Close call costs USC votes in top 25 polls

LSU and Penn State each moved up a spot in The Associated Press Top 25, taking advantage of Miami's loss to move behind unbeaten Southern California and Texas.

The Tigers were No. 3 with 1,449 points in the media poll Sunday, ahead of the Nittany Lions' 1,390 points.

Penn State coach Joe Paterno's resurgent team, which had won a total of seven games the past two seasons, won his second Big Ten title on Saturday with a 31-22 victory at Michigan State. The Nittany Lions (10-1) will play in the Bowl Championship Series for the first time .

LSU (9-1) beat Mississippi 40-7 and needs only a victory over Arkansas to earn a spot in the Southeastern Conference title game Dec. 3.

Top-ranked USC survived another scare, defeating Fresno State 50-42 for its 33rd straight victory. The Trojans have run their record streak of No. 1 rankings to 31 straight polls, but their fight to the finish against the Bulldogs cost USC six first-place votes.

USC (11-0) received 50 first-place votes, and 1,616 points. No. 2 Texas, received 14 first-place votes and 1,550 points.

In USC's victory, Reggie Bush made a strong Heisman Trophy statement, rushing for a career-high 294 yards on 23 carries and scoring twice. He also caught three passes for 68 yards and set a school record with 513 all-purpose yards

Fresno State, which held on to the 16th spot, led 21-13 at halftime and scored twice in a span of 12 seconds in the fourth quarter for a 42-41 lead with 9:47 left.

The Trojans then moved 89 yards to take a 47-42 lead, scoring on a 2-yard run by LenDale White.