Auburn moves up to No. 4 in AP, Amway Coaches poll

AUBURN -- Narrowly escaping a three-possession underdog at home didn't adversely affect Auburn in the polls.

Following its 42-35 win over South Carolina on Saturday night, Auburn moved up to No. 4 in both the Associated Press poll and the Amway Coaches poll.

Auburn (6-1, 3-1 SEC) received 1,267 points in the AP poll, up from 1,231 last week, but saw its gap behind No. 3 Alabama (1,290) grow from just four points last week to 23 this week.

Three of the top four teams in the AP poll are from the SEC West, including Mississippi State (7-0, 4-0), which remained No. 1 after defeating Kentucky. The Bulldogs received 1,486 points, up from 1,480, and added three first place votes (46) from last week.

Florida State (1,453) drew closer to the Bulldogs after an open week. The Seminoles received 14 first place votes, the same as last week.

Ole Miss (1,095) fell to No. 7 after its loss at LSU, and lost all of its first place votes from last week. The Rebels (7-1, 4-1) fell to No. 9 in the coaches poll.

Auburn will play at Ole Miss at 6 p.m. Saturday on ESPN.

No. 5 Oregon (1,199), Notre Dame (1,161), Ole Miss, Michigan State (1,086), Georgia (1,074) and TCU (1,030) round out the top 10 in the AP poll.

All three of Auburn's remaining road games - Ole Miss, Georgia (No. 15) and Alabama (Nov. 29) - are against teams ranked in the top nine of both polls.

Five teams from the SEC West - Mississippi State, Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss and No. 16 LSU - are ranked in the AP poll and Georgia is the only ranked SEC East team.

Auburn received 1,276 points, up from last week's 1,210, and second among one-loss teams in the coaches poll, trailing No. 3 Alabama (1,351).

Mississippi State (1,528 points) saw its lead over Florida State (1,508) shrink slightly despite adding five first place votes from a week ago, up to a season-high 41 in the coaches poll. The Seminoles, who were off this week, lost a first place vote (21).

Auburn moved ahead of Michigan State (1,269), which stayed at No. 5. Oregon (1,217), Notre Dame (1,170), Georgia (1,069), Ole Miss and TCU (1,057) round out the top 10 in the coaches poll.

Auburn's best win of the year, at Kansas State, continues to improve as the No. 11 Wildcats shutout Texas.