This study proposes an adaptive control synthesis for a class of second-degree fractional order systems with different eigenvalues in the state-space domain. The proposed fractional order adaptive controller is a generalization of the MRAC controller for the class of scalar fractional order systems. In order to control the fractional order plant, an adaptive state space feedback controller is applied based on the error between the system output and a chosen reference model using a fractional adaptation law to make the fractional order plant track the fractional order reference model. We show that the resulting adaptive regulator is able to stabilize the fractional order second degree system with a satisfying performance. A simulation example illustrating these performance properties is provided along with a comparison with a fractional order sliding mode control (FOSMC) to demonstrate the superiority of the proposed control scheme.