AP Top 25: Gators are No. 1, Utes surge to No. 2
#1
01-09-2009, 03:10 AM
AP Top 25: Gators are No. 1, Utes surge to No. 2
AP Top 25: Gators are No. 1, Utes surge to No. 2 - College Football - Rivals.com
AP Top 25: Gators are No. 1, Utes surge to No. 2
By RALPH D. RUSSO, AP College Football Writer
25 minutes ago
MIAMI (AP)—Florida is No. 1 in the AP Top 25. Utah is perfect at No. 2, though not perfectly happy.
Texas and Southern California also claimed to be the best—but media voters didn’t think so.
The Gators received 48 first-place votes and 1,606 points in the poll released early Friday, after they beat Oklahoma 24-14 in the BCS national title game.
Utah, the only team in major college football to go undefeated this season, got 16 first-place votes and 1,519 points.
“I thought we had an outside chance,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said in a telephone interview with the AP. “There was enough national sentiment, I thought we might get the No. 1 slot. It wasn’t to be.”
Florida won its third AP national championship and second in the last three seasons. Steve Spurrier and Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel led the Gators to the 1996 title.
No. 3 USC received one first-place vote. Texas was No. 4 and will have to settle for finishing ahead of fifth-ranked Oklahoma.
The Longhorns beat the Sooners in the regular season and thought they deserved OU’s spot in both the Big 12 and national championship games.
The Utes from the Mountain West Conference swept through their regular season, while Florida and Alabama from the SEC, Texas and Oklahoma from the Big 12 and Southern California from the Pac-10 jockeyed for position in the national title chase.
The Mountain West does not have an automatic bid to the BCS—it’s not considered a strong enough league to deserve one—but the Utes earned their way in.
Utah was seventh in the final regular-season poll, but that perfect record looked much more impressive after the Utes beat Alabama 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl last week.
“All you can do is go out and beat the people on the schedule, which was exactly what our guys did,” Whittingham said.
Whittingham proclaimed his team No. 1. USC’s Pete Carroll had already done that after the Trojans’ 38-24 victory in the Rose Bowl against Penn State. Texas coach Mack Brown followed suit, proudly touting his Longhorns as the nation’s best after a 24-21 victory over Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl this week.
Whittingham said he would vote his team No. 1 in the USA Today coaches’ poll, even though the American Football Coaches Association has agreed to have all its voters place the winner of the BCS national championship game first on their ballots.
Utah did receive one first-place vote in the coaches’ poll and finished fourth.
Whittingham isn’t worried about losing his vote.
“That’s their call,” he said. “I have to look out for my players.”
Brown said he would vote for his team, too, but Texas was not listed first on any ballots. The Longhorns ended up ranked No. 3 in the coaches’ poll, right behind USC.
Carroll has never had a vote in the coaches’ poll, always skeptical of the way major college football crowns a champion.
Florida’s Urban Meyer became the 17th coach to win multiple AP national championships.
“I’ll tell you, we’re going to enjoy a big win, we’re going to enjoy the national championship,” he said, brushing off questions about other coaches claiming their team is best. “Let someone else worry about that. Gators are No. 1”
Alabama’s loss to Utah dropped the Crimson Tide to No. 6 in the final poll.
TCU, Utah’s Mountain West rival, finished seventh, followed by Penn State, Ohio State and Oregon.
Boise State led off the second 10, followed by Texas Tech, Georgia, Mississippi and Virginia Tech.
Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, Oregon State, Missouri and Iowa rounded out the top 20.
Florida State, Georgia Tech, West Virginia, Michigan State and BYU were the final five.
By RALPH D. RUSSO, AP College Football Writer
25 minutes ago
MIAMI (AP)—Florida is No. 1 in the AP Top 25. Utah is perfect at No. 2, though not perfectly happy.
Texas and Southern California also claimed to be the best—but media voters didn’t think so.
The Gators received 48 first-place votes and 1,606 points in the poll released early Friday, after they beat Oklahoma 24-14 in the BCS national title game.
Utah, the only team in major college football to go undefeated this season, got 16 first-place votes and 1,519 points.
“I thought we had an outside chance,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said in a telephone interview with the AP. “There was enough national sentiment, I thought we might get the No. 1 slot. It wasn’t to be.”
Florida won its third AP national championship and second in the last three seasons. Steve Spurrier and Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel led the Gators to the 1996 title.
No. 3 USC received one first-place vote. Texas was No. 4 and will have to settle for finishing ahead of fifth-ranked Oklahoma.
The Longhorns beat the Sooners in the regular season and thought they deserved OU’s spot in both the Big 12 and national championship games.
