Ohio State is No. 1, Michigan State No. 2 in latest AP poll

Ohio State is No. 1 and Michigan State is No. 2 in the Associated Press college football poll, giving the Big Ten the top two teams in the rankings for the first time since 2006.

The Buckeyes received 40 first-place votes after a lackluster victory against Northern Illinois on Saturday. Michigan State has seven first-place votes. The last time the Big Ten held the top two spots in the AP poll was November 2006 when Ohio State and Michigan went into their annual rivalry game Nos. 1 and 2, respectively.

No. 3 Mississippi made a big jump from 15 after winning at Alabama. The Tide dropped from No. 2 to No. 12. The Rebels received 11 first-place votes.

TCU is tied for third with Ole Miss and Baylor is No. 5.

Notre Dame is sixth, followed by Louisiana State, Georgia, UCLA and Florida State. The Tigers received one first-place vote.

USC fell 13 spots to No. 19.

Irish lose another player for season

Notre Dame safety Drue Tranquill tore a ligament in his right knee while celebrating a pass breakup in the end zone against Georgia Tech and became the sixth player to suffer a season-ending injury for the sixth-ranked Fighting Irish.

Coach Brian Kelly said Sunday that Tranquill is expected to undergo surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament within two weeks. The sophomore was making his first start this season. He started three games last year, then missed the final two games with a torn ACL in his left knee.

Tranquill started against Georgia Tech because Max Redfield struggled against Virginia. Redfield didn’t play against the Yellow Jackets. Kelly said it’s too early to say whether Redfield will start against Massachusetts on Saturday.

Spartans’ Copeland has fractured vertebra

Michigan State cornerback Vayante Copeland will be out the rest of the season because of a fractured vertebra.

Coach Mark Dantonio says Copeland should heal fine and be back next spring, but he will not return this year. Copeland, a redshirt freshman, did not play in Michigan State’s victory over Air Force on Saturday. He started the first two games of the season.

The Spartans moved up to No. 2 in the AP poll after their victory over Air Force, but they’ve lost some key defensive players to injury. Linebacker Ed Davis went down with a season-ending knee injury before the season started.

Gamecocks’ Knott out several weeks

South Carolina center Alan Knott is expected to be sidelined several weeks after spraining his ankle during a loss to No. 7 Georgia.

Coach Steve Spurrier said Sunday that because of the high left ankle sprain freshman Zack Bailey will start when South Carolina (1-2) plays Central Florida (0-3) on Saturday.

Knott is a third-year sophomore who started eight games last season. He started the first three games this year before getting hurt. Knott’s loss means the quarterback-center combo that South Carolina had entering the year are sidelined for extended periods. Quarterback Connor Mitch separated his shoulder Sept. 12 against Kentucky. He’s also dealt with an internal infection brought on by a hip bruise. Spurrier said Mitch is still weeks from returning.