AP Top 25: Clemson Pulls Closer To 'Bama; USC Out Of Top 10

By ERIC OLSON/AP College Football Writer

Alabama's big win over Mississippi didn't keep Clemson from cutting into its lead in The Associated Press college football poll.

The defending national champion Tigers more than doubled their number of first-place votes after their 31-17 win over then-No. 12 Virginia Tech. Clemson lost ground a week ago after struggling for three quarters against Boston College, but its sharp performance against the Hokies took the Tigers from eight to 17 first-place votes Sunday.

The Tide went from 52 first-place votes last week to 44 despite their 66-3 rout of the Rebels.

The top four teams remained the same. Following Alabama and Clemson are Oklahoma, which lost the first-place vote it got last week, and Penn State.

Southern California's loss at Washington State made room for Georgia to take over at No. 5 after its 41-0 win over Tennessee.

Washington, Michigan, TCU, Wisconsin and Ohio State rounded out the top 10.

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