title game and check in at No. 14 this week. The four-position move matches a couple of ASU South Division rivals, Utah and Southern California, for the largest gain within the poll.
Stock down: Oklahoma. It was a tough week in the Sooner State all around with Oklahoma State losing big to TCU in addition to OU's setback against K-State. The Sooners took a seven-place drop to No.18, but at least they can say they're still ranked, which the Cowboys cannot.
Stock up: Nebraska. The Cornhuskers, powered by a four-TD performance from Ameer Abdullah, ran past Northwestern and continue their move back up the rankings. They picked up three places to No.16.
Stock down: East Carolina. It wasn't their fault — the Pirates had the weekend off. But they still took a one-spot demotion to No.17.
New kids on the block: No.23 LSU, No. 24 Minnesota, No. 25 West Virginia.
College dropouts: Oklahoma State, Stanford, Texas A&M.
GALLERY: HIGHLIGHTS FROM WEEK 8
