ESPN’s #SECbias has apparently spread to media outlets around the country - and the Coaches’ Poll - , as the league again placed three teams in the top four of Sunday’s Associated Press poll.
Mississippi State and Florida State stayed in the same positions with roughly the same point values, while a 35-31 win over then-No. 7 Ole Miss was enough for Auburn to leapfrog idle Alabama for the No. 3 spot. Ole Miss dropped to No. 12, two spots ahead of No. 14 LSU, to whom it lost two weeks ago and possesses a matching 7-2 record, while TCU’s 31-30 win over then-No. 20 West Virginia moved the Frogs up from 10th to sixth.
Georgia dropped all the way from No. 9 to No. 17 after losing 38-20 to unranked Florida, while UCLA moved up from No. 25 to No. 18 thanks to a 17-7 win over then-No. 14 Arizona.
Arizona State jumped from No. 15 to No. 11 on the strength of a 19-16 overtime win over then-No. 18 Utah; the Utes were only penalized two spots for losing a road game in overtime to a top-15 opponent.
East Carolina’s 20-10 loss to Temple makes room for Wisconsin to return to the poll at No. 25. The Badgers beat out Colorado State, USC and Missouri for the final spot.
See the full poll below:
1. Mississippi State - 1,484 points (45 first-place votes)
2. Florida State - 1,452 (15)
3. Auburn - 1,345
4. Alabama - 1,281
5. Oregon - 1,275
6. TCU - 1,148
7. Michigan State - 1,120
8. Notre Dame - 1,096
9. Kansas State - 1,049
10. Baylor - 961
11. Arizona State - 831
12. Ole Miss - 828
13. Ohio State - 780
14. LSU - 717
15. Nebraska - 680
16. Oklahoma - 574
17. Georgia - 465
18. UCLA - 464
19. Clemson - 341
20. Utah - 327
21. Arizona - 325
22. Duke - 288
23. Marshall - 238
24. West Virginia - 159
25. Wisconsin - 83