Boise State drops 6 spots to No. 9 in AP poll

[May 10, 2011]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Boise State said goodbye to its top-five ranking for the first time this season.

The Broncos dropped six spots to No. 9 in The Associated Press college football poll Sunday after having its 24-game winning streak snapped.

For the third straight week, No. 1 Oregon and Auburn held the top two spots in the rankings. No. 3 TCU moved up one spot.

The gap between the Ducks and Tigers shrank to 29 points. The Ducks received 36 first-place votes and 1,475 points, while Auburn got 23 and 1,456 from the media panel.

TCU also received a first-place vote.

Wisconsin was fourth, followed by Stanford, Ohio State, Michigan State and Arkansas. Oklahoma moved up four spots to No. 10 after beating Oklahoma State 47-41.

Boise State had been ranked no lower than fourth this season, but after an excruciating 34-31 overtime loss to Nevada, the Broncos tumbled out of the national championship race.

Boise State blew a 24-7 halftime lead, then had a chance to win in regulation before kicker Kyle Brotzman missed a 26-yard field goal with 2 seconds left. Brotzman missed a 29-yarder in overtime and Nevada won it with a field goal of its own.

The Wolf Pack moved up five places to No. 14. Nevada has only been ranked in one other season previously. The Wolf Pack reached No. 10 in 1948.

Moving into the rankings were No. 23 West Virginia -- in for the third time this season -- along with No. 24 Northern Illinois and No. 25 Hawaii.

The Huskies were last ranked in November 2003, and are the first Mid-American Conference team in the poll this season. Hawaii was last ranked in the final poll of the 2007 season.

The Warriors, Wolf Pack and Broncos give the Western Athletic Conference three ranked teams for the first time since the final poll of 1994. BYU, Colorado State and Utah finished that season ranked, and all are now members of the Mountain West.

Boise State is leaving the WAC for the MWC after this season, and Nevada is joining the MWC in 2012. Hawaii is also considering a jump to the Mountain West.

West Virginia gives the Big East a ranked team for the first time in a month.

Falling out after loses this week were North Carolina State, Arizona and Iowa. The Hawkeyes haven't been unranked since September 2009.

No. 11 LSU fell five spots after losing 31-23 to Arkansas. No. 12 is Virginia Tech, followed by Nebraska, Nevada and Missouri.

Oklahoma State, Alabama, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Florida State round out the top 20.

No. 21 Utah and No. 22 Mississippi State join the newcomers in the final five.

 [Associated Press; By RALPH D. RUSSO]

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