Michigan State football climbs in AFCA Coaches Poll following win over WMU
Following a season-opening win over Western Michigan, the Michigan State Spartans are climbing in the latest USA Today AFCA Coaches Poll.
On Tuesday, Michigan State was ranked No. 11 in the country by a panel of 66 head coaches at the Football Bowl Subdivision level, moving up three spots from their preseason ranking.
The Spartans defeated the Broncos by a final score of 35-13, with quarterback Payton Thorne throwing four touchdown passes.
No. 1 Alabama remained on top at the poll after being voted the best team in the country by the preseason poll. No. 2 Georgia leap-frogged No. 3 Ohio State in Week 2's poll after the Bulldogs domolished preseason No. 12 Oregon, 49-3, this past Saturday.
The Buckeyes defeated preseason No. 5 Notre Dame, 21-10, in their season-opener. The Fighting Irish fell to No. 9 in this week's coaches poll.
No. 4 Clemson held its spot after defeating Georgia Tech, 41-10, on Monday night. Meanwhile, No. 5 Michigan and No. 6 Texas A&M each climbed one spot, while No. 7 Oklahoma and No. 8 Baylor each jumped two spots.
No. 10 Oklahoma State rounds out the Top 10 of the poll.
In addition to Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State, the Big Ten Conference had a fourth team ranked in No. 18 Wisconsin, which rose two spots from its preseason mark.
The SEC leads the way with six ranked teams, including three of the top six in the poll. The ACC has five teams ranked, Big 12 has four and the Pac-12 has three teams in the poll.
Biggest rise
After falling among the "Others receiving votes" in the preseason poll, No. 19 Florida made a whopping 18-spot climb after upsetting preseason No. 8 Utah in their season-opener.
No. 17 Arkansas made a six-spot jump after its season-opening win over preseason No. 22 Cincinnati.
Biggest drop
After a humiliating performance in Week 1 against Georiga, Oregon free fell 12 spots to land at No. 24 in the Week 2 poll. Likewise, following their loss to Florida, Utah dropped seven spots to land at No. 15.
Other notable rankings
Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans continue to garner respect from the coaches, as they moved up three spots to No. 12 in the Week 2 poll.
Meanwhile, No. 13 NC State held its spot despite narrowly escaping an upset bid from East Carolina — the Wolfpack defeated the Pirates, 21-20 after ECU missed a game-tying extra point.
Despite a lop-sided, 52-10 win over Louisiana-Monroe, No. 22 Texas dropped four spots in the latest poll.
Twitter: @mlounsberry_SI
