Notre Dame, Michigan at Top of Football Poll : Nos. 1 and 2 to Meet Saturday in Ann Arbor; Penn State, Florida State Drop Out of Rankings

L.A. Times Archives

Sept. 11, 1989 12 AM PT

From Associated Press

Notre Dame and Michigan today retained the top two spots in the Associated Press college football poll heading into Saturday’s showdown in Ann Arbor, Mich. Neither team played last week.

Traditional powers Penn State and Florida State dropped out of the rankings, while rivals Washington and Washington State moved into the top 25.

The Fighting Irish received 37 first-place votes, 22 more than Michigan. Third-ranked Miami was No. 1 on five ballots, with the other three first-place votes from sportswriters and broadcasters going to No. 4 Nebraska.

First Since November

The Notre Dame-Michigan game will be the first meeting between No. 1 and No. 2 since the top-ranked Fighting Irish beat Southern California 27-10 last November.

It will be the 25th meeting between the top two teams since the AP poll started in 1936. The No. 1 team has won 15 times, and two games have ended in ties.

Rounding out the Top 10 are Auburn, Oklahoma, Clemson, Colorado, Arkansas and Illinois.

Miami, playing its first game under Coach Dennis Erickson, routed Wisconsin 51-3 on Saturday. Nebraska pounded Northern Illinois 48-17, and Auburn crushed Pacific 55-0 in their openers.

There were no changes in the top five, but Oklahoma moved up two spots after beating Baylor 33-7, Clemson rose three places by downing Florida State 34-23 and Colorado went from No. 9 to No. 8 following a 45-20 victory over Colorado State. Arkansas and Illinois did not play.

Syracuse, which beat Temple 43-3, jumped three spots to No. 11. Next are West Virginia, Southern California, Pittsburgh, Washington, Alabama, Tennessee, Houston and North Carolina State.

UCLA plunged from No. 6 to No. 20 following its 24-6 loss to Tennessee, which vaulted into the rankings for the first time this season.

Louisiana State at 21

Louisiana State is No. 21, followed by Texas A&M;, Washington State, Iowa and Mississippi State.

Penn State, No. 12 last week, dropped out of the rankings after falling to Virginia 14-6. The Nittany Lions, coming off their first losing season in 50 years, have lost six of their last seven games.

Clemson’s win dropped Florida State to 0-2 for the first time since 1976, Bobby Bowden’s first season at Tallahassee. The Seminoles, who were No. 6 in the preseason poll and No. 16 after an opening loss to Southern Mississippi, are unranked for the first time in three years.

Washington made the biggest jump, moving into the rankings at No. 15 on the heels of its 19-6 victory over Texas A&M.; The loss dropped the Aggies, who beat LSU in their opener, from No. 15 to No. 22.

Right behind Texas A&M; is Washington State, which improved to 2-0 by beating Brigham Young 46-41 on Thursday night.

Mississippi State is making its first appearance in the rankings since 1986. The Bulldogs gained recognition with a 26-23 win over Southern Mississippi, which was No. 18 at the time.

Southern Miss, BYU and Arizona, which was beaten by Texas Tech 24-14, fell out of the Top 25.

THE TOP 20

The top 20 teams in the Associated Press college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Sept. 9.

1. Notre Dame (37) 1-0-0

2. Michigan (15) 0-0-0

3. Miami, Fla. (5) 1-0-0

4. Nebraska (3) 1-0-0

5. Auburn 1-0-0

6. Oklahoma 2-0-0

7. Clemson 2-0-0

8. Colorado 2-0-0

9. Arkansas 0-0-0