'Horns had a scare, but it's no reason for them to slide

The easy, knee-jerk reaction to Texas' ugly 40-29 victory over Texas A&M last Friday would have been to drop the Longhorns back to No. 2 after just one week in my top spot. But that would be quite the double standard, considering it took four close calls by USC before I finally dropped the Trojans. Not to mention Texas, despite the worst game of the season for both Vince Young and the 'Horns' defense, never trailed the Aggies by more than a point.

The Horns' scare was a classic case of running into an emotionally-charged rival playing with nothing to lose, and an unknown quarterback, A&M's Stephen McGee, who caught Texas' defense off-guard with his 1960s-era option skills. Unless Colorado and, in turn, USC, are planning to break out the wishbone, it shouldn't be cause for too much concern in Austin.

NCAA Football Power Rankings Rank LW Team 1 1 Texas Longhorns (11-0) Saturday could finally bring the item Mack Brown -- and Longhorns fans -- have been waiting eight years for: a ring. The Texas coach has gone 81-19 since arriving in Austin but has yet to capture a Big 12 championship, falling to Nebraska (1999) and Colorado (2001) in his previous two title-game trips. Next game: Saturday vs. Colorado. 2 2 USC Trojans (11-0) Tailback LenDale White is expected to play against UCLA despite suffering a shoulder injury during practice on Sunday. The last time the tailback played hurt was last season's Orange Bowl against Oklahoma -- he carried 15 times for 118 yards and two touchdowns. Next game: Saturday vs. UCLA. 3 3 Penn St. Nittany Lions (10-1) Assorted national writers have been touting quarterback Michael Robinson as a Heisman contender, but apparently members of the Big Ten media don't share quite as high an opinion. Last week, they named Northwestern's Brett Basanez, not Robinson, the conference's offensive player of the year. Next game: Bowl game TBA. 4 4 LSU Tigers (10-1) It's pretty remarkable to think how far LSU's program has risen the past few years. A complete afterthought in the SEC for most of the '90s, the Tigers have a chance to capture their third league title in the past five seasons if they can beat Georgia in Saturday's conference title game. Next game: Saturday vs. Georgia. 5 5 Auburn Tigers (9-2) The Tigers remain in the mix for a BCS at-large berth, but their chances hinge largely on Texas or USC getting upset on Saturday. If, for instance, Colorado winds up in the Fiesta Bowl, the first at-large pick reverts to the Orange, which would take Notre Dame, and the Fiesta might then grab Auburn. Next game: Bowl game TBA. 6 6 Ohio St. Buckeyes (9-2) Considering bowl pairings are as much about politics as they are football, it doesn't hurt the Buckeyes' Fiesta hopes that their new athletic director, Gene Smith, came from Arizona State -- where the game is played -- and, until recently, served on the Fiesta Bowl's board of directors. Next game: Bowl game TBA. 7 8 Virginia Tech Hokies (10-1) The Hokies' defense doesn't mess around. In their past two wins over Virginia (52-14) and North Carolina (30-3), Tech held its opponents to 254 and 196 yards, respectively. On the season, the Hokies have allowed more than 17 points just once (to Miami) and more than 300 yards twice (to N.C. State and Miami). Next game: Saturday vs. Florida State. 8 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-2) The Notre Dame offense rolled up 665 yards against Stanford. In the process, running back Darius Walker (1,106 yards) and receivers Jeff Samardzija (1,215 yards, 15 touchdowns) and Maurice Stovall (1,023 yards, 11 TDs) all went over 1,000 yards on the season. Brady Quinn has thrown for 3,633 yards. Next game: Bowl game TBA. 9 9 Oregon Ducks (10-1) Oregon's case for the Fiesta Bowl, courtesy of the Oregonian: "Penn State and Oregon fans will travel like crazy to see a reprise of the 1995 Rose Bowl matchup, won 38-20 by Penn State. [Fiesta Bowl CEO] John Junker should stick to Lions and Ducks and let Notre Dame head to Miami." Next game: Bowl game TBA. 10 10 Miami Hurricanes (9-2) Miami's offense returned to life against Virginia, with Kyle Wright completing 23-of-30 passes for 248 yards and Charlie Jones rushing for 88 yards and two scores. Most important, the line allowed just one sack, a good sign with Louisville sack master Elvis Dumervil likely up next in the Gator Bowl. Next game: Bowl game TBA.

Read on for teams 11-20 ...