Mississippi State Bulldogs Hold Steady at No. 4 in Coaches Poll, Alabama Claims No. 1

If you thought winning would be enough to keep the No. 1 ranked Florida State Seminoles, the only undefeated major conference team, at the top of the polls, you would have had company, and you would have all been wrong.  For the second time this season.  Florida State has managed to fall from the top spot without losing a game, as the Amway Coaches Poll voters have moved Alabama to the top spot.  Mississippi State remained at No. 4, but did open up some daylight with No. 5 TCU.

Last week, the only 17 points separated the Bulldogs and the Horned Frogs.  This week, that gap grew to 64 points.

The SEC, led by the SEC West, which became the first conference or division to boast that all of its members are bowl eligible in the same season, has six teams in the rankings this week: Alabama, Mississippi State, No. 9 Georgia, No. 16 Auburn, No. 17 Missouri, and No. 19 Ole Miss.

For those wondering, here is a conference breakdown of the ranked teams:

ACC: (4) No. 2 Florida State, No. 15 Georgia Tech, No. 23 Louisville, No. 24 Clemson

Big Ten: (4) No. 7 Ohio State, No. 8 Michigan State, No. 14 Wisconsin, No. 22 Minnesota

Big 12: (4) No. 5 TCU, No. 6 Baylor, No. 11 Kansas State, No. 18 Oklahoma

Pac-12: (4) No. 3 Oregon, No. 10 UCLA, No. 12 Arizona, No. 13 Arizona State

SEC:  (6) No. 1 Alabama, No. 4 Mississippi State, No. 9 Georgia, No. 16 Auburn, No. 17 Missouri, No. 19 Ole Miss

Mountain West: (2) No. 21 Colorado State, No. 25 Boise State

Conference USA: (1) No. 20 Marshall

If you are wanting to do a comparison of the schedules of the top five teams, here are their records against the current top-25.

No. 1 Alabama: 1-1

No. 2 Florida State: 2-0

No. 3 Oregon: 2-1

No. 4 Mississippi State: 1-1

No. 5 TCU: 3-1