Michigan State moves up in AP Poll after 35-13 win over Western Michigan
Michigan State football has moved up in both major national polls following their 35-13 season-opening victory over Western Michigan at Spartan Stadium.
The Spartans' climbed from No. 14 to No. 11 in the USA Today AFCA Coaches Poll, and also moved up from No. 15 to No. 14 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll.
MSU quarterback Payton Thorne threw four touchdown passes against the Broncos, and the Spartan defense recorded seven sacks as a team, led by defensive end Jacoby Windmon's four-sack performance.
Preseason No. 1 Alabama held its place atop the poll in Week 2, though the Crimson Tide's first-place votes dropped from 54 down to 44.
A large reason for that was No. 2 Georgia, who leap-frogged No. 3 Ohio State for second place in the poll. After their resounding 49-3 win over preseason No. 11 Oregon, the Bulldogs grabbed 17 first-place votes in Week 2.
The Buckeyes, meanwhile, saw their first-place votes drop from six to two, despite a 21-10 victory over preseason No. 5 Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish fell to No. 8 in the latest poll.
No. 4 Michigan moved up four spots following a 51-7 shellacking of Colorado State. No. 5 Clemson moved down one spot despite a 41-10 win over Georgia Tech on Monday night.
No. 6 Texas A&M held serve after a 31-0 win over Sam Houston State. No. 7 Oklahoma jumped two spots with a 45-13 win over UTEP, while No. 9 Baylor climbed one spot after beating Albany, 69-10.
No. 10 USC rounds out the Top 10. The Trojans defeated Rice, 66-14, in Week 1.
In addition to the Buckeyes, Wolverines and Spartans, the Big Ten was represented by No. 19 Wisconsin, who handled Illinois State in its season-opener, 38-0.
Penn State, Minnesota and Purdue fell among the "Other receiving votes" category following Week 1's results.
Biggest Rise
No. 12 Florida made a seismic, 25-spot leap after upsetting preseason No. 7 Utah in Week 1. The Gators were among "Others receiving votes" in the first poll, coming in tied for 37th.
No. 21 BYU, along with Michigan and USC, tied for the second-largest leap in Week 2's poll, with each team moving up four spots.
Biggest Fall
Oregon plummeted out of the rankings following a dismal showing against Georgia. The Ducks are the top team amongst "Others receiving votes", but fell a total of 15 spots from Week 1 to Week 2.
No. 13 Utah and Cincinnati each dropped six spots in the poll following season-opening losses at Florida and Arkansas, respectively. The Bearcats are fourth among "Other receiving votes".
Other Notable Rankings
No. 15 Miami has already reached the Top 15 after just the first game of the Mario Cristobal era. No. 18 NC State fell five spots are narrowly escaping an upset bid from East Carolina — the Wolfpack beat the Pirates, 21-20, after ECU missed a game-tying extra point.
Conference Affiliation
The SEC leads all conferences with eight ranked teams in Week 2's AP Poll, followed by the ACC (5), Big Ten (4), Big 12 (3), Pac-12 (2), FBS Independents (2) and the American (1).
For the full Week 2 Associated Press poll, click here.
Twitter: @mlounsberry_SI
