Texas strengthens hold on No. 2

~ A dominating victory by the Longhorns and a loss by Virginia Tech kept Texas in line to play for the national championship.

WACO, Texas -- There won't be any more questions this week about whether Texas is one of the top two teams in the country. Those have been answered emphatically.

And the road back to the Rose Bowl has gotten much clearer for the Longhorns.

Texas did its part, sending a strong message by dominating offensively and defensively in a 62-0 victory at Baylor. Led by Vince Young and receiver-turned-starting tailback Ramonce Taylor, the No. 2 Longhorns (9-0, 6-0 Big 12) scored touchdowns on eight straight possessions Saturday.

A few hours later, Miami pulled off a stunning 27-7 upset at Virginia Tech, which until then had become a fashionable pick to eventually overtake Texas in the BCS standings for the likely championship matchup against top-ranked USC.

The Longhorns know they're not there yet.

"We do have a big target on our chest right now, everybody's trying to knock us off and USC off, and that's fair," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "When you get to this position, you have to play like you expected to be at this position, and want to stay."

Texas, which has won 16 straight games, has regular-season games remaining against Kansas and Texas A&M.

Assuming the Longhorns don't lose both of those -- they only have to win one to clinch the Big 12 South, but both to remain in the national title chase -- they then play in the Big 12 championship game, likely against No. 22 Colorado (7-2, 5-1).

Like Texas in the South, Colorado has to win just one of its next two games (at Iowa State Saturday or vs. Nebraska) for a spot in the Big 12 title game. The Buffaloes, who have won the North title three of the past four years, beat Missouri 41-12 on Saturday.

"No one comes to Colorado just to be competitive in the Big 12. We're always preparing to win championships," Buffs quarterback Joel Klatt said. "I think next week you'll see a team even more jacked up to play, because that's why we are here."

Colorado and Texas weren't the only lopsided Big 12 winners this weekend.

Kansas, the next Texas opponent, ended a 36-game losing streak against Nebraska with a 40-15 victory that was the league's closest game Saturday. No. 13 Texas Tech won 56-17 over Texas A&M, and Iowa State beat Kansas State 45-17, while Oklahoma and Oklahoma State had the weekend off.

Texas is the only Big 12 team still in the national title chase, and along with USC and Alabama the only undefeated teams remaining in NCAA Division I-A. Miami (7-1) leaped over Alabama to take the No. 3 spot in the new AP poll Sunday.

After needing a big comeback last week to beat Oklahoma State, overcoming a 28-9 deficit to win 47-28 and then falling from first to second in the BCS standings, the Longhorns had an easy time with Baylor.

With Heisman Trophy contender Young accounting for 351 total yards in just more than three quarters against the Bears, and Taylor running for 102 yards and three touchdowns to go along with a 42-yard TD catch in his first start at tailback, the Longhorns followed a 606-yard performance against Oklahoma State with 645 yards.

"We started off a little slow on offense getting to that point," Young said. "Perfect is real hard to get. I think we did a great job playing."

After punting on their third possession at the end of the first quarter, the Longhorns scored on their next eight drives. That streak ended only because they had the ball the final two minutes, and were content to run out the clock.

Baylor was held to 201 yards and got past the Texas 36 just once, in the third quarter when a penalty against Taylor for his Superman-like dive into the end zone put the Bears at the 50. They got to the 12, but Robert Killebrew blocked Ryan Havens' 30-yard field goal attempt.

With Selvin Young sidelined by a sprained ankle, Taylor got his first start at tailback, the position he played in high school and where he was in the spring for the Longhorns before being switched to receiver.

Brown wouldn't said if Taylor would remain a runner, or go back to receiving. Whatever he does, it's just another potent offensive weapon for Texas.

"He's getting better with his receiving routes," Vince Young said, "And getting better running the ball."

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CYCLONES TURNAROUND: It's the kind of score that Iowa State was used to being on the wrong side of against Kansas State. But the Cyclones turned the table this time, winning 45-17.

Before Iowa State won the last two games in the series, Kansas State had won 10 in a row, including victories of 56-10, 42-3, 58-7 and 45-0.

The Cyclones are already bowl eligible, but still have an outside shot of sharing the Big 12 North title. Iowa State would have to win its last two games, including next week at home against division-leading Colorado, which would also have to lose to Nebraska.

"We have a lot of play for," coach Dan McCarney said. "The pressure of getting a bowl bid is off, so do we relax? No, and I'm not going to let one coach or player around here relax."

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TWIN SCORING: Texas Tech quarterback Cody Hodges' twin brother, Slade, caught his first TD pass for the Red Raiders on Saturday night. But it wasn't a brother-to-brother connection.

Graham Harrell had already taken over at quarterback in the lopsided game and threw the scoring pass to Slade Hodges in the fourth quarter. But Cody was one of the first people in the end zone to help his brother celebrate.

"I'm more excited about that than anything," Cody Hodges said. "He's worked hard for five years, and he deserves it and makes plays in practice. He's a guy that's kept me here and kept my mind right. As soon as he caught it, I was in the end zone and giving him high-fives."