Florida Takes Over Top Spot

Florida is No. 1 again.

The Gators grabbed the top spot back from rival Miami in the Associated Press poll Sunday on the strength of overpowering victories the last two weeks.

While Miami defeated Troy State, 38-7, on Saturday, Florida beat Louisiana State, 44-15, after its 52-0 win over Mississippi State the week before.

Florida (5-0) soared ahead of Miami with 30 first-place votes and 1,739 points. The Hurricanes (4-0) had 23 first-place votes and 1,719 points.

Last week, Miami led Florida in first-place votes, 34-22, and points, 1,744-1,725.

Voters seemed more impressed with the Gators’ win at LSU in a Southeastern Conference game than the Hurricanes’ easy win over a weaker team playing its first season in Division I-A. LSU (2-2) was No. 18 entering the game.

In the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll, Miami remained first and Florida was second, two points behind.

Oklahoma (5-0) held firm at No. 3 in the AP poll, with 16 first-place votes and 1,700 points after its 14-3 win against Texas. The Longhorns (4-1) tumbled from No. 5 to No. 11 after the loss.

Nebraska (6-0) remained No. 4 with two first-place votes after its 48-14 win over Iowa State. Oregon (5-0) jumped two places to No. 5 off its 63-28 victory at Arizona.

With Tennessee losing to Georgia and falling seven spots to No. 13, Virginia Tech moved up two places to No. 6, followed by No. 7 UCLA, No. 8 Fresno State (one first-place vote), No. 9 South Carolina and No. 10 Washington.

Texas was No. 11, followed by No. 12 Michigan, No. 13 Tennessee, No. 14 Florida State, No. 15 Georgia Tech, No. 16 Clemson, No. 17 Purdue, No. 18 BYU, No. 19 Georgia, No. 20 Colorado, No. 21 Ohio State, No. 22 Maryland, No. 23 Stanford, No. 24 Kansas State and No. 25 Texas A&M.;

South Carolina, which improved four spots with a 42-6 win over Kentucky, cracked the top 10 for the first time since a No. 8 ranking on Oct. 10, 1988.

Florida was No. 1 in the AP preseason poll despite receiving fewer first-place votes than Miami. But the Hurricanes moved to the top spot in the second rankings after opening with a win at Penn State on Sept. 1. The Gators opened that day with a win over Marshall.

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Larry Ned rushed for a career-high 285 yards and three touchdowns as San Diego State broke a seven-game home losing streak with a 40-7 victory over Eastern Illinois on Saturday night.

Ned carried the ball 30 times before sitting out the fourth quarter. His rushing total was the fourth-best in school history, behind Marshall Faulk’s three most prolific performances.