Top 25 At a Glance

1. FLORIDA (5-0) BEAT ARKANSAS, 56-7

Bo Carroll returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and the Gators never looked back. The Florida defense actually made the biggest impact, not allowing a first down until Arkansas’ final possession of the first half.

Next: At LSU

2. PENN STATE (4-0) BEAT ILLINOIS, 41-6

What else can the Nittany Lions do to show they deserve the No. 1 ranking they had until two weeks ago? Penn State unloaded on the Illini. “We’re not a one-weapon team,” said receiver Joe Jurevicius.

Next: Ohio State

3. NEBRASKA (4-0) BEAT KANSAS STATE, 56-26

The Cornhuskers were so dominant that with 5:30 left in the third quarter, Kansas State had only 76 yards--none rushing. “We’re as good a team as is out there,” Nebraska quarterback Scott Frost said.

Next: At Baylor

4. FLORIDA STATE (4-0) BEAT MIAMI, 47-0

This one wasn’t so much a show of power by the Seminoles as it was an embarrassment for the Hurricanes. “It’s tough when you can’t run or throw,” said Miami quarterback Ryan Clement.

Next: At Duke

5. NORTH CAROLINA (5-0) BEAT TCU, 31-10

Chris Keldorf started at quarterback because Oscar Davenport was nursing a knee injury and he passed for a school-record 415 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Tar Heels at Fort Worth, Texas.

Next: Wake Forest

6. MICHIGAN (4-0) BEAT INDIANA, 37-0

The Wolverines, second in the nation in scoring defense with only 20 points allowed all season, dominated the Hoosiers, allowing them inside the 20 only once. Brian Griese led the offense.

Next: At Penn State

7. OHIO STATE (5-0) BEAT IOWA, 23-7

Buckeye linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer spent a lot of time in the Hawkeye backfield on defense and also spent some time in his team’s backfield on offense, making some key blocks.

Next: At Penn State

8. AUBURN (5-0) BEAT SOUTH CAROLINA, 23-6

Coach Terry Bowden turned to the passing game in the second half and it paid off. Quarterback Dameyune Craig finished with 321 yards passing and two touchdowns for his third consecutive 300-yard game.

Next: Louisiana Tech

9. TENNESSEE (3-1) BEAT MISSISSIPPI, 31-17

Peyton Manning showed he still may be the leading Heisman candidate, completing 24 of 44 passes for 324 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. It was Manning’s fourth consecutive 300-yard game.

Next: Georgia

10. WASHINGTON (3-1) BEAT ARIZONA STATE, 26-14

Washington running back Rashaan Shehee ran for 146 yards and a touchdown in 29 carries and quarterback Brock Huard passed for two touchdowns to lead the Huskies in their Pac-10 opener.

Next: At California

11. IOWA (4-1) LOST TO OHIO STATE, 23-7

Tavian Banks rushed for 84 yards--125 below his national-best 209-per-game average--and the Hawkeyes managed only 106 yards on the ground after averaging 310 in their first four games.

Next: Oct. 18 at Michigan

12. MICHIGAN STATE (4-0) BEAT MINNESOTA, 31-10

Todd Schultz passed for three touchdowns as the Spartans jumped out to a 28-0 halftime lead and then let the defense take over. Michigan State is 4-0 for the first time since its storied 1966 season.

Next: At Indiana

13. LSU (4-1) BEAT VANDERBILT, 7-6

The Tigers came within a two-point conversion of losing and did lose leading rusher Cecil Collins (broken leg). Vanderbilt scored with 12 seconds but penalties took away an opportunity to go for two and its PAT was blocked.

Next: Florida

14. VIRGINIA TECH (4-1) LOST TO MIAMI (OHIO), 24-17

In the future, Hokie Coach Frank Beamer will probably use this game as an example of not taking an opponent lightly. Some of his players had been talking about the possibility of an undefeated season.

Next: Boston College

15. WASHINGTON STATE (5-0) BEAT OREGON, 24-13

The Cougars, who haven’t been to the Rose Bowl since 1931, showed they can win on the road with defense. Defensive tackle Gary Holmes had an interception, a key deflection and blocked a field goal.

Next: Oct. 18, California

16. COLORADO (2-2) LOST TO TEXAS A&M;, 16-10

Coach Rick Neuheisel is growing impatient. “I’m an offensive coach and I’m disappointed in our offense,” he said. “The bottom line is when you hold them to 16 points you should be able to win.”

Next: At Oklahoma State

17. KANSAS STATE (3-1) LOST TO NEBRASKA, 56-26

Kansas State had averaged 440 yards and 42.7 points against Northern Illinois, Ohio and Bowling Green. But the Wildcats were in over their heads against the Cornhuskers, who beat them for the 29th consecutive time.

Next: Missouri

18. GEORGIA (4-0) BEAT MISSISSIPPI STATE, 47-0

Yes, the Bulldogs, off to their best start since 1982, belong in the rankings. Tailback Robert Edwards, back from a severe ankle injury, had a big game as Georgia appeared ready for its trip to Knoxville.

Next: Tennessee

19. STANFORD (4-1) BEAT NOTRE DAME, 33-15

The Cardinal, a one-point underdog at home, used its running game to hand the Irish their fourth loss in a row. Mike Mitchell ran for 135 yards and two touchdowns and Anthony Bookman had 142 and two scores.

Next: At Arizona

20. ALABAMA (3-2) LOST TO KENTUCKY, 40-34 (OT)

Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch came up big by completing a 26-yard touchdown pass to Craig Yeast in overtime and the Wildcats defeated Crimson Tide for the first time in 75 years.

Next: Oct. 18, Tennessee

21. TEXAS A&M; (4-0) BEAT COLORADO, 16-10

The Aggies overcame seven fumbles, two of which they lost, and an interception to avenge losses to Colorado the last two years. Texas A&M; used its running game to produce a 16-3 lead in the third quarter.

Next: Iowa State

22. UCLA (3-2) BEAT HOUSTON, 66-10

Get your kicks en route to 66. The Bruins, who have scored 172 points in winning three games in a row, didn’t play running back Skip Hicks and quarterback Cade McNown in the second half.

Next: At Oregon

23. AIR FORCE (6-0) BEAT CITADEL, 17-3

It was a win and Antonio Smith ran for a personal-best 185 yards, but he wasn’t happy about it. “It’s my personal best, but it’s my personal worst because I fumbled the ball two times on two key plays,” he said.

Next: At Navy

24. BYU (3-1) DEFEATED UTAH STATE, 42-35

The Cougars had to rally to win this Western Athletic Conference game, which was played at Provo, Utah, on Friday night, to avoid a conflict with the Mormon Church’s conference in Salt Lake City.

Next: At Rice

25. ARIZONA STATE (3-2) LOST TO WASHINGTON, 26-14

The defending Pac-10, champion Sun Devils, who defeated the Huskies last year in their season opener, saw their conference winning streak come to an end at 11 games with the loss at Seattle.

Next: USC