After a strong second half effort saw Mississippi State defeat Middle Tennessee State 45-3 last night, State today continued its climb up the Top 25 football charts this season. The Bulldogs' natural progression up the polls was also aided in the fact that South Carolina and West Virginia, two teams occupying spots in front of Mississippi State, took big losses Saturday, allowing State to climb even higher than they might have on their own.

Mississippi State comes in ranked at the #12 spot in this week's USA Today Coaches' Poll, while the Bulldogs climbed two spots to take the #13 spot in the AP Poll this week. Although it isn't quite the Top 10 matchup on paper, State's rise now makes our upcoming game against #1 Alabama in Tuscaloosa next Saturday one of the marquee matchups for week 9 of the college football season.

The top 5 of each poll is as follows:

AP

1. Alabama
2. Oregon
3. Florida
4. Kansas State
5. Notre Dame

Coaches'

1. Alabama
2. Oregon
3. Florida
4. Kansas State
5. Notre Dame

All eyes in maroon and white nation now turn to the BCS standings, which are released tonight at 7:30 Central time. State expects to move up a spot or maybe even two from their #12 ranking last week after this weekend's action.