There’s a new No. 1 team in college football for the second straight week, a different No. 1 in the first Bowl Championship Series standings, and for the first time since Urban Meyer took over as head coach in 2005, the Florida Gators are unranked in both the AP and USA Today/ESPN polls and they didn’t receive any votes.
The Oregon Ducks, who were idle Saturday, have moved into the top spot in the Associated Press Top 25 (media), USA Today/ESPN Coaches Top 25, the Harris Interactive (BCS) and the Legends (Coaches Association) polls.
But Oregon’s No. 1 billing in the USA Today/ESPN coaches’ and Harris Interactive polls could not assure the Ducks the top spot in the first BCS standings released Sunday night on ESPN. That honor went to Oklahoma, which was ranked No. 3 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll and No. 4 in the Harris Interactive Poll but was No. 1 in the average of the six computers used to determine a third of the vote. Oklahoma’s BCS average of .9215 beat out Oregon’s .8921. It’s the 13th time in the 13-year history of the BCS standings that Oklahoma has been No. 1.
Oregon, No. 1 in the Harris and USA Today/ESPN polls, averaged only No. 8 in the computer rankings and was No. 2 in the first BCS standings, followed by Boise State at No. 3 (No. 2 Harris/No. 2 USA Today/ESPN/No. 7 computers), Auburn at No. 4 (5/5/3), Texas Christian at No. 5 (3/4/5), Louisiana State at No. 6 (6/6/2), Michigan State at No. 7 (8/8/4), Alabama at No. 8 (7/7/12), Utah at No. 9 (9/9/11) and Ohio State at No. 10 (10/10/14).
Meanwhile, Florida’s shocking 10-7 loss to Mississippi State dropped the Gators to 4-3 for the season and completely out of the poll after they were ranked No. 22 in both the previous week. It ended a string of 88 straight polls—since the 2005 preseason ranking before Meyer’s first season—that Florida had been ranked in the Top 25. Florida fell out of the Top 25 in the final poll of the 2004 season following its loss to Miami in the Dec. 31, 2004 Peach Bowl.
Mississippi State went to 5-2 and improved to No. 24 in both the AP and USA Today/ESPN coaches’ polls. The SEC has six teams in both polls: Auburn (No. 5 AP, No. 5 USA Today/ESPN), Louisiana State (No. 6, No. 6), Alabama (No. 7, No. 7), South Carolina (No. 19, No. 20), Arkansas (No. 21, No. 21) and Mississippi State (No. 24, No. 24)
In the coaches’ poll, which will help determine the Bowl Championship Series standings that will be released later today, Oregon received 42 of the 59 first-place votes for 1,452 points, 67 more than second-place Boise State, which was first on 11 voters’ ballots. Oklahoma was third with 1,334 points, followed by Texas Christian and Auburn in fourth and fifth, respectively.
Oregon received 39 of the 60 first-place votes cast in the Associated Press media poll and had 1,471 points, 38 points ahead of Boise State, which had 15 first-place votes. Oklahoma was third and Texas Christian fourth—both schools splitting the last six first-place votes—and Auburn was fifth.
RANKINGS
BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES STANDINGS
http://espn.go.com/college-football/bcs
HARRIS INTERACTIVE POLL (BCS)
Still to be updated; last week’s poll below:
Voters: Denny Aldridge, Bob Anderson, Eric Bailey, Sammy Batten, Dick Bestwick, Joe Biddle, Blaine Bishop, Gil Brandt, Rich Brooks, Chip Brown, Brenstson Buckner, John Bunting, Grant Burget, Chris Carlin, Bob Casciola, Charlie Cavagnaro, Michael Cleary, Tony Collins, Gene Corrigan, Don Criqui, Joe Crowley, Dick Crum, Fran Curci, Pete Dawkins, Herb Deromedi, Darnell Dickson, Mark Dienhart, Jim Dombrowski, John Dorsey, Bob Dunlevy, Chuck Ealey, Rondo Fehlberg, Tommie Frazier, Gus Frerotte, Robert Gagliardi, Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, Bob Grim, Lee Grosscup, Wally Hall, Chad Hennings, Tommy Hicks, David Housel, Todd Husak, Steve Irvine, J.J. Joe, Scott Johnson, Larry Keech, Blair Kerkhoff, Mike Kern, Roy Kramer, Jesse Kurtz, Bobby Leach, James Lessig, Sonny Lubick, Mike Lucas, Mike Lude, Tom Luicci, Cindy Luis, John Mallory, Jim Mandich, Bob Marcum, Loren Matthews, Derrick Mayes, Charlie McBride, Joe McConnell, Mike McGee, Lance McIlhenny, Bill McLellan, Pete Medhurst, Tim Millis, Eric Mizell, Craig Morton, Joe Novak, Jim Oakes, Denny O’Brien, David Paschall, Allen Pinkett, Doug Plank, Gene Ponti, Mike Prater, Steve Preece, Pat Richter, Earle Robinson, Kenny Roda, Gary Sanders, Harvey Schiller, Terry R. Schmidt, Paul Schneider, George Schroeder, Terry Shea, Jackie Sherrill, Corky Simpson, Joe Smigiel, Fred Stabley, Ron Stephenson, Patrick Stevens, Don Strock, Budd Thalman, Ron Thulin, Joe Tiller, John Toner, Gino Torretta, Charlie Trotman, Max Urick, Roger Valdiserri, Jeff Van Note, Tommy Vardell, Jim Vruggink, Bob Wagner, Jim Walden, Jack White, Zach Wiegart, George Wine, Hugh Yoshida.
