Oklahoma is No. 1 in AP poll for 100th time

[September 12, 2011]  NEW YORK (AP) -- For the 100th time, Oklahoma is No. 1. The Sooners reached a milestone in the history of The Associated Press college football poll without even playing. Oklahoma became the first team to hold the top ranking 100 times since the poll began 1936.

The Sooners will bring that No. 1 ranking into one of the biggest nonconference games of the season when they face No. 5 Florida State in Tallahassee on Saturday.

Oklahoma received 32 first-place votes and 1,441 points from the media panel.

Alabama reclaimed the No. 2 spot after a 27-11 victory at Penn State, flip-flopping with No. 3 LSU. Last week, the Tigers jumped the Crimson Tide. Boise State is No. 4.

Alabama received nine-first-place votes, LSU had 17 and Boise State had two.

The Sooners have been ranked No. 1 in all three polls this season, including their 10th appearance as No. 1 in the preseason, another record.

Notre Dame is second to OU with 95 overall appearances as the No. 1 team in the AP poll. Ohio State is next at 94 and Southern California has been No. 1 90 times.

Defending national champion Auburn moved back into the rankings at No. 21 after one of the wildest wins from one of the wildest days in college football in recent memory.

The Tigers needed a last-second goal line stand to beat Mississippi State 41-34, a week after scoring two touchdowns in the final two minutes to defeat Utah State. Auburn has the nation's longest winning streak at 17 games.

Also moving into the rankings this week was No. 22 Arizona State, which beat Missouri 37-30 in overtime on Friday.

Missouri and Penn State fell out of the Top 25.

The rest of the top 10 had Stanford at No. 6, followed by Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Nebraska.

No. 11 South Carolina moved up a spot after beating Georgia 45-42 on the strength of three nonoffensive touchdowns.

Oregon was No. 12, with Virginia Tech at 13, Arkansas 14 and Michigan State 15.

No. 16 Florida, Ohio State, West Virginia, Baylor and South Florida round out the top 20.

Joining Auburn and Arizona State in the final five were No. 23 TCU, No. 24 Texas and No. 25 Mississippi State, which fell nine spots.

[Associated Press; By RALPH D. RUSSO]

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