Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 4, 1995 TAG: 9501040093
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Virginia, a 20-10 winner over Texas Christian in the Independence Bowl, finished 15th in the final Associated Press college football poll released Tuesday.
Tech, a 45-23 loser to Tennessee in the Gator Bowl, fell out of the AP Top 25. The Hokies, ranked 17th heading into the bowls, finished 15 points behind No.25 Texas and headed the list of other teams receiving votes.
The Cavaliers (9-3) finished 13th and the Hokies were 24th in the USA Today-CNN Top 25 picked by the coaches. The coaches do not vote for teams on NCAA probation.
Tech (8-4) was the highest-ranked team in the final regular-season poll to fall out of the final AP poll. North Carolina and Duke, both losers in bowls, also fell out. Tennessee, Boston College and Texas replaced the losing trio.
Tech was looking to finish in the final AP Top 25 for the second consecutive season. The Hokies were No.22 last season after beating Indiana in the Independence Bowl.
Tech's highest finish in the AP poll was 16th in 1954, when it went 8-0-1. The Hokies finished 20th in 1986 after winning the Peach Bowl.
Virginia's finish is the Cavaliers' highest - with an asterisk. UVa was 13th in the final 1951 poll, which was conducted before the bowls. The first poll to be taken after the bowls was in 1965.
``It still sounds pretty good to me,'' said UVa co-captain Mike Frederick. ``I don't want to say I was rooting against Carolina and Virginia Tech in the bowls, but we knew who was ahead of us.
``We really wanted to finish in the top 15. In that respect, there was a big difference between 15 and 16.''
- Staff report
by CNB