NEW YORK — Texas has taken a small step forward in the Bowl Championship Series standings, and the remaining unbeaten teams held down the first seven spots.
The Longhorns jumped from third to second place Sunday, ahead of Alabama and behind Florida. It’s a cosmetic move as Texas was already in control of its destiny in the BCS championship race. The Crimson Tide and Gators, if they both remain undefeated, will have to play each other in the Southeastern Conference title game.
Behind the top three were Iowa, Cincinnati, TCU and Boise State, all unbeaten and hoping for the Gators, Crimson Tide or Longhorns to slip up. Notre Dame, which needs to be in the top 16 of the final standings to be eligible for an BCS at-large bid, is 22nd.
Alabama, which spent a week at No. 1, also slipped to No. 3 in The Associated Press after an off week.
“Pretty easy decision for me: Texas is simply a more complete team than Alabama right now,” said Craig James of ABC.
Huskers’ Suh cited
LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska star defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was ticketed for negligent driving after he hit three parked cars on a narrow street east of campus early Sunday.
A breathalyzer test showed Suh’s blood-alcohol content at 0.035, well below the legal limit of 0.08, according to an incident report.
Suh, who was driving a 2003 Land Rover, told officers he struck the first vehicle after he swerved to avoid hitting a small dog or cat crossing the street. He then hit two other cars on the other side of the street.
Footnotes.
Auburn strong safety Zac Etheridge will likely miss the rest of the season with a neck injury. Etheridge was hurt Saturday against Mississippi when he collided headfirst with teammate Antonio Coleman.
• Quarterback Christian Ponder has bruised ribs and could miss Florida State’s game Saturday at Clemson.
• Georgia coach Mark Richt isn’t saying if he plans to bench quarterback Joe Cox, who was yanked from a 41-17 loss to top-ranked Florida after throwing three interceptions.
• UConn receiver Cody Endres is expected to miss the rest of the season with an injured left shoulder.
