HOW THE AP TOP 25 FARED

* Key: Black-Won; White-Lost; Gray-Did Not Play.

1. FLORIDA STATE (7-0) beat Wake Forest, 33-10. Seminoles are the Atlanta Braves of the ‘90s in college football. Dominant (104-13-1), but only one title--so far. Next: at Clemson, Saturday.

2. PENN STATE (7-0) beat Ohio State, 23-10. Nittany Lion defense in attack mode, sacking Buckeye quarterback Steve Bellisari eight times and limiting him to 78 yards passing. Next: at Purdue, Saturday.

3. NEBRASKA (6-0) did not play. Cornhuskers have lost two in a row to Texas, including 20-16 decision at Lincoln last season that ended Nebraska’s 47-game home winning streak. Next: at Texas, Saturday.

4. VIRGINIA TECH (6-0) beat Syracuse, 62-0. Hokies had crystal national championship trophy on the sideline. A few more efforts like this and they may just be playing for it. Next: at Pittsburgh, Oct. 30.

5. MICHIGAN STATE (6-1) lost to Purdue, 52-28. Spartans’ national-title hopes float away in Brees during a nightmarish first half in which they fall behind, 35-14. Next: at Wisconsin, Saturday.

6. TENNESSEE (4-1) did not play. Volunteers will play Crimson Tide at Tuscaloosa for the first time since 1930. Fulmer’s teams have won last four meetings in series. Next: at Alabama, Saturday.

7. FLORIDA (6-1) beat Auburn, 32-14. Steve Spurrier’s 99th victory moves him past Barry Switzer for the most victories by a coach in the first 10 years at a Division I-A school. Next: Georgia, Oct. 30.

8. GEORGIA TECH (5-1) beat Duke, 38-31. Yellow Jackets let a 21-0 lead get away, but unlike a certain team in Southern California, they recovered to win. Next: North Carolina State, Oct. 30.

9. KANSAS STATE (6-0) beat Utah State, 40-0. Good news: Wildcats hold Demario Brown, averaging 135 yards rushing, to nine yards. Bad news: David Allen could be sidelined three weeks. Next: at Oklahoma State, Saturday.

10. MICHIGAN (5-1) did not play. Nothing like the Illini to help the Wolverines recover from Michigan State loss. Michigan is 33-3-2 against Illinois since 1959. Next: Illinois, Saturday.

11. ALABAMA (5-1) beat Mississippi, 30-24. Crimson Tide is only a last-second loss to Louisiana Tech away from being a national championship contender. Shaun Alexander accelerating Heisman campaign. Next: Tennessee, Saturday.

12. MISSISSIPPI STATE (6-0) did not play. Not hard to understand why Bulldogs are unbeaten. Mississippi State has given up SEC-low 58 points in six games. Next: Louisiana State, Saturday.

13. TEXAS A&M; (5-1) beat Kansas, 34-17. Despite final margin, Aggies struggle against underdog Jayhawks for second consecutive season. Randy McCown completes 21 of 30 passes for 362 yards. Next: at Oklahoma, Saturday.

14. GEORGIA (5-1) beat Vanderbilt, 27-17. Bulldogs intercept four passes in second half, score 24 points in fourth quarter and still barely survive. Next: Kentucky, Saturday.

15. MARSHALL (6-0) beat Toledo, 38-13 (Thursday). Knoxville native Chad Pennington passes another Tennessee hero (Peyton Manning) and moves to eighth on NCAA’s all-time passing list. Next: at Buffalo, Saturday.

16. SYRACUSE (5-2) lost to Virginia Tech, 62-0. Orangemen left red-faced. They muster only 56 yards in offense against first-string defense of Hokies, 120 in all. Next: Boston College, Oct. 30.

17. WISCONSIN (5-2) beat Indiana, 59-0. Dayne fourth player with four 1,000-yard seasons. Others: Amos Lawrence (North Carolina), Tony Dorsett (Pittsburgh), Denvis Manns (New Mexico State). Next: Michigan State, Saturday.

18. OHIO STATE (4-3) lost to Penn State, 23-10. Says John Cooper: “If you can’t block and you can’t tackle, then you’re not going to beat a good football team.” He’s got a point. Next: at Minnesota, Saturday.

19. TEXAS (5-2) did not play. Longhorns will play Cornhuskers at Austin for only the second time--and last time was in 1960. Series between the teams is tied at 3-3. Next: Nebraska, Saturday.

20. PURDUE (5-2) beat Michigan State, 52-28. Chris Daniels hits the jackpot. Twenty-one receptions for 301 yards and three touchdowns. Drew Brees passes for 509 yards, five touchdowns. Next: Penn State, Saturday.

21. BRIGHAM YOUNG (5-1) beat New Mexico, 31-7. Seven sacks help Cougars hold Lobos to minus 10 yards rushing as LaVell Edwards runs his record against New Mexico to 26-2. Next: at Nevada Las Vegas, Saturday.

22. MISSISSIPPI (5-2) lost to Alabama, 30-24. This is getting old for Ole Miss. The Bulldogs have lost nine in a row to Crimson Tide. Next: at Louisiana State, Oct. 30.

23. EAST CAROLINA (5-1) did not play. Bye comes at perfect time for Pirates, whose loss last week was compounded by season-ending knee injuries to safety Travis Mazyck and outside linebacker Hosea James. Next: Tulane, Saturday.

24. MIAMI (2-3) did not play. Hurricanes have another home game postponed by real-life hurricane, but we’re guessing Miami-Temple in December won’t quite match Miami-UCLA of a year ago. Next: at Boston College, Saturday.

25. SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI (4-2) beat Army, 24-0. Army Coach Bob Sutton says of Golden Eagle defenders: “They’re very good because they are talented, mobile and they play with tenacity.” Next: Cincinnati, Saturday.