Penn State Makes Jump to No. 3 in BCS Rankings

Penn State on Monday moved up one spot into third place in the bowl championship series standings behind USC and Texas.

The Nittany Lions, who finished the regular season 10-1, became the first team to lock up a spot in the BCS by winning the Big Ten Conference’s automatic bid with a 31-22 victory over Michigan State on Saturday.

The top two teams in the final BCS standings, which will be released Dec. 4, will play for the national championship on Jan. 4 in the Rose Bowl.

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The New Mexico State football program did not engage in religious discrimination against three former student-athletes, according to a law firm commissioned by the university to investigate the allegations.

The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico last month filed a grievance against Coach Hal Mumme, claiming he discriminated against a Muslim player by repeatedly questioning him about Al Qaeda.

The grievance, which was filed on behalf of former Aggie running back Muammar Ali, also said the football staff required the team to recite the Lord’s Prayer at the end of practices. Similar allegations were made regarding the release of Muslim twins Anthony and Vincent Thompson.

The investigation by Albuquerque law firm Miller Stratvery found that the players were released from the team based on their performance and attitudes, not because of religion. The investigation included interviews with the football coaching staff, athletic department personnel and student-athletes.

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Navy (6-4) accepted an invitation to play in the inaugural Poinsettia Bowl on Dec. 22 at San Diego.

The Midshipmen probably will play Colorado State of the Mountain West Conference, which won’t announce its bowl lineup until today or Wednesday.

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Josh Betts passed for 297 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another score to lead Miami of Ohio (7-4) to a 38-7 win over Ohio (4-7) in the season finale for both teams in Athens, Ohio.