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First the AP, which doesn't actually matter. The Sooners jumped seven places to slide in a mere two points behind Oregon but still ahead of Clemson. (Yes, I know I said yesterday I didn't think they'd jump that far. I was wrong.) Were the AP the poll that mattered as far as rankings go, Oklahoma going to the Sugar wouldn't even be controversial, and even Clemson's selection to to the Orange over Oregon would only be the slightest of indignities.
| Rank | Team | Record | Votes | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida State (56) | 13-0 | 1,496 | 1 |
| 2 | Auburn (4) | 12-1 | 1,444 | 3 |
| 3 | Alabama | 11-1 | 1,376 | 4 |
| 4 | Michigan State | 12-1 | 1,278 | 10 |
| 5 | Stanford | 11-2 | 1,217 | 7 |
| 6 | Baylor | 11-1 | 1,185 | 9 |
| 7 | Ohio State | 12-1 | 1,130 | 2 |
| 8 | South Carolina | 10-2 | 1,099 | 8 |
| 9 | Missouri | 11-2 | 1,066 | 5 |
| 10 | Oregon | 10-2 | 880 | 12 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | 10-2 | 878 | 18 |
| 12 | Clemson | 10-2 | 848 | 13 |
| 13 | Oklahoma State | 10-2 | 797 | 6 |
| 14 | LSU | 9-3 | 726 | 14 |
| 15 | UCF | 11-1 | 629 | 15 |
| 16 | Arizona State | 10-3 | 614 | 11 |
| 17 | UCLA | 9-3 | 544 | 17 |
| 18 | Louisville | 11-1 | 525 | 19 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | 9-3 | 383 | 21 |
| 20 | Texas A&M | 8-4 | 282 | 22 |
| 21 | Fresno State | 11-1 | 227 | 24 |
| 22 | Duke | 10-3 | 201 | 20 |
| 23 | Georgia | 8-4 | 196 | 25 |
| 24 | Northern Illinois | 12-1 | 144 | 16 |
| 25 | Notre Dame | 8-4 | 76 | NR |
| Dropped from Rankings: Texas (23) |
| Others Receiving Votes: USC 74, Iowa 48, Miami (FL) 47, Vanderbilt 25, Texas 22, Cincinnati 11, Bowling Green 10, Washington 9, Rice 7, North Dakota State 4, Minnesota 2 |
Meanwhile, in the coaches' poll (which does matter), the Sooners moved up five spots and surpassed both Oregon and Clemson... and Clemson is ahead of the Ducks. If the BCS standings effectively reflect the coaches' poll, and our projections of the bowl selections are correct, then once again -- for the seventh time in the eight years since the BCS title game was separated from the four anchor bowls -- there will be no eligible AQ conference team able to complain that they were passed over for a BCS bid.
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | FIRST PLACE VOTES | PREVIOUS RANK | CHANGE | HI/LOW* |
| 1 | Florida State Seminoles |
13-0 | 1550 | 62 | 1 | 1/12 | |
| 2 | Auburn Tigers |
12-1 | 1486 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2/NR |
| 3 | Alabama Crimson Tide |
11-1 | 1414 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1/4 |
| 4 | Michigan State Spartans |
12-1 | 1342 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 4/NR |
| 5 | Baylor Bears |
11-1 | 1275 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 4/NR |
| 6 | Ohio State Buckeyes |
12-1 | 1211 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2/6 |
| 7 | Stanford Cardinal |
11-2 | 1188 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 4/13 |
| 8 | South Carolina Gamecocks |
10-2 | 1108 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 6/20 |
| 9 | Missouri Tigers |
11-2 | 1088 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 5/NR |
| 10 | Oklahoma Sooners |
10-2 | 913 | 0 | 15 | 5 | 8/18 |
| 11 | Clemson Tigers |
10-2 | 899 | 0 | 11 | 4/11 | |
| 12 | Oregon Ducks |
10-2 | 887 | 0 | 12 | 2/12 | |
| 13 | Oklahoma State Cowboys |
10-2 | 845 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 6/20 |
| 14 | LSU Tigers |
9-3 | 719 | 0 | 14 | 6/19 | |
| 15 | Central Florida Knights |
11-1 | 658 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 15/NR |
| 16 | Louisville Cardinals |
11-1 | 611 | 0 | 16 | 6/17 | |
| 17 | Arizona State Sun Devils |
10-3 | 602 | 0 | 13 | 4 | 13/NR |
| 18 | UCLA Bruins |
9-3 | 520 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 10/22 |
| 19 | Wisconsin Badgers |
9-3 | 408 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 14/NR |
| 20 | Fresno State Bulldogs |
11-1 | 344 | 0 | 22 | 2 | 13/NR |
| 21 | Duke Blue Devils |
10-3 | 247 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 20/NR |
| 21 | Texas A&M Aggies |
8-4 | 247 | 0 | 25 | 4 | 6/25 |
| 23 | Northern Illinois Huskies |
12-1 | 149 | 0 | 18 | 5 | 18/NR |
| 24 | Georgia Bulldogs |
8-4 | 135 | 0 | NR | 5/NR | |
| 25 | Miami Hurricanes |
9-3 | 73 | 0 | NR | 6/NR |
| Dropped from Rankings: Cincinnati (23), Texas (24) |
| Others Receiving Votes: Cincinnati 47, Vanderbilt 40, USC 33, Iowa 30, Texas 27, Rice 23, Bowling Green 12, Notre Dame 8, Minnesota 6, Ball State 2, Nebraska 1, Virginia Tech 1, Washington 1 |
Upshot? The path is clear to Phoenix, as it's looking more and more like the Big 12 will not only gain two slots in the BCS but will, by rankings, be utterly deserving.
