The Southeastern Conference has reached a new milestone in The Associated Press college football poll, becoming the first league to place four teams in the top five — all from the western division.
Mississippi State stayed No. 1 after a weekend off. The Atlantic Coast Conference's Florida State held its ground at No. 2 after beating then-No. 5 Notre Dame 31-27.
Mississippi remains No. 3. Alabama jumped three spots to No. 4 after a 59-0 victory against Texas A&M. Auburn moved up a spot to No. 5 during a bye week, taking advantage of losses by previously unbeaten Notre Dame and Baylor.
The Irish dropped two spots to seventh. Baylor fell to No. 12 after losing 41-27 at West Virginia.
Thirty times since 2001 a conference has placed three teams in the top five of the AP Top 25. The SEC had done it 16 times since 2009.
The Top 25 teams in The Associated Press college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Oct. 18, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking:
| Record | Pts | Pv | |
| 1. Mississippi St. (43) | 6-0 | 1,480 | 1 |
| 2. Florida St. (14) | 7-0 | 1,433 | 2 |
| 3. Mississippi (3) | 7-0 | 1,404 | 3 |
| 4. Alabama | 6-1 | 1,235 | 7 |
| 5. Auburn | 5-1 | 1,231 | 6 |
| 6. Oregon | 6-1 | 1,142 | 9 |
| 7. Notre Dame | 6-1 | 1,133 | 5 |
| 8. Michigan St. | 6-1 | 1,066 | 8 |
| 9. Georgia | 6-1 | 1,055 | 10 |
| 10. TCU | 5-1 | 962 | 12 |
| 11. Kansas St. | 5-1 | 905 | 14 |
| 12. Baylor | 6-1 | 858 | 4 |
| 13. Ohio St. | 5-1 | 753 | 13 |
| 14. Arizona St. | 5-1 | 643 | 17 |
| 15. Arizona | 5-1 | 639 | 16 |
| 16. Nebraska | 6-1 | 537 | 19 |
| 17. Oklahoma | 5-2 | 461 | 11 |
| 18. East Carolina | 5-1 | 445 | 18 |
| 19. Utah | 5-1 | 437 | 20 |
| 20. Southern Cal | 5-2 | 356 | 22 |
| 21. Clemson | 5-2 | 283 | 24 |
| 22. West Virginia | 5-2 | 272 | NR |
| 23. Marshall | 7-0 | 184 | 25 |
| 24. LSU | 6-2 | 177 | NR |
| 25. UCLA | 5-2 | 118 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Duke 108, Oklahoma St. 91, Minnesota 61, Colorado St. 12, Louisville 4, Missouri 4, Stanford 4, Maryland 3, N. Dakota St. 3, Texas A&M 1.
