Florida takes SEC, No. 1 crown from Tide

For Immediate Release

The Florida Gators, which have never been ranked outside the Southern Fans' Top 16, finally reached the top of the poll with a 31-20 win over previous No. 1 and unbeaten Alabama. The Gators, who received 17 first place votes and took the SEC Championship with the win over the Crimson Tide, will next play No. 2 ranked Oklahoma in the BCS National Championship Game in Miami as the BCS rankings, which do not include the Southern Fans' poll, listed Oklahoma as number one and Florida as number two.

No. 3 Texas, which was excluded from the Big XII Championship Game despite beating Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout, received five first place votes, one more than Oklahoma. The Longhorns will face No. 10 Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. Alabama fell three spots to No. 4, and face unbeaten Utah in the Sugar Bowl. The Tide is followed by USC and Penn State, who will face off in the Rose Bowl.

Unbeaten Utah, recipients of the final first place vote, remained at No. 7, followed by co-Big XII South Champion Texas Tech; the Red Raiders will face Ole Miss in the Cotton Bowl. Boise State, the only other Division 1-A (Football Bowl Subdivision) unbeaten, remained at No. 9. The Broncos missed out on its second trip to a BCS bowl, as BSU will face No. 12 TCU in the Poinsettia Bowl. No. 10 Ohio State was chosen over the Broncos for the final BCS Bowl slot.

Big East champion Cincinnati jumped three spots to No. 11. The Bearcats will make its first-ever trip to a BCS bowl when they travel to Miami to play No. 16 Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. Cincinnati is followed by TCU and Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets are the highest ranked ACC team and will play LSU in the Chick-fil-A (Peach) Bowl. No. 14 Oklahoma State and No. 15 Oregon will battle in the Holiday Bowl. Virginia Tech enters the poll at No. 16 for the first time since Week 7.

The bowl line-up consists of seven games matching up 14 of the Southern Fans' top 16 teams. Only Texas Tech (against Ole Miss) and Georgia Tech (facing LSU) will play unranked teams.

No. 1 Florida vs. No. 2 Oklahoma, BCS Championship Game
No. 3 Texas vs. No. 10 Ohio State, Fiesta Bowl
No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 7 Utah, Sugar Bowl
No. 5 USC vs. No. 6 Penn State, Rose Bowl
No. 8 Texas Tech vs. Ole Miss, Cotton Bowl
No. 9 Boise State vs. No. 12 TCU, Poinsettia Bowl
No. 11 Cincinnati vs. No. 16 Virginia Tech, Orange Bowl
No. 13 Georgia Tech vs. LSU, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
No. 14 Oklahoma State vs. No. 15 Oregon, Holiday Bowl