The Utes from the Mountain West Conference swept through their regular season, while Florida and Alabama from the SEC, Texas and Oklahoma from the Big 12 and Southern California from the Pac-10 jockeyed for position in the national title chase.
The Mountain West does not have an automatic bid to the BCS—it’s not considered a strong enough league to deserve one—but the Utes earned their way in.
Utah was seventh in the final regular-season poll, but that perfect record looked much more impressive after the Utes beat Alabama 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl last week.
“All you can do is go out and beat the people on the schedule, which was exactly what our guys did,” Whittingham said.
Whittingham proclaimed his team No. 1. USC’s Pete Carroll had already done that after the Trojans’ 38-24 victory in the Rose Bowl against Penn State. Texas coach Mack Brown followed suit, proudly touting his Longhorns as the nation’s best after a 24-21 victory over Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl this week.
Whittingham said he would vote his team No. 1 in the USA Today coaches’ poll, even though the American Football Coaches Association has agreed to have all its voters place the winner of the BCS national championship game first on their ballots.
Utah did receive one first-place vote in the coaches’ poll and finished fourth.
Whittingham isn’t worried about losing his vote.
“That’s their call,” he said. “I have to look out for my players.”
Brown said he would vote for his team, too, but Texas was not listed first on any ballots. The Longhorns ended up ranked No. 3 in the coaches’ poll, right behind USC.
Carroll has never had a vote in the coaches’ poll, always skeptical of the way major college football crowns a champion.
Florida’s Urban Meyer became the 17th coach to win multiple AP national championships.
“I’ll tell you, we’re going to enjoy a big win, we’re going to enjoy the national championship,” he said, brushing off questions about other coaches claiming their team is best. “Let someone else worry about that. Gators are No. 1”
Alabama’s loss to Utah dropped the Crimson Tide to No. 6 in the final poll.
TCU, Utah’s Mountain West rival, finished seventh, followed by Penn State, Ohio State and Oregon.
Boise State led off the second 10, followed by Texas Tech, Georgia, Mississippi and Virginia Tech.
Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, Oregon State, Missouri and Iowa rounded out the top 20.
Florida State, Georgia Tech, West Virginia, Michigan State and BYU were the final five.
#2
01-09-2009, 08:50 AM
There's not a person in the galaxy who really thinks Utah is the second best football team in the country.
#5
01-09-2009, 11:32 AM
Hey any team in any league that goes undefeated should be acknowleged. #2 I don't know but whatever the season's over and the Utes had a great team. Just ask Alabama that didn't see that train coming down the tracks.
#6
01-09-2009, 12:14 PM
Is there anyone here who really does not believe that USC is the best team in the country? If USC played UF ten times they would win at least 7 times IMO. I'm sorry but just because the system puts UF in this title game does not make them the best team in the country. Perhaps I am in the minority here but that's how I feel.
#7
01-09-2009, 01:49 PM
Is there anyone here who really does not believe that USC is the best team in the country? If USC played UF ten times they would win at least 7 times IMO. I'm sorry but just because the system puts UF in this title game does not make them the best team in the country. Perhaps I am in the minority here but that's how I feel.
#8
01-09-2009, 02:23 PM
These college football debates are getting old. Arguing which team is the best is pointless, does anyone have a shred of evidence to say that one would beat the other? No. On any given Sunday any team can show up and win.
Is USC a great team, absolutely. So is Florida, Texas, Utah, Oklahoma and Texas Tech. Until the NCAA implements some kind of playoff system people are going to have these pointless arguments every year.
Florida played a great game last night and under this system is the College champion. Congratulations to them, Tim Tebow is the definition of what an athlete should be.
Is USC a great team, absolutely. So is Florida, Texas, Utah, Oklahoma and Texas Tech. Until the NCAA implements some kind of playoff system people are going to have these pointless arguments every year.
Florida played a great game last night and under this system is the College champion. Congratulations to them, Tim Tebow is the definition of what an athlete should be.
#10
01-09-2009, 03:00 PM
With the above correction, I agree.
SC did not take care of business. It has no reason to complain, but it is a team which is playing its best ball at the moment.
But, that is not the criteria used to select No. 1
Also, doesn't the fact that we are having such debate (and acrimony) prove that a playoff system is not necessary
it would discount the regular season and people would only "tune in" at the end of the season.
Fight On.
SC did not take care of business. It has no reason to complain, but it is a team which is playing its best ball at the moment.
But, that is not the criteria used to select No. 1
Also, doesn't the fact that we are having such debate (and acrimony) prove that a playoff system is not necessary
it would discount the regular season and people would only "tune in" at the end of the season.
Fight On.