Michigan takes over No. 1 spot in AP poll

STATE COLLEGE - The implications of Michigan's domination of previously unbeaten Penn State reach far beyond the Big Ten standings. The Wolverines jumped three spots in the Associated Press top 25 poll and own the poll's No. 1 ranking for the first time since October 1990.

Michigan was ranked second in the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll, surpassed only by Florida State, who trounced then-No. 5 North Carolina, 20-3, in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday night.

Undefeated Nebraska dropped from the top spot in both polls after needing overtime to edge unranked Missouri, 45-38. The Cornhuskers slipped to No. 3 and Penn State to No. 6 in both polls.

"Right now, Michigan has the best defense in the country and one of the hottest offenses," said Jim Cnockaert of the Ann Arbor News, who voted Michigan No. 1 in this week's AP poll.

"Lloyd Carr said all season that as soon as they cut down on their mistakes, their offense would be great," Cnockaert said. "Nobody's stopped Michigan except themselves, but that performance Saturday was amazing."

It is not unusual for a team to lose its No. 1 ranking after a poor performance, even after winning. The Nittany Lions dropped to No. 2 in both polls after a sub-par effort against Minnesota. The next week, Penn State slipped to No. 3 in the coaches poll after squeaking by Northwestern.

With Florida State occupying the No. 2 spot in that poll last week, it's no surprise that the Seminoles are the coaches' top choice this week. Penn State coach Joe Paterno said he would vote for Michigan after suffering the worst home loss of his career, but coaches in the South who didn't get a chance to watch the game on TV may not agree.

"The coaches tend to go with the teams that have already been there," Cnockaert said. "Generally, the writers are more open minded about giving (a first-place vote) to somebody new who deserves it."

The Seminoles garnered 26 of the coaches poll's 62 first-place votes. Michigan received 20 first-place votes and sits just 12 points behind Florida State.

The Wolverines ran away with the AP poll, taking 44 of the 70 first-place votes. Florida State had 23 and Nebraska kept just three votes. Michigan leads the Seminoles by 30 points in the AP poll.

The last time the Wolverines were the top-ranked team in the country, they lost their next two games and ended the season with a No. 7 ranking after beating Mississippi in the 1991 Gator Bowl.

11-22-97