LSU survived a topsy-turvy, upset-headlined Saturday of college football — particularly in the SEC and near the top of polls.
The Tigers (5-2, 2-2) handled their business in a ranked matchup against Mississippi State (5-2, 2-2) and climbed four spots in the both latest AP and Coaches polls released Sunday.
Coach Lane Kiffin’s squad now sits at No. 18 and No. 17, respectively, ahead of its trip to Auburn (4-2, 2-2), which was among the leading authors of Saturday’s chaos with a 27-24 win at No. 1 Georgia (6-1, 4-1).
Five of the top seven teams in this past week’s AP rankings lost on the same day for the first time in the history of the poll.
Previous No. 1 Texas (4-2, 1-2) fell for the second straight week, with the Bulldogs joining the Longhorns this time to open the door for a third top team in as many weeks.
But several leading candidates there — No. 2 Notre Dame (6-1), No. 5 Indiana (6-1) and No. 6 Alabama (5-2, 3-2) — all joined Georgia and Texas in their tumbles.
Miami (6-0) overtook No. 1 in both major polls after surviving Florida State in overtime and a controversial finish.
No. 2 BYU (6-0) and No. 3 Ohio State (6-1) are next in the AP after beating Notre Dame and Indiana, respectively, and followed by No. 4 Notre Dame and No. 5 Georgia.
The Buckeyes edged the Cougars in the Coaches’ No. 2 and No. 3 spots, followed by No. 4 Georgia and No. 5 Texas Tech (6-0).
While the SEC has relinquished the top spot and now has just two top-10 teams on each list, the league still maintains a heavy presence with nine members in each top 25.
AP POLL — WEEK 8 (OCT. 18)
1. Miami (6-0) — Up 2
2. BYU (6-0) — Up 6
3. Ohio State (6-1) — Up 1
4. Notre Dame (6-1) — Down 2
5. Georgia (6-1) — Down 4
6. Indiana (6-1) — Down 1
7. Ole Miss (5-1) — Up 2
8. Texas Tech (6-0) — Up 2
9. UCLA (6-0) — Up 3
10. Utah (6-0) — Up 1
11. Tennessee (6-1) — Up 3
12. Kentucky (6-1) — Up 3
13. Alabama (5-2) — Down 7
14. Houston (6-1) — Up 6
15. Iowa (5-1) — Up 2
16. USC (6-1) — Up 3
17. Wake Forest (6-1) — Up 4
18. LSU (5-2) — Up 4
19. Texas (4-2) — Down 12
20. Florida (5-2) — Previously unranked
21. Boise State (5-1) — Up 2
22. Missouri (5-2) — Down 9
23. SMU (5-1) — Up 1
24. Northwestern (5-1) — Up 1
25. Arizona (5-1) — Previously unranked
COACHES POLL — WEEK 8 (OCT. 18)
1. Miami (6-0) — Up 2
2. Ohio State (6-1) — Up 3
3. BYU (6-0) — Up 5
4. Georgia (6-1) — Down 3
5. Texas Tech (6-0) — Up 4
6. Indiana (6-1) — Down 2
7. Ole Miss (5-1) — Up 3
8. Notre Dame (6-1) — Down 6
9. Utah (6-0) — Up 2
10. UCLA (6-0) — Up 2
11. Tennessee (6-1) — Up 3
12. Kentucky (6-1) — Up 5
13. Alabama (5-2) — Down 6
14. Iowa (5-1) — Up 2
15. USC (6-1) — Steady
16. Houston (6-1) — Up 2
17. LSU (5-2) — Up 4
18. Texas (4-2) — Down 12
19. Wake Forest (6-1) — Up 4
20. SMU (5-1) — Up 2
21. Missouri (5-2) — Down 8
22. Boise State (5-1) — Up 2
23. Northwestern (5-1) — Previously unranked
24. Florida (5-2) — Previously unranked
25. Oregon (4-2) — Steady
