A close loss on the road to the nation's top team was enough to convince voters that the Michigan Wolverines should still occupy the number two slot in the latest rankings.
The Associated Press kept Michigan at No. 2 after a 42-39 loss at Ohio State, the now-unanimous No. 1 team.
USC overtook Florida for the No. 3 spot after the Trojans clinched at least a share of the Pac-10 title with a 23-9 victory over California.
Florida waxed I-AA Western Carolina 62-0, but the voters weren't impressed, dropping the Gators to No. 4. Arkansas retained the No. 5 spot after a 28-14 win at Mississippi State.
Notre Dame stayed at No. 6 after blasting Army 41-9 in South Bend. West Virginia, Louisville, LSU, and Wisconsin rounded out the top 10.
Texas stayed put at No. 11, while unbeaten Boiste State moved to No. 12. Oklahoma and Auburn followed at Nos. 13 and 14, and Rutgers -- which saw its BCS dreams shattered in a 30-11 loss at Cincinnati -- suffered the biggest drop, falling to No. 15.
At No. 16 was Georgia Tech, followed by No. 17 Virginia Tech, No. 18 Boston College, No. 19 Tennessee, and No. 20 Wake Forest, which fell six spots after a home loss to the Hokies.
BYU, California, Nebraska, Clemson, and previously unranked Hawaii made up the final five. Hawaii is ranked in the AP top 25 for the first time since 1992 when the Warriors went 11-2 and ended the season ranked 20th.