LSU reached No. 1 the hard way.

The Tigers edged past Southern California in The Associated Press Top 25 yesterday, even though the Trojans remained undefeated.

On a wild day in college football, when half the top 10 lost, USC avoided the upset bug that struck Oklahoma, Florida, Texas and Rutgers. But a sloppy 27-24 victory at Washington Saturday night cost the Trojans the No. 1 ranking they've held all season.

"The reason it happened is the way we played, I guess," said coach Pete Carroll, whose Trojans remained No. 1 in the USA Today coaches Top 25.

LSU, which beat Tulane, 34-9, got 33 first-place votes from the media panel and 1,593 points. USC received 32 first-place votes and 1,591 points.

Meanwhile, the University of Hawai'i (5-0) moved up three spots to No. 16 in the AP poll and two spots to No. 15 in the USA Today poll for the highest ranking in program history. The 1981 Hawai'i team was No. 16 in the AP poll.