DALLAS (FWAA) The Southern California Trojans remain
the top-ranked team in the Grantland Rice Super
16 Poll. USC (6-0), the two-time defending Football Writers Association
of America national champs, received 12 of the 16 first-place votes after
extending their winning streak to 28 games with a dramatic 34-31 win at
Notre Dame. The USC win streak is the longest in the nation and the Trojans have won a record
six FWAA national titles after winning each of the last two.
Texas (6-0), still No. 2 in the poll with four first-place votes, won its 13th straight game by
routing Colorado, 42-17. Virginia Tech (6-0), which was idle, and
Georgia (6-0) remained third and fourth in the rankings. The Bulldogs
took care of Vanderbilt, 34-17.
Alabama (6-0), despite a 13-10 struggle with Ole Miss, moved up to
No. 5. Miami (5-1) is No. 6 after an easy 34-3 win over Temple, while
UCLA (6-0) and LSU (5-1) each moved up three spots. UCLA won an overtime
thriller at Washington State, 44-41, while LSU topped Florida, 21-17.
Florida State dropped to No. 9 after a 26-21 loss at Virginia and Notre
Dame rounds out the top 10.
The Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll, introduced prior to the 2002 season,
ranks the nation's top 16 Division I-A football teams. A regionally-balanced
group of 16 selectors votes in the poll. The pollsters also select the
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week, which is announced
each Monday during the regular season.
In addition, the 16 voters representing four regions, have cast a ballot
each week, while giving a synopsis of their ballot. Unlike other college
football polls, the FWAA makes each of its pollster's ballot public, along
with the weekly synopsis. At the conclusion of the Bowl Championship Series,
the FWAA will release its final poll and the top-ranked team will be awarded
the 2005 Grantland Rice Trophy.
Among five conferences represented in this week's poll,
the ACC and SEC each feature four teams among the Top 16, while the Pac-10
has three.
The complete poll for Oct. 17 is as follows:
The FWAA has presented the Grantland Rice Trophy, named in honor
of the legendary sportswriter, to college football's national champion each
year since 1954. When introduced, it was the first national championship
trophy to be awarded after college football's postseason. This is the fourth
season that a season-long poll is concurrent with the award.
For further information contact Steve Richardson, Executive Director
of the FWAA (972-713-6198, tiger@sportswriters.net)
or Ted Gangi, FWAA webmaster (214-823-7992,
webmaster@sportswriters.net).