ATLANTA—UGA seems to be in a holding pattern with the USATODAY/Amway Coaches Poll, occupying the No. 3 overall slot once again.
If this sounds like a bad thing, just remember it certainly beats the alternative of being Auburn (lost to LSU) or Wisconsin (lost to BYU) ... and incurring noticeable countdown slippage, after Saturday's surprising home setbacks.
As such, the dominant Dawgs (3-0 ... throttled Middle Tennessee on Saturday) should be content with owning a top-3 slot for the time being, knowing that crucial road tests against Missouri (this Saturday) and LSU (Oct. 13) lie ahead.
Here are some notables about this week's coaches poll:
**On the strength of its 62-7 road drubbing of Ole Miss, top-ranked Alabama commandeered 60 of the 63 first-place votes. Clemson received two ... and Ohio State one vote.
**Overall, Clemson has a 41-vote lead over UGA, similar to last week.
**LSU jumped seven spots to No. 6 overall, despite looking erratic on offense for long stretches versus Auburn. But when push came to shove, the Bayou Tigers were able to pull off the road surprise.
**For what it's worth, LSU has the season's best resume—routing Miami in Week 1 and then outlasting Auburn.
**The SEC has six teams in the current Top 25, with five programs (Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Mississippi State) cracking the top 15.
USATODAY/AMWAY TOP 25
1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. UGA
4. Ohio State
5. Oklahoma
6. LSU
7. Stanford
8. Notre Dame
9. Penn State
10. Virginia Tech
11. Auburn
12. Washington
13. West Virginia
14. Mississippi State
15. Oklahoma State
16. Wisconsin
17. TCU
18. UCF
19. Oregon
20. Miami
21. Michigan
22. Texas A&M
23. Michigan State
24. Boise State
25. Boston College
