Mississippi State continues rapid rise, now ranked No. 1 in Week 8 AP poll

Fresh off a 38-23 home win against Auburn, Mississippi State is college football's top-ranked team in the Week 8 AP poll.

The AP Poll continues to spin around like a bunch of lottery balls in a hopper, with the odds of picking the top 25 in order a week ahead of time about as likely as hitting the Mega Millions jackpot. There’s a new number one as Mississippi State leapfrogged Florida State after beating Auburn. The Tigers fell from No. 2 to No. 6 after the loss. Texas A&M fell from No. 14 to No. 21 after the Aggies lost to Ole Miss. The Rebels come in at No. 3. Baylor and Notre Dame round out the top five.

The full top 25 (with first-place votes in parentheses) is below, with three quick thoughts to follow:

1. Mississippi State (45)

2. Florida State (12)

3. Ole Miss (3)

4. Baylor

5. Notre Dame

6. Auburn

7. Alabama

8. Michigan State

9. Oregon

10. Georgia

11. Oklahoma

12. TCU

13. Ohio State

14. Kansas State

15. Oklahoma State

16. Arizona

17. Arizona State

18. East Carolina

19. Nebraska

20. Utah

21. Texas A&M

22. USC

23. Stanford

24. Clemson

25. Marshall

• Marshall jumps into the rankings after the team’s 49-24 win over Middle Tennessee on Saturday. The Thundering Herd are now 6-0 and might just have the nation’s best shot at finishing the season undefeated.

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• Arizona was a field goal try away from being 6-0 and pretty much controlling its own destiny in the Pac-12. Instead, Casey Skowron's miss (he was 2-of-5 on the day) led to the Wildcats tumbling all the way from No. 10 to No. 16 after their 28-26 loss to USC, with the Trojans rejoining the rankings at No. 22.

• Saturday’s game between No. 5 Notre Dame and No. 2 Florida State earned a repeat trip by College GameDay to Tallahassee. This is by far the toughest test remaining on the Seminoles’ schedule, while the Irish (even with a win) still have Arizona State and USC left. Both teams also have to play Louisville.

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