Ohio State wide receiver Evan Spencer made it clear Monday that he believes the Buckeyes are better than No. 3. Spencer had a chance to watch two-time defending national champion Alabama and second-ranked Florida State last weekend while the Buckeyes had an open date.

"I guess I'm a little biased but I think we'd wipe the field with both of them," said Spencer with a chuckle. The junior, who is the son of former Ohio State and NFL player and coach Tim Spencer, added, "That's just my bias speaking."

Actually, Spencer didn't mention Florida State. Asked if he was referring to the Seminoles, he said, "Whoever."

Urban Meyer took a very different approach to making it known that he thinks the Buckeyes deserve a chance to play for the national title.

Meyer said he voted the Buckeyes (9-0, 5-0 Big Ten) No. 2 on his USA Today coaches' poll ballot — behind Alabama but ahead of Florida State.

"I believe we have Alabama, Ohio State, Florida State," Meyer said of his ballot. He couldn't remember the order of the next two teams, between Stanford and Baylor.

Asked for his rationale in voting that way, Meyer said, "I had us (No.) 2 all year. I just think we're playing like one of the top teams in the country right now."

The coaches' poll is used in the BCS standings formula.

The Buckeyes are clearly a confident group, going into a game at Illinois on Saturday. The Illini (3-6, 0-5) have lost 19 consecutive Big Ten games, while Ohio State owns the nation's longest winning streak at 21 in a row.


BAYLOR LOSES REESE


Speedy receiver Tevin Reese, who was averaging 25 yards a catch and had eight touchdowns, will miss the rest of the regular season for the fourth-ranked Bears after surgery on his dislocated right wrist.

"I'm eager to see how it changes from a schematic standpoint and a philosophical standpoint," coach Art Briles said Monday. "We're going to have to kind of change how we think and how we feel without Tevin because he's the fastest receiver in America. ... We'll have to compensate in a variety of ways."

The Bears (8-0, 5-0 Big 12), up to fifth in the BCS standings behind one-loss Stanford, play Texas Tech (7-3, 4-3) on Saturday at the Dallas Cowboys' stadium.

Reese hurt his wrist after coming down awkwardly on an incompletion late in the first half of Baylor's 41-12 victory over Oklahoma on Thursday night.

Running backs Lache Seastrunk (groin) and Glasco Martin (knee) also got banged up in the first half of the Oklahoma game. Briles described both running backs as day to day.

Baylor still has Antwan Goodley, the junior who leads the Big 12 averaging 122 yards receiving a game along with 10 touchdowns. Juniors Levi Norwood and Clay Fuller were the only other Bears to have catches against Oklahoma.


DAD: MARTINEZ DONE


It appears Nebraska's Taylor Martinez has played his last snap for the Cornhuskers.

Martinez's father, Casey Martinez, wrote in an email to The Associated Press on Monday night that the senior quarterback has a "debilitating injury" near the ball of his left foot that could take until February or March to heal fully.

"Taylor's injury happened in week one and after several months of rehab we have discovered that the more he does on it the worse that it gets," Casey Martinez wrote. "Very, very unfortunate location and aggravating injury that can't be toughed out.

"This is a nightmare way to finish your college career, by getting this kind of injury in the first week of the season, which essentially has cost Taylor his whole senior season as well as many team and personal goals."

Casey Martinez wrote that he has spoken to a foot specialist who works with elite athletes but did not recall the medical term for his son's injury. Coach Bo Pelini originally called the injury a turf toe, but has described it as a sprain the past two weeks.

Taylor Martinez has not spoken to reporters since the Oct. 26 loss at Minnesota.

Asked at his Monday news conference about the possibility of Martinez playing again this season, Pelini said, "I don't know if the chances are real good."

Martinez has been limited to four games. He has had nagging injuries to his shoulder, hip and abdomen, but the injury to his left foot has been the main reason for his absences.


TEXANS LOSE LEADING RUSHER


No. 23 Texas has lost leading rusher Johnathan Gray for the season to a torn Achilles tendon.

He had rushed for 780 yards, the third-most in the Big 12, and four touchdowns this year. He was hurt Saturday in an overtime win at West Virginia.

Senior defensive tackle Chris Whaley also suffered a season-ending injury in the 47-40 win.

Junior Malcolm Brown is expected to take over as the featured running back.

Texas (7-2, 6-0 Big 12) hosts No. 12 Oklahoma State (8-1, 5-1) this Saturday.


INDICTMENT TO BE UNSEALED


The prosecutor involved in an investigation into whether sports agents broke state law by providing gifts to former Tar Heels football players says he expects another grand jury indictment to be unsealed Wednesday.

Jim Woodall, district attorney for Orange County, said Monday he expects whoever is charged to make their first court appearance in the afternoon. That person would be the fourth charged in the case following an investigation by the North Carolina Secretary of State's office dating to summer 2010.

A Georgia-based sports agent, his longtime associate and an ex-UNC tutor made court appearances last month on charges of violating the state's Uniform Athlete Agents Act. The law requires agents to register with the Secretary of State's office and prohibits offering gifts to entice athletes to sign representation contracts.

Contributors: The Associated Press, Jason O. Boyd

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