| Associated Press final poll | |
| Rank | Record |
| 1. Oklahoma (71) | 13-0 |
| 2. Miami | 11-1 |
| 3. Washington | 11-1 |
| 4. Oregon State | 11-1 |
| 5. Florida State | 11-2 |
| 6. Virginia Tech | 11-1 |
| 7. Oregon | 10-2 |
| 8. Nebraska | 10-2 |
| 9. Kansas State | 11-3 |
| 10. Florida | 10-3 |
| 11. Michigan | 9-3 |
| 12. Texas | 9-3 |
| 13. Purdue | 8-4 |
| 14. Colorado State | 10-2 |
| 15. Notre Dame | 9-3 |
| 16. Clemson | 9-3 |
| 17. Georgia Tech | 9-3 |
| 18. Auburn | 9-4 |
| 19. South Carolina | 8-4 |
| 20. Georgia | 8-4 |
| 21. Texas Christian | 10-2 |
| 22. Louisiana State | 8-4 |
| 23. Wisconsin | 9-4 |
| 24. Mississippi State | 8-4 |
| 25. Iowa State | 9-3 |
| Also receiving votes: Tennessee 187, Toledo 173, NU 103, Ohio State 62, Louisville 53, Southern Mississippi 47, Air Force 40, Boise State 24, N.C. State 13, East Carolina 8, Boston College 4, Texas A&M 2, UNLV 1, West Virginia 1 | |
First there was that vicious beating in the Alamo Bowl. Next came Carlos Polk’s tasteless comparison of NU to “a middle-school team.”
But what might be the worst blow to Northwestern came one week later — from a bunch of pasty and paunchy sportswriters.
The Wildcats were booted out of the Top 25 in the season’s final polls, released Thursday. After heading to San Antonio happily ranked, NU fell to 28th place in The Associated Press poll and 26th in the USA Today/ESPN poll.
The Cats’ hideous 66-17 loss to Nebraska damaged their position, but the Top 25 snub still came as a surprise.
And frankly, we think it stinks.
After finishing with an 8-3 record and a share of the Big Ten championship, NU ranked No. 18 in the AP poll and No. 19 in the USA Today/ESPN poll prior to the Nebraska meltdown.
Included in NU’s accomplishments this season were victories over Michigan and Wisconsin, who placed 11th and 23rd in the final AP rankings, respectively. Yet those accomplishments held little weight with the pollsters — apparently products of the Palm Beach County school of voting. The Cats fell 10 spots, matching Ohio State for the largest nosedive. The Buckeyes fell to No. 29 following their 24-7 loss to South Carolina in the Outback Bowl.
NU players were unavailable for comment on the rankings, a school spokesman said, adding that they had downplayed the importance of polls all season.
People speculate on how the media come up with their rankings. Now NU fans know: They pull the polls out of their … ears.
