Penn State's Courtney Brown is congratulated by teammates after returning an interception for a TD against Purdue.

Sebastian Janikowski's late field goal lifted the Seminoles (8-0), who received 41 of a possible 59 first-place votes, to a 17-14 victory over Atlantic Coast Conference rival Clemson on Saturday night.

Penn State (8-0), which held off a last-second drive by No. 22 Purdue (5-3) to record a huge Big Ten Conference triumph, garnered 16 first-place votes and closed the gap on the Seminoles by 27 points.

One of the most interesting story lines developing as the season moves along is the ride of No. 25 Stanford (5-2), which has suffered humiliating non-conference losses to Texas and San Jose State but is unbeaten in Pac-10 play. The Cardinal, who won just three games a year ago, have not been to the Rose Bowl since New Year's Day 1972.

Texas (6-2) became the first team to beat Nebraska (6-1) three times this decade with Saturday's stirring 24-20 victory. The Longhorns jumped six places to No. 12 while the Cornhuskers fell six spots to No. 9.

Nebraska's loss allowed third-ranked Virginia Tech (6-0), No. 4 Tennessee (5-1), No. 5 Florida (6-1), sixth-ranked Kansas State (7-0) and No. 7 Georgia Tech (5-1) each to move up one place.

Eighth-ranked Mississippi State (7-0), which is off to the best start in school history, and No. 10 Georgia (6-1) complete the top 10.

Virginia Tech received the remaining two first-place votes.

No. 11 Wisconsin (6-2) is playing some of the best football in the country and leaped five spots after a 40-10 pounding of now-No. 20 Michigan State (6-2). Marshall (7-0) continues to roll along and is up two spots to No. 13. Marshall is followed by 14th-ranked Michigan (5-2), which was upset by Illinois, and No. 15 Brigham Young (6-1).

Alabama (5-2) lost a tough game to Tennessee and fell four places to 16th. Behind the Crimson Tide is 17th-ranked East Carolina (6-1). Texas A&M (5-2), which was routed 51-6 by Oklahoma -- its worst loss in 98 years -- dropped eight spots to No. 18. Southern Mississippi (5-2) is 19th.

Rounding out the poll is No. 21 Ohio State (5-3), 23rd-ranked Miami (3-3) and 24th-ranked Syracuse (5-2).

Minnesota, which suffered a heartbreaking 20-17 loss to Ohio State, fell from the rankings.