Big wins over ranked opponents pushed Georgia and TCU into the top 10 of the latest Associated Press poll, released Sunday. Voters were apparently more impressed with Georgia’s 31-3 whipping of then-No. 17 Mississippi State in Athens than they were of TCU’s 44-31 upset of then-No. 6 Oklahoma State in Stillwater. Georgia moved up four spots while TCU jumped seven, but the Bulldogs remained ahead of the Frogs by two spots, No. 7 to No. 9.
Elsewhere, Washington creeped forward one spot, Washington State and Louisville nudged forward two, and South Florida, San Diego State and Utah leaped three spots forward. Notre Dame and West Virginia returned to this week’s poll at Nos. 22 and 23, replacing upset losers Florida State and Oregon. Unlike the Coaches’ Poll, voters remembered that Mississippi State hammered LSU by 30 points just eight days ago, keeping the Bulldogs one spot ahead of the Bayou Bengals.
The full poll:
- Alabama -- 1,515 total points (52 first-place votes)
- Clemson -- 1,458 (2)
- Oklahoma -- 1,397 (1)
- Penn State -- 1,304
- USC -- 1,247
- Washington -- 1,188
- Georgia -- 1,136
- Michigan -- 1,088
- TCU -- 1,028
- Wisconsin -- 1,023
- Ohio State -- 1,016
- Virginia Tech -- 828
- Auburn -- 701
- Miami -- 693
- Oklahoma State -- 665
- Washington State -- 551
- Louisville -- 502
- South Florida -- 406
- San Diego State -- 365
- Utah -- 356
- Florida -- 342
- Notre Dame -- 246
- West Virginia -- 212
- Mississippi State -- 148
- LSU -- 92