Florida State back to No. 1 in AP poll; Mississippi State drops to No. 4

Florida State is back at No. 1 in the Associated Press poll released on Sunday. Mississippi State, which held the top spot before Saturday's loss to Alabama,

Florida State is back at No. 1 in the Associated Press poll released on Sunday. Mississippi State, which held the top spot before Saturday's loss to Alabama, fell to fourth.

The complete poll is as follows (first-place votes in parentheses):

1. Florida State (43)

2. Alabama (16)

3. Oregon (1)

4. Mississippi State

5. TCU

6. Baylor

7. Ohio State

8. Ole Miss

9. Georgia

10. Michigan State

11. UCLA

12. Kansas State

13. Arizona State

14. Wisconsin

15. Arizona

16. Auburn

17. Georgia Tech

18. Marshall

19. Missouri

20. Utah

21. Nebraska

22. Colorado State

23. Oklahoma

24. USC

25. Duke

A few thoughts:

• If this poll mirrors the College Football Playoff's rankings this coming Tuesday, the fall for Mississippi State won't be that bad. The Bulldogs fell to current AP No. 2 Alabama 25-20 on Saturday, and the question afterward was whether they could survive that loss and remain among the current top four teams. Mississippi State has only one win over a current top 25 team (Auburn), while No. 5 TCU and No. 6 Baylor each have two.

• Speaking of the Big 12, TCU's struggles against Kansas didn't deter AP voters from keeping the Horned Frogs above the Bears. Both programs have one loss, but Baylor handed TCU its one loss earlier this season. The Frogs had to rally back from a 10-point deficit against the Jayhawks on Saturday.

• Georgia jumped from No. 16 to No. 9 after its big win over Auburn in Athens. Two weeks ago, the Bulldogs were all but finished in the SEC race after losing to Florida, which dismissed coach Will Muschamp on Sunday. Now, after wins against Kentucky and Auburn, it's as though that loss to the Gators never happened.