Longhorns proved they deserve to vault over USC

Vince Young could put up big numbers against a shoddy Texas A&M defense on Friday. Damian Strohmeyer/SI

You may have noticed Texas picked up five first-place votes in this week's AP Poll. My ballot included one of them.

While USC was certainly tested by a worthy adversary last Saturday night -- as you'll see, I gained so much respect watching Fresno State, I was compelled to move the Bulldogs up five spots -- the No. 1 team in the country should not be giving up 42 points to anybody. Period. While I wasn't overly happy about dropping a team that's won 33 consecutive games, not to mention moving a team up to No. 1 following a bye week, I can no longer, in good conscience, keep giving the Trojans the benefit of the doubt.

It's clear at this point that if USC is to win its third straight national title, it's going to have to spit in the face of the adage that "defense wins championships." A little crack research reveals that no national champion has given up 42 points in a game since Penn State in 1982 (and the Nittany Lions lost that game, to Alabama). The Trojans may have one of the greatest offenses ever assembled, but their injury-plagued defense has been living dangerously all season, and they're not being helped by shoddy kick and punt coverage that gives opposing offenses short fields. The Fresno State game wasn't an aberration, either: the Trojans are 83rd in the country in kick-return coverage, 117th -- dead last -- against punt returns.

Texas, on the other hand, has no such concerns. All it's done lately is destroy everyone in its path. Even when pitted against a high-powered offense and a top-20 adversary in Texas Tech, the Longhorns won 52-17. Their 25-22 win at Ohio State looks more impressive every week.

Now, my decision this week should not be regarded as a de facto Rose Bowl prediction. There's a long ways to go before that, and as we've learned by now, if you give Pete Carroll four weeks to prepare for an opponent, he can find a way to shut down just about anybody. We're not trying to predict future results here, nor should previous track records enter the equation. Judging solely on the way the two teams have played this season, Texas deserves to be No. 1.

NCAA Football Power Rankings Rank LW Team 1 2 Texas Longhorns (10-0) After Reggie Bush's epic performance against Fresno State, fellow Heisman candidate Vince Young has a chance to answer back in Friday's nationally televised game against Texas A&M. And the way the Aggies' defense has played this season, don't think 500 yards is out of the question. Next game: Friday at Texas A&M. 2 1 USC Trojans (11-0) If Pete Carroll isn't overly concerned about fielding the nation's 43rd-ranked defense, it's probably because the Trojans are leading the country in his favorite category: turnover margin. Last Saturday marked the second consecutive game USC intercepted four passes, raising its season total to 22. Next game: Dec. 3 vs. UCLA. 3 4 Penn St. Nittany Lions (10-1) Penn State's 2005 turnaround is already remarkable; imagine if USC or Texas loses a game and JoePa gets a shot at a third national title? In the jumble of one-loss teams, the Nittany Lions are officially next in line, and why not? They were literally one second away from finishing undefeated. Next game: BCS game TBA. 4 5 LSU Tigers (9-1) During the USC-Fresno State broadcast, it was revealed that the Bulldogs originally offered to fill a vacancy on LSU's schedule, but the Tigers went instead with I-AA Appalachian State. That, along with the loss to 4-6 Tennessee, helps explain LSU's surprisingly low standing (eighth) in the BCS computers. Next game: Saturday vs. Arkansas. 5 10 Auburn Tigers (9-2) Talk about peaking at the right time. The Tigers are playing as well as any team in the SEC right now, going into Athens and upending Georgia, then annihilating Alabama. Remarkably, Auburn is averaging more points and yards than it did last year with Ronnie Brown, Carnell Williams and Jason Campbell. Next game: Saturday at Mississippi State. 6 7 Ohio St. Buckeyes (9-2) I keep my word. The Buckeyes' offense got the job done in Ann Arbor, so they move ahead of Notre Dame (which looked sluggish against a horrendous Syracuse team) in these rankings. It's unbelievable Troy Smith once platooned with Justin Zwick. Next game: Bowl game TBA. 7 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-2) More than $12 million is at stake in Saturday's game at Stanford. That's the approximate difference in payout (which the Irish don't have to share with anyone) between the BCS berth they would clinch with a win and the Gator Bowl berth they'd receive if they lose. Hope it doesn't come down to a field goal. Next game: Saturday at Stanford. 8 9 Virginia Tech Hokies (9-1) How are you supposed to judge these ACC teams? Tech went out and spanked Virginia (52-14), which a week earlier beat Georgia Tech, which the Hokies previously beat 51-7 and Georgia Tech beat Miami on Saturday. Pretty impressive, right? But wait, that same Miami team destroyed the Hokies. Help!!! Next game: Saturday vs. North Carolina. 9 11 Oregon Ducks (10-1) The Ducks scored a resounding 56-14 win over hated Oregon State but may have gained more respect Saturday from a game in which it wasn't a participant. The USC-Fresno State game sure puts Oregon's 37-34 win over the Bulldogs -- in which the Ducks rallied from a 17-0 hole -- in a different light. Next game: Bowl game TBA. 10 3 Miami (Fla.) Hurricanes (8-2) Larry Coker is pinning the blame for Saturday's 14-10 loss to Georgia Tech on his regrettable decision to go for it on a fourth-and-one from the Jackets' 12 with seven minutes left (the 'Canes got stuffed). The way Miami's line was blocking, who's to say the 'Canes would have even gotten the field goal off? Next game: Saturday vs. Virginia.

Read on for teams 11-20 ...