DALLAS (FWAA) The Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines continued to hold down the top two spots in the Football Writers Association of America's Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll while USC vaulted to No. 3 in the wake of losses by Louisville, Texas and Auburn.
Ohio State, a five-time winner of the Grantland Rice Trophy as the national champion as chosen by the FWAA, received all 16 first-place votes. Michigan (11-0) received all 16 second-place votes as the two prepare for their battle for the Big Ten title Saturday in Columbus.
Although Tennessee fell from the rankings, the Southeastern Conference continues to boast four of the 16 ranked teams. Florida, up to No. 4, is the highest-ranked SEC team. Arkansas (No. 5), LSU (No. 10) and Auburn (No. 16) are also in the rankings.
Rutgers, one of four unbeatens after its dramatic 28-25 win over previously unbeaten Louisville, moved from No. 12 to No. 6 and is among three Big East schools among the top nine. West Virginia is No. 8 and Louisville is ranked ninth. Boise State, at 10-0, moved up one spot to No. 13.
Upstart Wake Forest (9-1) moved into the rankings for the first time at No. 14 and is the only ACC team in the poll. Though Texas fell eight spots to No. 12 after a loss at Kansas State, Oklahoma (8-2) joined the Longhorns in the poll at No. 15 to give the Big 12 a pair of ranked teams. California fell along with Tennessee from the rankings.
The complete poll through games of Nov. 12 is as follows:
The Grantland Rice Trophy has been presented to the national champion in college football since 1954. Named in honor of the legendary sportswriter who passed away in 1954, the trophy was the first national championship award to be presented following college football's traditional post-season.
In 2002, the FWAA introduced the Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll to determine the association's national champion. The 16 regionally-balanced voters will not present weekly rankings and will make their ballots public. For the first time, those ballots will be also posted online at grantlandrice.com, an interactive weblog.
In addition to the poll, the 16 pollsters also decide the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week. For the second straight season, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl will take part in presenting the weekly honor. Since 1971, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl has hosted five games that have decided the college football national championship, including two Bowl Championship Series title games. The 2007 game will be played on Jan. 1. The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, along with the Tostitos BCS Championship Game, moves to the new stadium in Glendale, Ariz., this season.
For more information on the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week, go to footballwriters.com or fiestabowl.org.
The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 900 men and women across North America who cover college football for a living. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include gameday operations, major awards, a national poll and its annual All-America team.