Still on top

Miami retains No. 1 ranking in first Coaches' poll

2002 Coaches' Poll Rank  School  Points  1.  Miami (34)  1,444  2.  Texas (9)  1,399  3.  Oklahoma (11)  1,397  4.  Florida St. (7)  1,357  5.  Tennessee  1,255  6.  Colorado  1,010  7.  Florida  972  8.  Nebraska  951  9.  Washington  914  10.  Michigan  894  First-place votes in parenthesis. For complete poll, click here.

The Hurricanes (12-0 last season), who will take a 22-game winning streak into the 2002 season, received 34 first-place votes and 1,444 points in the preseason poll of 61 coaches released Thursday night.

Miami has yet to lose under second-year coach Larry Coker, who will be forced to replace a chunk of the star players on a squad that routed Nebraska, 37-14, in the Rose Bowl to claim its fifth national championship and first since 1991.

"You'd like to say [the preseason ranking] doesn't matter, but it's out there. We're honored by it," Coker said. "It's more important to be ranked No. 1 at the end the season."

Quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Ken Dorsey is among the returnees, but there are numerous changes in the offensive line and the Hurricanes lost all five of their top defensive backs from 2001. There still is plenty of talent in Coral Gables, including receiver Andre Johnson and defensive tackle William Joseph.

Miami opens its season Aug. 31 against Florida A&M.

Four of the top eight teams in the poll are from the Big 12 Conference, including No. 2 Texas, which received nine first-place votes and 1,399 votes, and No. 3 Oklahoma, which got 11 first-place votes and was a mere two points behind the Longhorns.

Texas will be led by quarterback Chris Simms, who will no longer have to look over his shoulder at the departed Major Applewhite. One of the most anticipated games of the season will be when the Longhorns and Oklahoma meet in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on Oct. 12.

Both Texas and Oklahoma were 11-2 a year ago.

No. 6 Colorado (10-3) and No. 8 Nebraska (11-2), which must replace Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch, are the other Big 12 teams in the top eight.

Florida State (8-4), trying to bounce back from its first four-loss season since 1986, received the remaining seven first-place votes and is fourth in the poll with 1,357 points. The Seminoles host Miami on Oct. 12.

Tennessee (11-2) is fifth and Southeastern Conference rival Florida (10-2) is seventh. The Gators begin a new era as Ron Zook takes for Steve Spurrier, who left to coach the NFL's Washington Redskins. They visit the Volunteers on September 21.

Washington (8-4) and Michigan (8-4), a pair of teams that meet on August 31 in Ann Arbor, complete the top 10.

Georgia (8-4) is 11th and is followed by Ohio State (7-5), Louisiana State (10-3), Washington State (10-2) and Oregon (11-1). Oregon finished second in last year's final poll but must replace quarterback Joey Harrington.

Virginia Tech (8-4) is 16th and is followed by Louisville (11-2), Michigan State (7-5), Southern California (6-6) and Maryland (10-2). Maryland was among college football's biggest surprises last season, winning the Atlantic Coast Conference title and advancing to the Orange Bowl.

Marshall (11-2), led by quarterback and Heisman candidate Byron Leftwich, is 21st. South Carolina (9-3), Wisconsin (5-7), Penn State (5-6) and North Carolina State (7-5) complete the poll.

The Coaches' poll is part of the Bowl Championship Series formula that determines the participants in the national championship game. The top two teams in the rankings meet in the game, which this season is the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 3.

The Associated Press media poll will be released August 10.

 

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