Boise State climbed to No. 3, its highest ranking ever in the coaches' poll, following its 33-30 triumph over then-No. 6 Virginia Tech Monday night. The Broncos were ranked as high as second on six ballots, matching the total of second-place nods they received in the preseason poll. But BSU is rated fifth or higher on 51 of the 59 ballots and no lower than 10th.
Boise State leapfrogged Texas, which stayed put at No. 4. The Broncos, heavy favorites to win the Western Athletic Conference, and TCU of the Mountain West can still harbor hopes of being the first member of a league without automatic BCS inclusion to play for the national championship. The Horned Frogs moved up to No. 5 after outlasting then-No. 22 Oregon State 30-21 Saturday.
The voters also took notice of some shakier performances. Florida fell three spots to No. 6 after a mistake-filled win against Miami (Ohio). Oklahoma struggled to put away Utah State and dropped two spots to No. 10.
Defending BCS national champion Alabama maintained the top spot and Ohio State stayed put at No. 2 after easy opening victories. Both the Crimson Tide and Buckeyes take a step up in competition this week as 'Bama hosts No. 14 Penn State and OSU takes on No. 12 Miami (Fla.).
No. 23 Arizona, No. 24 Brigham Young and No. 25 South Carolina join the rankings this week.
The first regular-season Top 25 football coaches poll, with team's records in parentheses, total points based on 25 points for first place through one point for 25th, ranking in the preseason poll (Aug. 7) and first-place votes received:
Dropped out: No. 15 Pittsburgh (0-1, lost to then-No. 24 Utah 27-24 OT), No. 18 North Carolina (0-1, lost to No. 16 LSU 30-24), No. 22 Oregon State (0-1, lost to then-No. 7 TCU 30-21).
Others receiving votes: Houston 87; Notre Dame 86; Stanford 55; Pittsburgh 53; Oregon State 40; North Carolina 36; Oklahoma State 36; Clemson 28; Missouri 27; Michigan 17; Michigan State 11; California 10; Cincinnati 9; Washington 9; Arizona State 7; Boston College 7; Texas Tech 7; Connecticut 6; Texas A&M 6; Fresno State 5; Mississippi State 5; South Florida 4; Maryland 3; Northwestern 3; Kansas State 2; North Carolina State 2; Air Force 1; Nevada 1; Temple 1; Tennessee 1.