USA TODAY/ESPN AMERICAN FOOTBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/usatpoll.htm
Voters: Robb Akey, Idaho; David Bailiff, Rice; Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech; Tim Beckman, Toledo; Todd Berry, Louisiana-Monroe; Bret Bielema, Wisconsin; Art Briles, Baylor; Dave Christensen, Wyoming; David Cutcliffe, Duke; Mark Dantonio, Michigan State; Todd Dodge, North Texas; Sonny Dykes, Louisiana Tech; Dan Enos, Central Michigan; Steve Fairchild, Colorado State; Larry Fedora, Southern Miss; Jimbo Fisher, Florida State; Al Golden, Temple; Jim Grobe, Wake Forest; Jim Harbaugh, Stanford; Mike Haywood, Miami (Ohio); Butch Jones, Cincinnati; Brian Kelly, Notre Dame; Jerry Kill, Northern Illinois; Mike Locksley, New Mexico; Mike London, Virginia; Bill Lynch, Indiana; Mike MacIntyre, San Jose State; Doug Marrone, Syracuse; [B]Urban Meyer, Florida;[/B] Dan Mullen, Mississippi State; Ken Niumatalolo, Navy; Tom O’Brien, North Carolina State; George O’Leary, Central Florida; Bo Pelini, Nebraska; Chris Petersen, Boise State; Bobby Petrino, Arkansas; Gary Pinkel, Missouri; Larry Porter, Memphis; Jeff Quinn, Buffalo; Paul Rhoads, Iowa State; Mark Richt, Georgia; Mike Riley, Oregon State; Rich Rodriguez, Michigan; Nick Saban, Alabama; Steve Sarkisian, Washington; Greg Schiano, Rutgers; Howard Schnellenberger, Florida Atlantic; Mike Sherman, Texas A&M; Steve Spurrier, South Carolina; Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee; Mike Stoops, Arizona; Charlie Strong, Louisville; Kevin Sumlin, Houston; Bob Toledo, Tulane; Jim Tressel, Ohio State; Tommy Tuberville, Texas Tech; Kyle Whittingham, Utah; Paul Wulff, Washington State; Ron Zook, Illinois.
ASSOCIATED PRESS (MEDIA)
http://espn.go.com/college-football/rankings/_/poll/1/week/8
Voters: Cecil Hurt, Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News; Jon Solomon, Birmingham (Ala.) News; Doug Haller, Arizona Republic; Tom Murphy, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; Scott Wolf, Los Angeles Daily News; Ray Ratto, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area (Calif.); Jon Wilner, San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News; Kyle Ringo Boulder (Colo.) Daily Camera; Desmond Conner, Hartford (Conn.) Courant; Brett McMurphy, AOLFanhouse (Fla.); Manny Navarro, Miami Herald; David Jones, Florida Today; Cole Harvey, Macon (Ga.) Telegraph; Ferd Lewis, Honolulu Star-Advertiser; Chadd Cripe, Idaho Statesman; Bob Asmussen, Champaign (Ill.) News-Gazette; Pete DiPrimio, Fort Wayne (Ind.) News-Sentinel; Eric Hansen, South Bend (Ind.) Tribune; Mike Hias, Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gazette; Tom Keegan, Lawrence (Kan.) Journal World; Chip Cosby, Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader; Randy Rosetta, Baton Rouge (La.) Advocate; Garland Gillen, WWL-TV Channel 4 (La.); Rob Long, Fox-1370 Radio (Maryland/D.C.); Steve Conroy, Boston (Mass.) Herald; Lisa Byington, WLNS-TV Lansing (Mich.); John Niyo, Detroit (Mich.) News; Marcus Fuller, St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press; Kyle Veazey, Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger; Mike Dearmond, Kansas City (Mo.) Star; Steve Sipple, Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star; Mark Anderson, Las Vegas (Nev.) Review-Journal; Keith Sargeant, Home News (N.J.) Tribune; Greg Archuleta, Albuquerque (N.M.) Journal; Sal Interdonato, Times Herald-Record (N.Y.); Bill Cole, Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal; Joe Giglio, News & Observer of Raleigh (N.C.); Kirk Hernstreit, ESPN/ABC; Doug Lesmerises, Cleveland (Ohio) Plain Dealer; Matt McCoy, WTVN-AM (Ohio); John Shinn, Norman (Okla.) Transcript; John Hunt, The Oregonian; Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh (Pa.) Tribune-Review; Travis Haney, Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier; Dave Foster, WZTV-TV (Tenn.); Wes Rucker, Chattanooga (Tenn.) Times-Free Press; Robert Cessna, Bryan-College Station (Texas) Eagle; Kirk Bohls, Austin (Texas) American-Statesman; John Werner, Waco (Texas) Tribune-Herald; Adam Zuvanich, Lubbock (Texas) Avalanche-Journal; Wade Denniston, Logan (Utah) Herald-Journal; Kyle Tucker, The Virginian-Pilot; Bob Condotta, Seattle (Wash.) Times; Jack Bogaczyk, Charleston (W.Va.) Daily Mail; Tom Mulhern, Wisconsin State Journal; Bob Hammond, Laramie (Wy.) Daily Boomerang; Chris Fowler, ESPN; Greg Auman, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times; Craig James, ABC; Andy Staples, SI.com.
LEGENDS FOOTBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION
Still to be updated; last week’s poll below:
http://www.legendschannel.com/legends-poll/
Voters: Bobby Bowden, Frank Broyles, John Cooper, Fisher DeBerry, Terry Donahue, Vince Dooley, Pat Dye, LaVell Edwards, Don James, Frank Kush, Dick MacPherson, Bill Mallory, Don Nehlen, John Ralston, John Robinson, Bobby Ross, R.C. Slocum, Gene Stallings, George Welsh.