Ohio State tightens grip

? There’s little doubt about Ohio State after a convincing victory in the 1 v.s 2 showdown with Texas.

The Buckeyes were No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 released Sunday, tightening their hold on the top spot the day after beating the defending champion Longhorns, 24-7.

Ohio State received 59 of a possible 65 first-place votes, up from 39 last week, and 1,614 points in the media poll. Notre Dame is back at No. 2 off its 41-17 victory over Penn State. The Fighting Irish slipped two spots last week when Texas moved up to No. 2.

Notre Dame received three first-place votes. No. 3 Auburn got two first-place votes and Southern California had two first-place votes is just one point behind the Tigers.

No. 5 West Virginia also received two first-place votes. No. 6 is LSU, which plays at Auburn on Saturday. No. 7 Florida also has a big Southeastern Conference game as the Gators visit No. 13 Tennessee.

The Longhorns slipped to No. 8 after having their 21-game winning streak stopped by the Buckeyes. The Longhorns’ ranking is their lowest since they were No. 8 on the Oct. 24, 2004 poll.

No. 9 Florida State and Georgia rounded out the top 10.

The one team to drop out of the Top 25 this week, Clemson, plays at Florida State.