Clemson remained at No. 13 in the latest USA Today Coaches Poll. South Carolina fell behind the Tigers to No. 16, but Mississippi State jumped to No. 12.
Florida State remained at No. 10.
| Poll Date: Sunday October 21 2012 |
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | FIRST PLACE VOTES | PREVIOUS RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Alabama |
7-0 | 1475 | 59 | 1 |
| 2 |
Oregon |
7-0 | 1403 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 |
Florida |
7-0 | 1329 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 |
Kansas St. |
7-0 | 1326 | 0 | 3 |
| 5 |
Notre Dame |
7-0 | 1221 | 0 | 5 |
| 6 |
LSU |
7-1 | 1164 | 0 | 6 |
| 7 |
Oklahoma |
5-1 | 1084 | 0 | 7 |
| 8 |
USC |
6-1 | 1014 | 0 | 9 |
| 9 |
Oregon St. |
6-0 | 974 | 0 | 11 |
| 10 |
Florida St. |
7-1 | 948 | 0 | 10 |
| 11 |
Georgia |
6-1 | 850 | 0 | 12 |
| 12 |
Mississippi St. |
7-0 | 800 | 0 | 16 |
| 13 |
Clemson |
6-1 | 788 | 0 | 13 |
| 14 |
Louisville |
7-0 | 720 | 0 | 14 |
| 15 |
Rutgers |
7-0 | 637 | 0 | 17 |
| 16 |
South Carolina |
6-2 | 598 | 0 | 8 |
| 17 |
Texas Tech |
6-1 | 571 | 0 | 20 |
| 18 |
Boise St. |
6-1 | 407 | 0 | 22 |
| 19 |
Stanford |
5-2 | 401 | 0 | 23 |
| 20 |
Michigan |
5-2 | 264 | 0 | 25 |
| 21 |
Texas A&M |
5-2 | 229 | 0 | 19 |
| 22 |
West Virginia |
5-2 | 173 | 0 | 15 |
| 23 |
Ohio |
7-0 | 132 | 0 | NR |
| 24 |
Texas |
5-2 | 109 | 0 | NR |
| 25 |
Wisconsin |
6-2 | 104 | 0 | NR |