Mississippi schools (Rebels, Bulldogs) tied for 3rd in poll

New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Big wins by Ole Miss and Mississippi State on Saturday boosted those two schools into a tie for third in the latest Associated Press college football poll.

Florida State stayed the top-ranked team in the nation following a 43-3 thrashing of Wake Forest, but the Rebels and Bulldogs are making big noise in the poll.

Ole Miss, which moved up from No. 11 following a 23-17 victory over then-No. 3 Alabama, has its highest ranking since 1970. The Bulldogs, who climbed from No. 12 after a 48-31 home win over Texas A&M, have attained their highest mark in the poll in school history.

The Seminoles received 35 first-place votes and 1,461 points from a nationwide media panel. Auburn, which got 23 first-place votes surged from No. 5 to second with 1,459 points. Auburn throttled LSU, 41-7, on Saturday.

Mississippi State got the other two first-place votes and were tied with the Rebels with 1,320 points. Mississippi State has a huge matchup next Saturday at home against Auburn.

Baylor moved up two spots to fifth after a 28-7 road victory over Texas.

Notre Dame, Alabama, Michigan State, TCU and Arizona complete the top-10. Everett Golson threw the go-ahead touchdown pass on fourth down with just over a minute left in Notre Dame's 17-14 win over Stanford Saturday. The Spartans, who were 10th last week, nearly blew a huge fourth-quarter lead before holding off Nebraska.

TCU surged from No. 25 following its 37-33 upset over then-No. 4 Oklahoma, while Arizona is new to the rankings after a 31-24 victory Thursday at Oregon, which was ranked second. Arizona's jump is the largest ever in the top-25 rankings, which started in 1989.

Oklahoma, Oregon, Georgia, Texas A&M and Ohio State are the next five teams in the poll. The Buckeyes moved up five slots after its rout of Maryland.

Oklahoma State, Kansas State, UCLA, East Carolina and Arizona State comprise teams 16-20. The Bruins fell from No. 8 after a 30-28 home loss to Utah.

By virtue of their win, the Utes moved into the poll at No. 24. Nebraska is No. 21, followed by new entry Georgia Tech, and Missouri. Stanford dropped 11 spots to No. 25.

Next week's schedule features five matchups of ranked teams. Three come from the powerhouse SEC. Aside from the Auburn-Mississippi State matchup, Ole Miss plays at Texas A&M, and Georgia plays at Missouri. Also, Baylor hosts TCU in a 5 vs. 9 matchup, and UCLA welcomes Oregon.

Florida State aims for its 22nd straight win with a game at Syracuse.