Sun Oct 12 14:54:10 2008

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Longhorns grab No. 1 spot

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New York, NY (Sports Network) - Fresh off their 45-35 dumping of then-top- ranked Oklahoma on Saturday, the Texas Longhorns vaulted into the top spot in the latest Associated Press college football poll, which was shaken up by some key losses.

With the victory in the Red River Rivalry at the Cotton Bowl, Texas (6-0) rose all the way from fifth spot to number one by garnering 39 first-place votes.

Alabama (6-0) was idle and moved up two slots from four to two. The Crimson Tide picked up 26 first-place votes and 1582 points -- 17 behind Oklahoma -- simply for sitting at home.

On the strength of a 48-7 rout of Big Ten rival Wisconsin late Saturday, Penn State (7-0) jumped from the six spot up to three.

Victims of a spirited late comeback by the Longhorns, Oklahoma (5-1) fell from the top spot to four.

Florida (5-1) made a big move from 11 to five after a 51-21 home thrashing over LSU, while USC (4-1) inched up two spots from eight to six after dispatching Arizona State in a shutout.

For the second consecutive week, Texas Tech (6-0) held the seventh spot, while Oklahoma State (6-0) made the biggest leap in the standings, up from 17 a week ago to eight, after toppling previously third-ranked Missouri.

BYU and Georgia held their spots at nine and 10, respectively, while the Mizzou (5-1) dropped to 11th. The Cougars (6-0) continued their domination of the Mountain West by shutting down New Mexico, while the Bulldogs (5-1) topped SEC rival Tennessee.

Ohio State, LSU, Utah and Boise State round out the top 15, with the Buckeyes, Utes and Broncos all picking up wins.

The next five feature Kansas, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, South Florida and Michigan State.

The Jayhawks maintained their position by dispatching Colorado, but the Hokies rose one spot with an off week. The Tar Heels remained in the poll for the second straight week by topping Notre Dame, while the Spartans did the same by vanquishing Northwestern. The Bulls also remained static with a bye.

Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, Pittsburgh, Ball State and California round out the bottom five in the rankings.

The Demon Deacons clipped Clemson to stay in their slot from last week, but the Commodores (5-1) suffered their first defeat of the season, a 17-14 heartbreaker to Mississippi State which plunged them all the way down from 13 to 22.

The Cardinals (7-0), who made their first trip into the top 25 in school history last week, were bumped up one slot with a 24-7 win over Western Kentucky, while the Golden Bears (4-1) moved up into the final place in the rankings despite not playing after previously 20th-ranked Auburn dropped out after falling to Arkansas.

Saturday's action features two more important Big 12 tussles, as Texas hosts Missouri while Kansas visits Oklahoma. Second-ranked Alabama returns to the gridiron by hosting Ole Miss in an SEC battle, while Penn State welcomes Big Ten rival Michigan to Happy Valley.

Also on Saturday Vanderbilt heads to Athens to battle Georgia, while Ohio State travels to Michigan State for a Big 10 matchup.