TCU Opens Season Ranked 20th By Associated Press
8/5/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
TCU received 404 points to earn the national ranking. The ranking is the first for the football program since they were ranked 24th by the Associated Press in the October 23, 1990 poll.
"We are excited about our ranking," said head football coach Dennis Franchione. "It is a sign of national respect for our accomplishments in the last two seasons. However, it is not where you start, but where you finish."
After winning the WAC Championship and defeating East Carolina in the Mobile Alabama Bowl, TCU ended the 1999 season ranked 29th by the AP and 28th by ESPN/USA Today, which is voted on by coaches around the country. The ESPN/USA Today poll will be released later next week.
Just like every other college football fan, Nebraska coach Frank Solich was anxious to know how highly his Cornhuskers would be ranked to open the season. Well, they're No. 1 -- and defending national champion Florida State is a close No. 2 in The Associated Press Top 25 preseason college football poll.
Conspicuous by its absence is Notre Dame, unranked in the preseason poll for the first time since 1986.
The Huskers start on top for the sixth time since the AP's first preseason poll in 1950. An ominous note for Nebraska fans, though: The Cornhuskers have won four AP national titles since then, but none in years they started No. 1.
Coming off a strong 12-1 season and No. 3 final ranking, the defending Big 12 champion Huskers received 36 first-place votes and 1,732 points from the 71 sports writers and broadcasters on the AP panel.
The Seminoles, 12-0 last season and the first team to be ranked No. 1 from start to finish, collected 29 first-place votes and 1,720 points. The 12-point difference is one of the closest -- the tightest preseason poll was 1994 when Florida edged Notre Dame by two points.
Alabama, the defending Southeastern Conference champion, is No. 3 -- the Crimson Tide's highest preseason ranking since a No. 2 start in 1993. The Tide received three first-place votes and 1,570 points.
Wisconsin, the two-time Rose Bowl winner and defending Big Ten champion, is No. 4, followed by No. 5 Miami, No. 6 Michigan, No. 7 Texas, No. 8 Kansas State, No. 9 Florida and No. 10 Georgia. Wisconsin, with its highest preseason ranking, had one first-place vote. Texas had two first-place votes.
Virginia Tech, a 46-29 loser to Florida State in the national title game at the Sugar Bowl after going 11-0 in '99, is No. 11, followed by No. 12 Tennessee, No. 13 Washington, No. 14 Purdue, No. 15. USC, No. 16. Ohio State, No. 17 Clemson, No. 18 Mississippi, No. 19 Oklahoma and No. 20 TCU, ranked in the preseason for the first time since 1960. Illinois is No. 21, followed by No. 22 Penn State, No. 23 Southern Mississippi, No. 24 Colorado and No. 25 Michigan State.
The Big Ten leads all conferences with seven teams in the preseason Top 25 -- Wisconsin, Michigan, Purdue, Ohio State, Illinois, Penn State and Michigan State. The Southeastern and Big 12 conferences have five each -- Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Mississippi in the SEC, and Nebraska, Texas, Kansas State, Oklahoma and Colorado in the Big 12.
The first AP regular-season poll will be released Monday, Aug. 28. With Connecticut moving up to Division I-A, the AP panel increases from 70 to 71 voters.
For the third season, the AP poll is part of the Bowl Championship Series standings used to determine which teams play in its national title game -- this year it's the Orange Bowl on Jan. 3. The BCS standings use the AP poll, the USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll, eight computer ratings and a strength-of-schedule formula to pick the teams for a title game. The first BCS standings will be released Monday, Oct. 23.
The AP national champion is announced after a final vote by the AP panel following the Orange Bowl. The BCS' title game winner is crowned champion in the coaches' poll.
Record Pts Pvs
1. Nebraska (36) 12-1 1,732 3
2. Florida St. (29) 12-0 1,720 1
3. Alabama (3) 10-3 1,570 8
4. Wisconsin (1) 10-2 1,408 4
5. Miami 9-4 1,392 15
6. Michigan 10-2 1,380 5
7. Texas (2) 9-5 1,297 21
8. Kansas St. 11-1 1,276 6
9. Florida 9-4 1,255 12
10. Georgia 8-4 1,226 16
11. Virginia Tech 11-1 1,044 2
12. Tennessee 9-3 940 9
13. Washington 7-5 816 --
14. Purdue 7-5 751 25
15. Southern Cal 6-6 723 --
16. Ohio St. 6-6 601 --
17. Clemson 6-6 599 --
18. Mississippi 8-4 541 22
19. Oklahoma 7-5 455 --
20. TCU 8-4 404 --
21. Illinois 8-4 361 24
22. Penn St. 10-3 359 11
23. Southern Miss. 9-3 224 14
24. Colorado 7-5 166 --
25. Michigan St. 10-2 145 7
Others receiving votes: Texas A&M 139, UCLA 115,
East Carolina 75, Oregon 63, Auburn 36, Colorado St. 35,
Mississippi St. 34, Utah 33, Notre Dame 32, Virginia 26,
Marshall 23, Arkansas 22, Georgia Tech 10, LSU 10,
Syracuse 9, BYU 7, Minnesota 5, Boston College 3,
Kentucky 3, Texas Tech 3, Toledo 3, Stanford 2,
Arizona St. 1, Oregon St. 1. 
