Michigan State is ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press poll released Sunday, the program's highest AP ranking since it finished the 1966 season at No. 2. Ohio State remains No. 1, meaning this is the first time the Big Ten has had the top two teams since No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Michigan played at the end of the 2006 regular season.
The Buckeyes received 40 first-place votes after a lackluster victory against Northern Illinois. The 3-0 Spartans, coming off a 35-21 home win over Air Force on Saturday, got seven first-place votes after receiving two last week.
Mississippi, fresh off Saturday's upset win at then-No. 2 Alabama, got 11 first-place votes and moved up from No. 15 to No. 4. TCU stayed at No. 3, tied with Mississippi, which got 11 first-place votes and made a big jump from 15th to third after winning at Alabama. The Tide dropped 10 spots to No. 12.
Baylor is No. 5. Notre Dame is sixth, followed by LSU, Georgia, UCLA and Florida State. LSU's Tigers receives one first-place vote.
• Michigan State cornerback Vayante Copeland will miss the rest of the season because of a fractured vertebra. Copeland, a redshirt freshman, did not play in Michigan State's victory over Air Force on Saturday. He started the first two games of the season.
Rebels on a roll
Mississippi is on the rise again after knocking off Alabama in a game full of turnovers and lucky bounces.
The Rebels (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) ran off to a big lead and then held on for a 43-37 win in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night. The Rebels say they're ready to be one of the nation's elite after their first win in Tuscaloosa since 1988.
"It feels so comfortable, the team's so comfortable with each other, and we're not worried about anybody else or even the West rankings," Ole Miss defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche said. "We're just worried about being in this moment and savoring it. Everybody's believing it."
