Mississippi State ascends to No. 1 in AP and coaches polls

After starting the season unranked, Mississippi State is now No. 1 in the AP and coaches polls.

Thanks to the Bulldogs’ win over Auburn on Saturday, Mississippi State vaulted over Florida State for the top spot in the polls. FSU had taken the No. 1 slot last week in the coaches poll after Ole Miss beat Alabama.

Mississippi State’s five week ascension from unranked to No. 1 is the fastest ascension to the top spot in the history of the AP poll. Here’s how it went week by week:

Preseason: Unranked (11th among teams also receiving votes)
Week 2: Unranked (6th among teams also receiving votes)
Week 3: Unranked (8th among teams also receiving votes)
Week 4: Unranked (3rd among teams also receiving votes)
Week 5: No. 14 (Beat LSU)
Week 6: No. 12 (Bye)
Week 7: No. 3 (Beat Texas A&M)
Week 8: No. 1 (Beat Auburn)

The Bulldogs received 45 first-place votes in the AP poll while Florida State received 12. In the coaches poll, the Seminoles got more first place votes (31 to 26) but are No. 2 to Mississippi State by a single point. While MSU has beaten LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn, all top 15 teams at the time of the game, Florida State has played only one ranked team, No. 22 Clemson in the fourth week of the season. (Oklahoma State was unranked when the Seminoles played the Cowboys)

The top five in each poll was the same. After MSU and FSU, Ole Miss was third, Baylor was fourth and Notre Dame was fifth. Here are the complete polls:

AP poll

1. Mississippi State (45 first place votes) [3rd last week]
2. Florida State (12) [1]
3. Ole Miss (3) [3]
4. Baylor [5]
5. Notre Dame [6]
6. Auburn [2]
7. Alabama [7]
8. Michigan State [8]
9. Oregon [12]
10. Georgia [13]
11. Oklahoma [11]
12. TCU [9]
13. Ohio State [15]
14. Kansas State [17]
15. Oklahoma State [16]
16. Arizona [10]
17. Arizona State [20]
18. East Carolina [19]
19. Nebraska [21]
20. Utah [24]
21. Texas A&M [14]
22. USC [NR]
23. Stanford [25]
24. Clemson [NR]
25. Marshall [NR]

Coaches poll

1. Mississippi State (26) [6]
2. Florida State (31) [1]
3. Ole Miss (5) [4]
4. Baylor [3]
5. Notre Dame [5]
6. Michigan State [8]
7. Alabama [7]
8. Auburn [2]
9. Oregon [11]
10. Georgia [10]
11. Oklahoma [11]
12. TCU [12]
13. Ohio State [15]
14. Kansas State [16]
15. Oklahoma State [18]
16. East Carolina [19]
17. Arizona [13]
18. Arizona State [20]
19. Nebraska [21]
20. Stanford [22]
21. Texas A&M [14]
22. Clemson [25]
23. Utah [NR]
24. Marshall [NR]
25. USC [NR]