Monday, Nov. 09, 2009

College football notes: TCU rises in BCS

NEW YORK -- TCU took over fourth place in the BCS standings behind Florida, Alabama and Texas, giving the Horned Frogs hope - however slim - of becoming the first BCS buster to break into the national championship game.

Florida is first for the fourth straight week, and Alabama and Texas switched spots for the second week in a row.

The Gators and Crimson Tide have clinched their respective divisions in the Southeastern Conference and will meet Dec. 5 in the league championship game. One of them is all but guaranteed a spot in the BCS title game on Jan. 7 in Pasadena, Calif., if they can get through the next month without a loss.

The same goes for Texas, which has three regular-season games and possibly the Big 12 championship remaining.

The other undefeated teams - TCU, Cincinnati and Boise State - need the top three to stumble to have any shot of reaching the championship game.

Oklahoma out of AP poll

NEW YORK Over the past decade, Oklahoma has rarely been out of AP Top 25 and Stanford has rarely been in.

On Sunday, the Sooners and Cardinal sort of swapped places.

Oklahoma dropped out of the college football poll for the first time since 2005, and No. 25 Stanford moved into the rankings for the first time since 2001.

The first six spots were held by major college football's six unbeaten teams, with Florida, Texas and Alabama making up the top three for the second consecutive week. Florida received 39 first-place votes, Texas received 10 and Alabama 11.

TCU moved up two spots to No. 4, bumping No. 5 Cincinnati and No. 6 Boise State back a spot.

Hogs close in on bowl

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. Bobby Petrino had called the game a must-win, which was odd considering there was still a month left in the regular season.

In truth, Arkansas could have lost to South Carolina on Saturday and still made it to a bowl, but the Razorbacks' coach wanted to test his team with a little pressure.

The Razorbacks beat South Carolina 33-16 and now needs only one win to become bowl eligible, and that could come as early as next weekend at home against Troy.

Kentucky injuries healing

LEXINGTON, Ky. Kentucky coach Rich Brooks hopes to have running back Derrick Locke and receiver Randall Cobb back for a crucial game at Vanderbilt on Saturday. Quarterback Mike Hartline might also be available to play against Vanderbilt.

Rodriguez needs cheer

ANNARBOR, Mich. Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez started 4-0 but has lost five of six and dropped to 5-5.

After trying to explain why Michigan lost its fifth straight Big Ten game at his postgame news conference, Rodriguez heard athletic director Bill Martin try to cheer him up. "You're doing all you can," Martin told Rodriguez.

Rodriguez looked like he was fighting back tears.

Buckeyes tied for Big Ten

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. The big-game blues are gone at Ohio State. Now the Buckeyes get a chance to prove they're not just one-week wonders in high-stakes affairs. Iowa's loss to Northwestern, coupled with Ohio State's 24-7 win later Saturday at Penn State, left the Hawkeyes and Buckeyes tied for first in the Big Ten. They meet this weekend at the Horseshoe, with the winner claiming the conference's automatic Bowl Championship Series berth.

Gators, Tide set for SEC

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. The much-anticipated rematch is set: Alabama against Florida for the Southeastern Conference championship and possibly a berth in the national title game.

The game itself, however, isn't for another month, and the Tide and Gators have plenty of important work to do before they meet at the Georgia Dome on Dec. 5.