Auburn crept up the Associated Press top...

Auburn crept up the Associated Press top 25 poll last week to tie Oklahoma for No. 2, showing there are plenty of voters willing to rethink their positions as the season winds down -- ESPN talking heads notwithstanding.

But given a chance to perpetuate that mode of thinking another week, Auburn scored zero points in the first half and trailed, 6-0, before coming back to defeat Alabama, 21-13. No. 1 in the country? We shall see.

Oklahoma did its part to stay near the top with a 35-0 thrashing of Baylor. Top-ranked USC is hoping its week of inactivity didn’t cost it anything.

No. 4 California routed Stanford, 41-6, and kept itself seriously involved. No. 5 Utah’s 52-21 trouncing of Brigham Young was definitely BCS-worthy. No. 7 Michigan lost to Ohio State, 37-21 but backed into the Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl berth when Iowa knocked off Wisconsin, 30-7. No. 12 Miami and No. 19 Boston College are still in line for BCS berths.

-- Jim Barrero