Nebraska has won everything this season but the respect of poll voters.
The 7-0 Cornhuskers, who have yet to play a ranked team, remained fourth in this week's Associated Press Top 25 even though the two teams ranked ahead of them lost.Miami dropped from second to eighth after losing to Notre Dame 29-20, and Tennessee plunged from third to 11th after falling to Alabama 9-6. Instead of Nebraska moving up, Auburn and Notre Dame leapfrogged over the Cornhuskers to take the Nos. 2 and 3 spots behind Virginia.
Nebraska, which routed Oklahoma State 31-3 Saturday, has outscored its opponents 305-53. But the opposition has a combined winning percentage of only .471, so many of the 60 sports writers and broadcasters who vote in the poll aren't sure if the Cornhuskers are for real.
"There's a perception that we haven't played anybody," Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne said Monday. "Our schedule hasn't been overwhelming, but it's better than the perception."
The Cornhuskers have beaten Baylor, Northern Illinois, Minnesota, Oregon State, Kansas State, Missouri and Oklahoma State. Although none were ranked, Osborne points out several 'Husker foes did well against Top 25 teams.
"Northern Illinois scored 73 points against Fresno State, and Missouri beat Arizona State and gave Colorado a tough game," he said. "Some of those teams are better than people realize."
Virginia (7-0) received solid support as the top team, but voters split over No. 2. Auburn edged Notre Dame by one point for the runner-up spot, with Nebraska only 17 points behind the Irish. Auburn (5-0-1), which beat Florida State 20-17, and Notre Dame (5-1) each climbed three spots.
Virginia tightened its grip on No. 1, getting 45 first-place votes and 1,469 points. The Cavaliers, who defeated Wake Forest 49-14, increased their first-place support by seven votes and widened their gap over the No. 2 team by 59 points.
Auburn received four first-place votes and 1,370 points, while Notre Dame got five first-place votes and 1,369 points. Nebraska received 1,352 points and was the No. 1 pick on five ballots.
Illinois (5-1) jumped three notches to fifth after edging Michigan State 15-13, and Houston (6-0), which got one first-place vote, moved up three places to sixth following a 44-17 rout of Southern Methodist. Washington (6-1) climbed six spots to seventh after stomping Stanford 52-16.
Brigham Young (5-1) moved up three places to ninth following an off week, and Colorado (6-1-1) climbed four spots to 10th after beating Kansas 41-10. Florida State (4-2) fell five spots to 12th, and Texas rose six notches to 13th after clobbering Arkansas 49-17. Florida is 14th, followed by Iowa, Georgia Tech, Mississippi, Wyoming, Clemson, Michigan, Southern Cal, Oklahoma, Arizona, Texas Christian and Oregon.
Iowa's 24-23 victory over Michigan (3-3) vaulted the Hawkeyes (5-1) seven spots to 15th and dropped the Wolverines 10 places to 20th. Michigan, No. 1 before losing to Michigan State Oct. 13, has plummeted 20 places in two weeks, the largest drop for a No. 1 team in recent memory.
Georgia Tech (5-0-1) fell five places to 16th after tying North Carolina 13-13. Southern Cal and Oklahoma dropped six spots each, to 21st and 22nd, after losing for the second time. Southern Cal was beaten by Arizona 35-26 and Oklahoma lost to Iowa State 33-31.
Indiana, Michigan State and Texas A&M dropped out of the Top 25. Indiana, 20th last week, was blanked by Minnesota 12-0 and Texas A&M, 25th a week ago, tied Baylor 20-20. Michigan State was 24th last week.
Arizona and Oregon, which beat Arizona State 27-7, moved back into the Top 25 after a week's absence. Idle Texas Christian is ranked for the first time since 1984, when itgot as high as 12th.
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(Additional information)
AP top 10
The top 10 teams in the Associated Press 1990 Top 25 college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Oct. 20, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and last week's rankings:
Record Pts. Pvs.
1. Virginia 7-0-0 1,469 1
2. Auburn 5-0-1 1,370 5
3. Notre Dame 5-1-0 1,369 6
4. Nebraska 7-0-0 1,352 4
5. Illinois 5-1-0 1,219 8
6. Houston 6-0-0 1,180 9
7. Washington 6-1-0 1,106 13
8. Miami, Fla. 4-2-0 1,061 2
9. Brigham Young 5-1-0 972 12
10. Colorado 6-1-1 930 14