Clemson passes Sooners for No. 2
Clemson moved up to No. 2 in the Associated Press poll Sunday, jumping Oklahoma and closing in on Alabama after beating a team ranked in the top 15 for the second straight Saturday.
The Tigers received 15 first-place votes, the most the defending national champions have received this season, and 1,446 points after beating Louisville 47-21 on the road. Alabama remains No. 1 with 45 first-place votes and 1,504 points.
Oklahoma slipped to No. 3. The Sooners got the other first-place vote.
Penn State moved up a spot to No. 4, flip-flopping with No. 5 USC. Oklahoma State rose three spots to No. 6, its best ranking since 2013.
Washington is No. 7, followed by three Big Ten teams: Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio State.
Stanford (1-2), which lost Saturday 20-17 at San Diego State, fell out of the rankings and the Aztecs (No. 22) moved in.
Cal, despite improving to 3-0 by beating Ole Miss 27-16, remains outside the rankings. The Bears received 19 points in the voting, well behind No. 25 LSU’s 153 (and three ahead of Stanford). USC hurting: The Trojans, who play at Cal on Saturday, sustained a number of injuries in their 27-24 overtime win over Texas.
Linebacker Porter Gustin, who had two screws placed in his big toe Wednesday and then recorded two sacks on back-to-back plays in the first half, missed the second half after aggravating the toe injury. Head coach Clay Helton said he would have an MRI exam for a possible torn biceps.
Also, defensive end Rasheem Green was knocked out of the game with an ankle injury. Linebacker Cam Smith was in and out of the lineup after dislocating a finger. Briefly: South Carolina receiver Deebo Samuel had surgery on his fractured left leg and head coach Will Muschamp said the SEC’s touchdowns leader will miss an extended period of time . ... Auburn backup quarterback Sean White was arrested early Sunday on a charge of public intoxication.