Alabama’s impressive 41-14 victory over Michigan vaulted the Crimson Tide to No. 1 in the nation.
Alabama topped both national polls released Tuesday and in each holds the top spot ahead of second-ranked Southern Cal and No. 3 LSU.
In the AP poll, Alabama jumped Southern Cal and is joined by LSU, Oregon and Oklahoma in the top five.
Alabama, the defending BCS national champion, hosts Western Kentucky on Saturday. The Crimson Tide received 45 first-place AP poll votes compared to 11 ballots that put USC at No. 1.
Southern Cal defeated Hawaii 49-10 on Saturday and plays Syracuse at East Rutherford, N.J. this week.
LSU and Oregon posted convincing opening wins while Oklahoma was shaky out of the gate but left UTEP with a 24-7 win on Saturday night.
Three more SEC teams — seventh-ranked Georgia, eighth-ranked Arkansas and No. 9 South Carolina, which tied in this week’s poll with West Virginia — give the conference five of the top 10 teams in the AP poll.
Michigan State, up to No. 11 this week, knocked Boise State out of the top 25. The Broncos’ run of 62 straight weeks in the rankings was second to only Alabama.
Michigan dropped to No. 19 in the AP poll.
–Tulane football coach Curtis Johnson was hospitalized with heat fatigue symptoms Tuesday but is expected to be back with the team Wednesday.
“C.J. is doing fine,” said Dr. Greg Stewart, Tulane’s team physician, at the Green Wave media luncheon Tuesday. “He is sitting there talking with (doctors). … He’s doing fine. He’s talking and cutting up like he normally does so we’re expecting the results to come back and for him to be released shortly.”
Johnson left practice with about 30 minutes remaining and had completed a workout before the team’s practice.
–Notre Dame radio broadcaster Allen Pinkett remains suspended without pay and will not return to the booth until Sept. 22, when Michigan visits Notre Dame Stadium for a primetime game.
The decision was made by The Notre Dame IMG Radio Network after Pinkett’s remarks in an interview with 670 The Score in Chicago last week. He’s suspended for the next two games, including this week’s game against Purdue, as part of a three-game suspension announced by the network.
Play-by-play announcer Don Criqui will be joined by a color analyst to be determined in the next 24-48 hours.
Pinkett told WSCR on Aug. 29 that he wanted criminals on the team: “Bad guys add to the flavor,” Pinkett said. “I don’t want any mass murderers or rapists. … I want guys who maybe get arrested because they got in a fight at the bar.”
–Purdue has three capable quarterbacks, but only one who deserves to start at No. 22 Notre Dame on Saturday, coach Danny Hope said.
That’s fifth-year senior Caleb TerBush, who was suspended for the season opener against Eastern Washington, a 48-6 victory for Purdue in which Robert Marve starred with 295 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Hope said three quarterbacks will be available to play this week.
TerBush was banned from attending Saturday’s game for an undisclosed violation of team rules.
— Tyrann Mathieu has enrolled at LSU for the fall semester, but coach Les Miles did not address whether he would be allowed back on the team next season during his Tuesday media gathering.
Mathieu, who was dismissed from the team in August, reportedly for failing multiple drugs tests, cannot play for the Tigers this season and will be eligible for the 2013 NFL draft.
Sheila Mathieu, Tyrone’s adoptive mother, told ESPN.com she thought Tyrann would be able to play for LSU again and that Tyrann may play another year of college football.
When asked about Mathieu’s enrollment as a student only, Miles said, “I think he’s making some quality decisions for himself. That’s kind of my view. I can tell you that my focus is about my team, in preparing game week (for the next opponent, Washington).”