THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, September 23, 1996 TAG: 9609230149
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
LENGTH: 64 lines
While the East Coast slept, Nebraska dozed in the desert.
You snooze, you lose.
And then, if you're the Cornhuskers, you roll over and discover that you've dropped from No. 1 in the Associated Press poll to eighth place.
The architects of the new AP rankings, unhampered by anything resembling a scientific approach to evaluating the comparative merits of teams, show themselves to be part of the law and order crowd.
Last season, the Cornhuskers were a team with more defense attorneys than assistant coaches.
So when the defending national champions lost 19-0 at Arizona State Saturday night, the media seized the opportunity to pass on their own indictment of coach Tom Osborne and his coddling of Nebraska's criminal element.
Why did the voters drop the Huskers eight places?
I assume because it felt good.
Now Florida is atop the heap after stunning Tennessee in Knoxville.
Also dumbfounded, one supposes, were television executives, as millions of college football fans switched to another game when Florida scored the first 35 points.
Once again, a highly anticipated and overly hyped game turns out to be a dud. Happens more often than we like to admit.
Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning didn't exactly embarrass himself, but those four interceptions he threw in the first half probably pushed him back into the pack of Heisman Trophy candidates.
Manning ended up throwing for four touchdowns. But it took him 65 passes to do it.
Makes you wonder if the Tennessee coaches ever heard of a pitch count.
Speaking of keeping count, Nebraska's loss gives Virginia Tech, with its 13 consecutive victories, the nation's longest Division I-A winning streak.
The poll voters were so impressed with this that they kept the Hokies at No. 18 in the rankings, right where they started Saturday.
Once again, it must be the schedule. It's a schedule that would never lead anyone to believe Virginia Tech actually thinks that it belongs in the big time.
The Hokies can't do anything about Rutgers, a fellow member of the Big Least conference.
It's not Tech's fault, either, that next week's game at Syracuse has lost some of its juice.
After being ranked as high as No. 9 in preseason polls, the Orangemen (0-2 after a loss to Minnesota) have turned out to be little more than frozen concentrate.
That still doesn't explain Tech's game against Akron, though. Or that upcoming non-attraction Southwestern Louisiana. Beating conference footwipes Temple and Pittsburgh isn't going to impress anyone, either.
In truth, polls are a tedious exercise compared with the possibilities presented by interesting games. It's hardly worth mentioning that the University of Virginia moved from 20 to 19 in the rankings, what with the Cavaliers getting ready to welcome Texas, a national attraction, to Scott Stadium.
Virginia Tech's best opportunity to impress the nation comes when the Hokies visit Miami, currently ranked 10th.
The game doesn't roll around until Nov. 16.
By then, Miami coach Butch Davis may have suspended so many of his athletes, he'll have to start a tuba player at inside linebacker. by CNB