Oklahoma, USC Maintain Poll Positions

NEW YORK -- Southern California and Oklahoma survived close calls and remained 1-2 in the latest USA Today/ESPN coaches poll released Sunday.

Top-ranked USC (9-0) rallied from a 13-point deficit and defeated Oregon State, 28-20, after No. 2 Oklahoma (9-0) battled back from a 14-point hole and posted a 42-35 win over Texas A&M on Saturday.

Unheralded tight end Dominique Byrd caught two touchdowns and Reggie Bush scored on a punt return early in the fourth quarter to lead the Trojans, who lost two first-place votes from the previous week to Oklahoma.

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But USC still has a comfortable lead with 50 first-place votes and 1,514 points.

Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jason White threw a school record-tying five touchdowns for Oklahoma in its come-from-behind victory over Texas A&M. The Sooners have two first-place votes and 1,452 points.

The other first-place vote went to idle Auburn (9-0), which hosts fifth-ranked Georgia next Saturday. Georgia (8-1) rolled to a 62-17 rout of Kentucky.

Wisconsin (9-0) remained unbeaten with a 38-14 rout of Michigan State. The Badgers are behind California (7-1) in the BCS poll.

California barely survived, edging Oregon, 28-27, and is sixth in the coaches poll.

If California ends up playing in a BCS bowl, it will have Oregon's Jared Siegel and Keith Allen to thank. Siegel missed an extra point and Allen dropped a pass on 4th-and-10 with just over one minute to play.

The other two unbeatens in Division I-A are non-BCS schools - Utah (9-0) and Boise State (8-0). Utah of the Mountain West Conference remained at No. 8 after a 63-31 victory over Colorado State. Idle Boise State of the Western Athletic Conference moved up two places to No. 13.

Seventh-ranked Texas (8-1) staged Saturday's best comeback, rallying from a 28-point deficit to beat Oklahoma State, 56-35. The Cowboys slipped from 19th to 24th.

Idle Michigan (8-1) is ninth and West Virginia (8-1) capitalized on losses by Miami and Tennessee and moved up two spots to No. 10.

A week after getting upset at North Carolina, Miami (6-2) squandered a 14-point lead and lost in overtime to Clemson, 24-17. The Hurricanes, who were No. 3 two weeks ago, have dropped to 17.

Tennessee slipped seven spots to No. 18 after losing at home to Notre Dame, 17-13.

Virginia (7-1) is 11th followed by Florida State (7-2), Boise State, Louisville (6-1), Louisiana State (6-2), Virginia Tech (7-2), Miami, Tennessee, Iowa (7-2) and Arizona State (7-2).

Boston College (6-2) rose four places to No. 21. Northern Illinois (7-2), Texas A&M (6-3), Oklahoma State and Texas Tech (6-3).

Southern Mississippi (5-2) dropped out after a 52-24 loss to Cincinnati.

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