Tom Herman isn't interested in the regular-season poll, but his unbeaten Houston team knows it won't hurt to add a victory over an SEC opponent to its resume.
That could become a more difficult task for the 18th-ranked Cougars if their star running back can't go in Saturday night's home game against defensive-minded Vanderbilt.
Houston (7-0) struggled early last Saturday before running off 52 unanswered points en route to a 59-10 road win over Central Florida. The squad extended its best start since winning a program record-tying eight straight to open the 2011 season and climbed to its highest ranking since finishing 18th in that 13-1 campaign.