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Shakeups galore FSU regains AP No. 1; Four enter Top 25
NEW YORK (AP) -- There's a new No. 1 in town and it's Florida State, the defending national champions. The Seminoles returned to the top spot in The Associated Press Top 25 poll Sunday even though former No. 1 Nebraska remained unbeaten with a 42-24 win against Missouri. Florida State (5-0), which became the first team to go wire-to-wire in the poll last season, moved well ahead of Nebraska (4-0) following balloting by the 71 sports writers and broadcasters on the AP panel. The Huskers retained the top ranking in the coaches poll. The Seminoles collected 42 first-place votes and 1,745 points, while the Cornhuskers had 28 first-place votes and 1,731 points after a third consecutive harder-than-expected victory. Florida State defeated Maryland 59-7 last Thursday night. Last week, Nebraska had 39 first-place votes and 1,743 points to Florida State's 30 first-place votes and 1,732 points. In the new poll, Florida State gained 12 first-place votes; Nebraska lost 11 first-place votes. In addition, Oregon State moved into the AP poll for the first time since Jan. 4, 1969. The Beavers (4-0), who beat USC 31-21 for their first win over the Trojans after 26 consecutive losses in a 33-year span, are ranked No. 23. The Top 25 underwent a top-to-bottom shakeup as nine teams ranked last week were beaten -- seven by unranked teams. Virginia Tech (4-0), a 48-34 winner at Boston College, moved up to No. 3, replacing Florida, a 47-35 loser to Mississippi State. The Gators (4-1) tumbled to No. 12. Kansas State (5-0) moved up a spot to No. 4 after a 44-21 win at Colorado, followed by No. 5 Clemson, No. 6 Michigan, No. 7 Miami, No. 8 Ohio State, No. 9 Oregon and No. 10 Oklahoma. Kansas State received one first-place vote. It's rare for a No. 1 team to fall after winning. The last time it happened was 1997, when Penn State dropped from the top spot twice, once after a 57-21 win against Louisville (Florida took over), and again after a 16-15 win over Minnesota (Nebraska took over). Michigan won the AP national title in '97. In 1994, Nebraska won a national title after it moved into the No. 1 spot late in the season when Penn State fell to No. 2 despite beating Indiana 35-29. Florida State's ascent to No. 1 comes a week before the Seminoles play at No. 7 Miami, which moved up three places after a 64-6 rout of Rutgers. "It doesn't mean a thing at this time," Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said Sunday. "Especially when we're going to a place like Miami this week. It just gives them more fuel for the fire. Playing down at their place is always tough, and this will give them extra incentive. But our goal is to end up No. 1." Texas was No. 11, followed by No. 12 Florida, No. 13 Washington, No. 14 TCU, No. 15 Auburn, No. 16 UCLA, No. 17 Southern Mississippi, No. 18 USC, No. 19 Georgia and No. 20 Mississippi State. USC dropped 10 places after its loss to Oregon State. Tennessee, a 38-31 overtime loser at LSU, was No. 21 -- down 10 places -- followed by No. 22 Northwestern, No. 23 Oregon State, No. 24 Wisconsin and No. 25 Notre Dame. Michigan moved up three spots to No. 6 with a 13-10 win over Wisconsin (3-2), which fell seven places to No. 24; and Oregon leaped 11 spots to No. 9 with its 23-16 win over Washington (3-1) , which fell seven places to No. 13. Northwestern, a 37-17 winner over Michigan State, returned to the Top 25 for the first time since early in the 1997 season. Dropping out of the poll this week were Illinois, Michigan State, Purdue and South Carolina (4-1), which lost at Alabama, 27-17.
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