Unbeaten Penn State closes gap in BCS standings

Penn State surged in the Bowl Championship Series standings after its big victory at Ohio State, closing the gap on first-place Texas and second-place Alabama on Sunday.

Still, 81-year-old coach Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions (9-0) are in danger of being unbeaten and left out of the BCS national championship game.

The Longhorns were again first by far in all the polls and on top of all the computer rankings. Staying undefeated won't be easy for Texas, which plays at Texas Tech on Saturday, but if Colt McCoy and crew can, a trip to Miami for the Jan. 8 title game will be theirs. The top two teams in the final BCS standings play for the national title.

Texas' .9981 BCS average is the third highest since the current formula, which counts the USA Today coaches' poll and Harris poll for two-thirds of the grade and a compilation of six computers for the other third, was put in place in 2004.

Penn State's 13-6 victory over Ohio State helped in the computer rankings and pushed its average to .9257. The problem for the Nittany Lions is the perceived weakness of the Big Ten in comparison to the Southeastern Conference and the Big 12. - Associated Press