THE TIMES’ TOP 25

*--* Rk. Team (Rec.) Comment (last week’s rank) 1 TEXAS TECH (10-0) Lubbock says it can provide one ticker and one tape for possible parade. (1) 2 FLORIDA (8-1) Meyer and former Gators coach Spurrier will meet Saturday to compare hat sizes. (2) 3 TEXAS (9-1) Coach opens campaign office in case he has to lobby team into Big 12 title game. (5) 4 ALABAMA (10-0) Nice win against LSU -- but don’t make it three straight losses to Mississippi State. (4) 5 OKLAHOMA (9-1) Rankman fun fact: Sooners have outscored Wyoming this season 514 to 118. (6) 6 UTAH (10-0) Ahead of USC because they’re unbeaten, play in better conference and beat Oregon St. (10) 7 USC (8-1) Ranked 6-6-6 in three major polls . . . that can’t be a good omen. (7) 8 PENN STATE (9-1) Rankman fun fact II: Paterno born 24 years after first Rose Bowl was played in 1902. (3) 9 BOISE STATE (9-0) If Johnson scores winning TD in Fiesta Bowl this season he’ll give his wife a broach. (9) 10 OHIO STATE (8-2) Rankman fun fact III: Tressel and Pete Carroll coaching 100th game on same day. (11) 11 MISSOURI (8-2) Hoping to clinch Big 12 North and get out of Iowa State as fast as it can. (14) 12 GEORGIA (8-2) SEC wasn’t talking about great defense after Dawgs’ 42-38 win over Kentucky. (15) 13 BALL STATE (10-0) Voted best team ever to win its 10th game on a Tuesday night. (16) 14 BRIGHAM YOUNG (9-1) Max Hall looks to pad passing statistics with aerial assault against Air Force. (17) 15 OKLAHOMA STATE (8-2) Pickens yanks $1 million from funding for each point Texas Tech scored vs. Cowboys. (8) 16 MICHIGAN STATE (9-2) Bulletin! Spartans to Rose Bowl if they beat Penn State and Buckeyes lose once. (18) 17 NORTH CAROLINA (7-2) CoachingRumors.com says Davis is hottest candidate since Sarah Palin. (19) 18 TEXAS CHRISTIAN (9-2) Frogs’ 13-10 loss to Utah proved not all low-scoring games have to be snoozers. (12) 19 LOUISIANA STATE (6-3) Tossed line into water against the Tide, but let Alabama off the hook. (13) 20 FLORIDA STATE (7-2) Bowden feels so good after Clemson win, con- siders coaching another 20-30 minutes. (24) 21 OREGON STATE (6-3) Rodgers could make music next year if school gets blocking back named Hammerstein. (25) 22 PITTSBURGH (7-2) Wannstedt has quietly and slowly built a winner . . . mostly slowly. (NR) 23 SOUTH CAROLINA (7-3) Spurrier nearly wrecked Florida’s title hopes two years ago in Gainesville. (NR) 24 TULSA (8-1) Incredible bye-week practices move team from unranked to No. 23 in BCS. (NR) 25 CALIFORNIA (6-3) Hypnotist think he’s wiped out memory of last year’s Oregon State loss. (NR) *--*