Coaches' poll puts Alabama second to LSU

MCLEAN, Va., Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Louisiana State heads into the bowl season as a unanimous No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' football poll with SEC rival Alabama second and Oklahoma State third.

LSU (13-0) topped Georgia 42-10 in the Southeastern Conference championship game Saturday so it was no surprise that the Tigers picked up all 59 first-place votes from the board of coaches for a fifth consecutive week.

Alabama (11-1) didn't play and actually slipped by 12 poll points but is still second. Oklahoma State (11-1) jumps from fifth to third after beating Oklahoma 44-10.

Both Alabama and Oklahoma State suffered their only losses due to missed field goal attempts.

LSU beat the Crimson Tide 9-6 in overtime, with Alabama missing four field goal attempts in regulation. They'll meet again in the Bowl Championship Series title game.

The Cowboys were beaten by Iowa State 37-31 in two overtimes after Oklahoma State had a field goal attempt go right over the right upright late in regulation.

Stanford (11-1) retains the No. 4 place this week while Oregon (11-2) goes from seventh to fifth. Boise State (11-1) drops two places to sixth while Arkansas (10-2) improves three to seventh, Wisconsin (11-2) goes from 12th to No. 8, South Carolina (10-2) is up four to ninth and Kansas State (10-2) leaps from 15h to No. 10.

Virginia Tech (11-2) has been beaten twice by Clemson, with Saturday's 38-10 ACC title game loss dropping the Hokies from No. 3 to 11th -- still ahead of Clemson (10-3), which is 14th. Big Ten archrivals Michigan (10-2) and Michigan State (10-3) are 12th and 13th, respectively, and Texas Christian (10-2) takes the No. 15 place.

Baylor (9-3) is up two spots to 16th and Houston (12-1) plummets from No. 6 to 17th after a loss to Southern Mississippi. Georgia (10-3), 14th a week ago, comes in at 18th, Oklahoma (9-3) falls eight places to 19th and Nebraska (9-3) is 20th.

Southern Mississippi (11-2) is 21st followed by, in order, West Virginia (9-3), Penn State (9-3), Cincinnati (9-3) and Florida State (8-4).