For the first time, there's more than the standard 16 teams in the Southern College Football Poll as both Texas and Connecticut tied for the No. 16 slot. Ohio State, following a dominating victory at Wisconsin, retained the No. 1 position. The Buckeyes, who received 15 of the 17 first place votes, have held the top ranking for four straight weeks.
LSU returned to No. 2 after the Tigers defeated Alabama 41-34 in Tuscaloosa. LSU once again came-from-behind in the fourth quarter, including a fourth down touchdown pass to tie the game. In the past month, the Tigers have defeated Florida, Auburn and now Alabama after trailing at the start of the final quarter. LSU received one first place vote.
Oregon jumped three spots to the third ranking in this week's poll. The Ducks defeated previously undefeated Arizona State 35-23. Oregon, which received the final first place vote, jumped over Oklahoma; the Sooners moved up one spot to No. 4 following their 42-14 win over Texas A&M. Aggies' coach Dennis Franchione is rumored to be on the verge of a buyout after A&M fell to 6-4 on the season. Franchione's reputation took a hit last month when word leaked that the coach was releasing private player information via a VIP newsletter to prominent boosters.
Kansas, the only other BCS unbeaten, moved up two spots to No. 5 following a 76-39 win over Nebraska. The 76 points were the most ever given up by a Nebraska team, which has Cornhusker coach Bill Callahan in the same boat as his Big XII counterpart in College Station. Callahan was reported earlier this week saying that he would not resign from his position.
West Virginia, Missouri, Arizona State, Boston College and Georgia complete the top 10. The Sun Devils and Eagles both experienced their first losses of the season on Saturday. B.C. fell to Florida State at home 27-17. Georgia, behind budding star Knowshon Morano, defeated Troy 44-34 on homecoming. Moreno is only the second Bulldog back to rush for more than 1,000 yards as a freshman.
Michigan held on to the No. 11 ranking following a close win over in-state rival Michigan State; the Wolverines are followed by Virginia Tech and Auburn. Hawaii, the final unbeaten in D-1A, fell two spots to No. 14. The Rainbow Warriors, who host Fresno State on Saturday, did not play last week. That game will be televised by ESPN2 at 11 p.m. EST.
Southern Cal returns to the poll after a one-week absence. After defeating Oregon State 24-3, the Trojans travel to Berkley to take on California this Saturday. Texas, which narrowly escaped Oklahoma State 38-35 after trailing by 21 points in the fourth quarter, dropped one spot into a tie for No. 16 with Connecticut. The Huskies defeated Rutgers 38-19 and remain atop the Big East standings with three games to play.
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