Big win propels Longhorns to No. 1

From Sun news services

October 13, 2008

The Texas football team rode its resounding Red River Rivalry upset right to No. 1.

The Longhorns leapfrogged No.2 Alabama yesterday and sit atop the Associated Press Top 25 in the regular season for the first time in 24 years after beating Oklahoma, 45-35.

Texas' jump to No. 1 is the largest since Miami went from No.6 to No.1 on Aug. 29, 1988, after beating preseason top-ranked Florida State, 31-0, to start the season.

Texas received 39 first-place votes and 1,599 points from the media panel. Alabama received the other 36 first-place votes and 1,582 points.

"Being ranked No.1 shows respect for what we've accomplished through the early part of the season, but nobody really knows who is No.1 at this point," Texas coach Mack Brown said yesterday.

It certainly has been a fluid situation.

The Longhorns are the fourth No.1 team this season, after Georgia, Southern California and Oklahoma. So it's just more of the same after an unpredictable 2007 season that had four No. 1 teams and eight teams ranked second.

For the second time this season, three of the top four teams in the country lost on the same weekend. While the losses by the previously top-ranked Sooners, Missouri and LSU weren't stunning, they did a number on the rankings.

Unbeaten Penn State moved up three spots to No.3 after routing host Wisconsin, 48-7, on Saturday. Daryll Clark was 16-for-25 for 244 yards and a touchdown, and the Nittany Lions forced four turnovers.

The Sooners dropped three spots to No.4 after their first loss. Florida jumped six spots to No.5 after pounding LSU, 51-21, on Saturday night.

No.6 USC is followed by Big 12 rivals Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, which upset Missouri, 28-23, and has its highest ranking since 1985. No. 9 Brigham Young and Georgia round out the top 10.

Missouri dropped eight spots to No.11, but the Tigers could vault back up the polls when they play Texas on Saturday.

North Carolina: Wide receiver Brandon Tate was scheduled to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging last night on a sprained right knee he suffered in the win Saturday against Notre Dame.

AP Top 25

Record, Pts, Pvs

1. Texas (39) 6-0 1,599 5
2. Alabama (26) 6-0 1,582 2
3. Penn St. 7-0 1,492 6
4. Oklahoma 5-1 1,306 1
5. Florida 5-1 1,284 11
6. Southern Cal 4-1 1,247 8
7. Texas Tech 6-0 1,210 7
8. Oklahoma St. 6-0 1,184 17
9. BYU 6-0 1,131 9
10. Georgia 5-1 1,081 10
11. Missouri 5-1 984 3
12. Ohio St. 6-1 908 12
13. LSU 4-1 893 4
14. Utah 7-0 834 14
15. Boise St. 5-0 714 15
16. Kansas 5-1 620 16
17. Virginia Tech 5-1 540 18
18. North Carolina 5-1 416 22
19. South Florida 5-1 397 19
20. Michigan St. 6-1 371 23
21. Wake Forest 4-1 330 21
22. Vanderbilt 5-1 258 13
23. Pittsburgh 4-1 182 24
24. Ball St. 7-0 166 25
25. California 4-1 115 --

Others receiving votes: Tulsa 84, TCU 61, Minnesota 48, Florida St. 38, Georgia Tech 25, South Carolina 9, Kentucky 7, Oregon 4, Northwestern 3, Cincinnati 1, Notre Dame 1.

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Big win propels Longhorns to No. 1

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Big win propels Longhorns to No. 1

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