Ohio State moved past Southern Cal into second place in the BCS standings Monday. Even so, the Buckeyes might need more than a win at Michigan to defend their championship.
The Buckeyes edged ahead of the Trojans by 0.19 points after their 16-13 overtime win over Purdue. USC lost ground in the computers and strength of schedule after winning 45-0 at Arizona.
"That's great, I guess, but it doesn't really mean anything until we go up and play Michigan," Ohio State defensive end Will Smith said. "After we play Michigan and hopefully come out with a win, then we can see where we're ranked then."
Oklahoma remained the runaway leader in the standings that will determine which teams play for the national championship in the Sugar Bowl.
"I wasn't concerned about it last week and I am not concerned about it this week," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "We have a big game coming up against UCLA. We're just trying to take care of business this week."
TCU, with Oklahoma the only undefeated teams in Division I-A, fell from sixth to eighth. The Horned Frogs need to be in the top six to guarantee an at-large berth in a BCS game.
Even with a win against a quality opponent such as Michigan, the Buckeyes can't improve their computer ranking unless Oklahoma loses. They are second in six computers and third in the other.
Also, Ohio State's strength of schedule will improve only marginally after this week's game.
USC, which ends the season against UCLA and Oregon State, could edge up a bit in strength of schedule and the computers. The Trojans also could benefit with a bigger quality-win bonus if Washington State moves up from 10th in the BCS.
SENATOR WANTS BRIEFING: Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah, wants BCS leaders to brief him before deciding whether to hold more Congressional hearings on whether smaller schools are being treated unfairly.
ARKANSAS: Coach Houston Nutt suspended linebacker Sam Olajubutu indefinitely after the sophomore was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated after officers found him asleep in a car outside a restaurant Sunday. Since Nutt arrived in 1998, at least 25 Razorbacks have been arrested or cited by law enforcement agencies.
OLE MISS: The Rebels expect to have all their offensive line starters in place Saturday when they play LSU in a game that could decide the SEC West title. Four offensive linemen were banged up two weeks ago against Auburn, but the second open date of the season allowed them time to heal.
PITT: With the Panthers coming off a third poor defensive effort in eight games, coach Walt Harris said end Claude Harriott, once seen as the team's best defensive player, might not start Saturday at Temple. Harris said redshirt freshman Azzie Beagnyam came off the bench to make more plays and be more effective in Saturday's 52-31 loss at West Virginia.
ST. JOHN'S: President Bush met with St. John's coach John Gagliardi, who holds the record with 409 wins, at the White House. Gagliardi passed Eddie Robinson in his 55th season and 51st at the Division III liberal arts school in Collegeville, Minn.
W. VIRGINIA: Defensive lineman Pat Liebig probably will miss the rest of the season after injuring a knee in his first career start.
