DALLAS (FWAA) – The Southern California Trojans remain the top-ranked team in the Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll. USC (10-0), the two-time defending Football Writers Association of America national champs, received nine of the 16 first-place votes after extending their winning streak to 33 games with a thrilling 50-42 win over Fresno State. The USC win streak is the longest in the nation and the Trojans have won a record six FWAA national titles after winning each of the last two.

The Grantland Rice Trophy

Texas (10-0), which was idle, gained two first-place votes to move to within two poll points of the Trojans at No. 2. The Longhorns take their 17-game winning streak to College Station, Texas, on Friday. Miami, previously No. 3, was upset by Georgia Tech, 14-10, and fell to No. 10, allowing LSU and Penn State to move up the third and fourth, respectively. LSU hammered Ole Miss, 40-7, while Penn State completed its regular season with a 31-22 win at Michigan State to win the Big Ten title. Virginia Tech handled rival Virginia, 52-14, to move back into the Top 5.

The Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll, introduced prior to the 2002 season, ranks the nation's top 16 Division I-A football teams. A regionally-balanced group of 16 selectors votes in the poll. The pollsters also select the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week, which is announced each Monday during the regular season.

In addition, the 16 voters representing four regions, have cast a ballot each week, while giving a synopsis of their ballot. Unlike other college football polls, the FWAA makes each of its pollster's ballot public, along with the weekly synopsis. At the conclusion of the Bowl Championship Series, the FWAA will release its final poll and the top-ranked team will be awarded the 2005 Grantland Rice Trophy.

Among seven conferences represented in this week's poll, the SEC now features four teams among the Top 16. The Pacific-10 boasts three.

• Click here to see how and why each pollster voted

The complete poll for Nov. 21 is as follows:

The FWAA has presented the Grantland Rice Trophy, named in honor of the legendary sportswriter, to college football's national champion each year since 1954. When introduced, it was the first national championship trophy to be awarded after college football's postseason. This is the fourth season that a season-long poll is concurrent with the award.

For further information contact Steve Richardson, Executive Director of the FWAA (972-713-6198, tiger@sportswriters.net) or Ted Gangi, FWAA webmaster (214-823-7992, webmaster@sportswriters.net).