SEC rules poll: Florida, Alabama are No. 1 and 2

[October 12, 2009]  BOSTON (AP) -- Alabama's steady rise in the rankings has left the Crimson Tide with a clear view of No. 1 Florida.

Alabama jumped Texas into second-place behind top-ranked Florida in the AP Top 25 on Sunday, giving the Southeastern Conference the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the country.

The Crimson Tide moved up one spot after rolling over Mississippi 22-3. Texas, which had been No. 2 all season, slipped a spot after sputtering early in a 38-14 victory against Colorado.

The Gators and Tim Tebow beat LSU 13-3. They have been an overwhelming No. 1 since the preseason, but support for Alabama has steadily grown.

Florida received 50 of 60 first-place votes from the media panel, a season low. The Crimson Tide received 10 first-place votes, up from five last week.

It's the second time in the past two seasons that Alabama and Florida have held the top two spots in the rankings. Last year, the Crimson Tide was No. 1 and the Gators No. 2 for two weeks before they played in the SEC title game.

Texas for the first time this season did not receive a first-place vote. The Longhorns might be able to get some support back by beating No. 20 Oklahoma on Saturday in the Red River Rivalry.

No. 4 Virginia Tech, No. 5 Boise State and No. 6 Southern California each moved up one spot.

In the battle for Ohio, Ohio State moved up to No. 7 and ahead of No. 8 Cincinnati after a 31-13 victory over previously unbeaten Wisconsin.

The Bearcats, who were idle Saturday and have a Big East showdown with No. 21 South Florida on Thursday night, were ahead of the Buckeyes in the rankings last week for the first time since 1951.

Miami is No. 9 and LSU dropped six spots to No. 10 after its first loss.

No. 11 Iowa had another narrow escape, beating Michigan 30-28 to stay unbeaten. No. 12 TCU also had a close call, but stayed undefeated with a 20-17 victory in the cold and wind against Air Force.

No. 13 is Oregon followed by Penn State and Nebraska, which vaulted six spots to 15th after beating Missouri on the road.

After the Cornhuskers are Big 12 rivals Oklahoma State and Kansas.

No. 18 is BYU, Georgia Tech is 19th and Oklahoma No. 20.

The final five has South Florida and South Carolina, then three teams that re-entered the rankings this week.

No. 23 Houston moved back into the rankings after beating Mississippi State 31-28 in Starkville.

No. 24 Utah rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Colorado State 24-17 and No. 25 Notre Dame got back into the AP rankings on an off week.

The Fighting Irish host USC on Saturday, with a chance to drop out or make a big move back up the rankings.

While the SEC holds the top two spots in the Top 25, the conference only has four ranked teams this week, down from six last week.

The Big 12 has the most ranked teams with five.

Ole Miss, which began the season in the top 10, dropped out of the rankings for the first time in 2009. Auburn also fell out after losing its first game of the season and Missouri dropped from the rankings.

[Associated Press; By RALPH D. RUSSO]

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