College football's two major polls now agree: Nebraska is No. 1. Utah dropped to 12th after Saturday's loss to New Mexico and BYU was ranked 23rd.
The Cornhuskers, already No. 1 with The Associated Press media, replaced Penn State as the top team with the USA Today-CNN coaches Sunday.After Nebraska routed Kansas 45-17 and Penn State looked sluggish in a 35-29 win over Indiana on Saturday, the Cornhuskers gained ground in both polls.
Twelve coaches shifted their first-place votes from Penn State to Nebraska, giving the Cornhuskers a 42-20 advantage. Six media members pulled the same switch, increasing Nebraska's first-place margin to 39-22.
In total points, Nebraska leads Penn State by 18 in AP and 27 in USA Today-CNN.
Nebraska coach Tom Osborne said he was surprised by the big swing in the coaches' poll.
"I thought it would be close and we might possibly be rated ahead in both polls, but I wasn't sure that we would," he said.
A week ago, a split national championship seemed like a distinct possibility. Now Nebraska (10-0) is in the driver's seat in both polls.
"I think it's good at this point to be the outright No. 1 team," linebacker Ed Stewart said. "Now we control our own destiny. If we play like we are capable of the rest of the season, we should be in good shape."
If the Cornhuskers beat Iowa State and Oklahoma, then defeat No. 5 Miami or No. 8 Florida State in the Orange Bowl, they would probably be consensus champs. If Nebraska doesn't lose, tie or play poorly in a close victory, Penn State could go undefeated and not win any share of the title for the fourth time under Joe Paterno.
Penn State spokesman Jeff Nelson said Paterno would not comment on the polls Sunday.
The Nittany Lions (8-0) have games remaining against Illinois, Northwestern and Michigan State before a likely Rose Bowl appearance against the Pac-10 champion. Arizona, Oregon and Southern Cal are tied for the Pac-10 lead.
Although Nebraska would have a tougher bowl matchup than Penn State, it could work in the Huskers' favor. A victory over Miami or Florida State in their homestate would impress voters more than a Penn State win over a Pac-10 opponent with at least two losses.
Auburn (9-0), which beat East Carolina 38-21 Saturday, remained third in the AP poll with one first-place vote. The coaches don't rank the Tigers because they're on NCAA probation.
Rounding out the Top 10 are Florida (7-1), Miami (7-1), Alabama (9-0), Colorado (8-1), Florida State (7-1), Texas A&M (8-0-1) and Colorado State (8-1).
Kansas State is 11th, followed by Utah, Arizona, Syracuse, Oregon, Virginia Tech, Southern Cal, Duke, Michigan, Mississippi State, Virginia, Washington, BYU, Washington State and Boston College.