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 are back to No. 2 in The Associated Press rankings as well.

Texas jumped from third to second place Sunday in both polls, ahead of Alabama and behind Florida. It’s a cosmetic move, with Texas already in control of its destiny in the BCS. The Crimson Tide and Gators, if they both remain undefeated, will play for the Southeastern Conference title.

Behind the top three in the BCS standings are Iowa, Cincinnati, TCU and Boise State, all unbeaten and hoping for the Gators, Crimson Tide or Longhorns to slip.

Notre Dame, which needs to be in the top 16 of the final standings to be eligible for a BCS at-large bid, is 22nd.

Texas made its move up the polls on the heels of a 41-14 win at Oklahoma State in its best performance of the season.

Florida, No. 1 for all but one week this season, received 38 first-place votes in the AP poll after a 41-17 victory over Georgia.

The Longhorns started the season ranked second in the AP, but have been No. 3 behind the Gators and Crimson Tide the last three weeks. Texas received 13 first-place votes from the media panel. Many voters were swayed by the ease with which Longhorns handled Oklahoma State.

AP voter Doug Lesmerises of the Cleveland Plain Dealer jumped Texas from No. 3 to No. 1, past both Florida and Alabama.

“The Longhorns haven’t had the same type of struggles that Florida and Alabama have experienced in some down-to-the-wire games, and a blowout win over their toughest opponent of the season finally added some heft to the Longhorns’ schedule,” he said.

Cougs lose Nwachukwu

The battered Washington State Cougars will have to get along without starting strong safety Chima Nwachukwu during Saturday’s game at Arizona.

Coach Paul Wulff said Sunday that the junior suffered an ankle sprain early in Saturday’s game against Notre Dame. Nwachukwu averages a team-high 7.9 tackles per game.

Auburn safety done

Auburn strong safety Zac Etheridge will likely miss the rest of the season with a neck injury sustained against Mississippi.

Etheridge was hurt Saturday when he collided headfirst with teammate Antonio Coleman.

BCS POLL

The latest BCS standings, with each team’s ranking in the Harris poll, USA Today poll, average among six computer rankings and BCS score:

HarrisUSA TodayComputerBCS

RkPtsPctRkPtsPctRkPctAvgPv

1. Florida128030.9835114630.991911.0000.99181

2. Texas227140.9523213950.9458t30.8700.92273

3. Alabama326720.9375313900.9424t30.8700.91662

4. Iowa722090.7751611610.787120.9600.84074

5. Cincinnati522810.8004711500.779750.8300.80338

6. TCU622260.7811411820.801460.8200.80086

7. Boise State423130.8116511760.797380.7500.78637

8. Oregon821480.7537810790.731570.8100.765110

9. LSU920700.7263910620.720090.6900.71219

10. Georgia Tech1117750.6228119340.6332100.6300.628711

11. Penn State1018090.6347109660.6549120.5600.616612

12. Southern Cal1214150.4965137290.4942110.6100.53365

13. Pittsburgh1512820.4498146940.4705140.4000.440115

14. Utah1611210.3933165670.3844130.4900.422616

15. Houston1413030.4572156720.4556160.3500.420918

16. Ohio State1313690.4804127300.4949210.1600.378417

17. Miami1711110.3898175490.3722t160.3500.370719

18. Arizona215980.2098193200.2169t160.3500.258920

19. Oklahoma State186900.2421183710.2515210.1600.217914

20. California223850.1351231970.1336150.3600.209524

21. Wisconsin242950.1035222040.1383190.3400.1939NR

22. Notre Dame206570.2305212810.1905230.1500.190323

23. Virginia Tech233330.1168241930.1308200.2200.155913

24. Oklahoma196730.2361203130.2122280.0000.1494NR

25. South Florida261760.068126650.0441240.1300.0786NR