USC tumbles, Stanford soars in AP poll

[November 16, 2009]  NEW YORK (AP) -- After another humiliating loss, Southern California tumbled to its worst ranking since Pete Carroll's Trojans began their run as one of college football's best programs in 2002.

USC was No. 22 in The Associated Press Top 25 released Sunday, dropping 11 spots after losing 55-21 to Stanford. The Trojans have been ranked in 128 consecutive media polls dating to the start of the 2002 season, but never this low.

The Trojans haven't been ranked lower than No. 13 since October 2002.

Meanwhile, Stanford soared up the rankings to No. 14, its best showing since being No. 11 in the last regular-season poll of 2001.

Florida remained No. 1 and Alabama leapfrogged Texas into the No. 2 spot, one of only two small changes to the top 10.

The Gators received 36 first-place votes. Alabama received 14 first-place votes after its most convincing victory -- 31-3 at Mississippi State -- in more than a month.

Texas got 10 first-place votes. The Crimson Tide and Longhorns are separated by just five points.

The other three undefeated major college teams were next, with TCU at No. 4, Cincinnati at No. 5 and Boise State No. 6 for the second consecutive week.

The BCS standings had the same top six teams as the AP poll.

No. 7 Georgia Tech and No. 8 Pittsburgh also held their places. No. 9 Ohio State and No. 10 LSU flip-flopped for the only other change in the top 10.

For USC, the lopsided loss to Stanford marked the second time in the last three games the Trojans were handed the worst loss of the Carroll era. Oregon beat USC 47-20 in Eugene on Halloween night.

The latest embarrassment happened at the Coliseum, where USC has lost only two of its last 49 games -- both times to Stanford.

"This isn't what we grew up watching," USC freshman quarterback Matt Barkley said after the Stanford game.

Carroll's first USC team went 6-6. The Trojans then went 82-9 between 2002-08, winning at least a share of seven straight Pac-10 titles. Though USC has not been eliminated from Pac-10 title contention, it will be the Trojans' first season with more than two losses since 2001.

Only Texas with 153 consecutive poll appearances has a longer streak than USC. The Trojans have a week off before playing UCLA on Nov. 28.

Six teams, including USC, ranked between 11-20 last week lost, giving the middle of the rankings a new look.

No. 11 Oregon moved up three spots, No. 12 Oklahoma State jumped five and No. 13 Penn State gained six places.

Stanford made the biggest move up of all the ranked teams last week, gaining 11 spots.

Iowa held its spot at No. 15 and was followed by Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, Clemson, BYU and Oregon State, which moved into the rankings for the first time this season at No. 20.

Miami dropped nine spots to No. 21 and was followed by USC, Utah and Houston -- all of which lost Saturday.

No. 25 Rutgers also moved into the rankings for the first time this season, and the first time since the middle of the 2007 season.

Arizona and South Florida both dropped out of the rankings after losses.

[Associated Press; By RALPH D. RUSSO]

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