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| | Monday, August 28 Colorado moves in as Penn St. drops out | |||||
| SportsTicker ARLINGTON, Va. -- A lackluster season-opening effort dropped Penn State out of the ESPN/USA Today college football coaches' poll released Monday. Just a few games took place last weekend, including Penn State's 29-5 loss to Southern California in the Kickoff Classic. Penn State was 17th in the preseason poll. But this week, the Nittany Lions collected 107 points, the most of any team not in the top 25. The absence of Penn State moved Colorado into the rankings in the 25th spot. The first 12 teams in the poll remained unchanged, including second-ranked and defending national champion Florida State, which opened its season Saturday night with an impressive 29-3 win over Brigham Young in the Pigskin Classic. The Seminoles received 17 first-place votes -- four less than in the preseason poll -- and 1,416 points from a panel of 59 Division I-A coaches. Nebraska, which opens its season Saturday against San Jose State, received 1,446 points and 40 first-place votes, four more in each category than it received in the initial poll. The Cornhuskers went 12-1 last year and finished second in the season's final poll. Quarterback Eric Crouch is one of nine returning offensive starters for Nebraska, which has finished atop the coaches' poll three times in the last six years. The other significant move in Monday's poll involved USC, which moved up three spots to 13th thanks to Sunday's win. Kansas State remained ninth after Saturday's 27-7 win over Iowa in the Eddie Robinson Classic. Virginia Tech, which had its game with Georgia Tech on Sunday night postponed by inclement weather, stayed at No. 10. Alabama, the defending Southeastern Conference champion, again received one first-place vote and is third overall with 1,305 points. Michigan is fourth with 1,214 points, while Big Ten rival Wisconsin received the remaining first-place vote and is fifth with 1,211 points. Miami is sixth, followed by Florida and Texas. Georgia is 11th, preceeding Tennessee. Purdue is behind USC at 14th and is followed by Washington, Ohio State, Mississippi, Clemson, Oklahoma and Illinois. Texas Christian, Michigan State, Texas A&M, Southern Mississippi and Colorado complete the poll. The ESPN/USA Today poll is part of the Bowl Championship Series standings, which determine the teams that will participate in its national title game. This season's contest is at the Orange Bowl on Jan. 3. | ALSO SEE ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll AP Top 25: Penn State out for first time since '92 Trojans' defense smothers Casey, No. 17 Penn State | |||||