TSN power poll

Sporting News, The, Sept 30, 2002

TSN POWER POLL

The TSN Power Poll is determined by TSN writers and editors.

Rk.   Team (last week)        W-L   Last week

 1.   Miami (1)               4-0   W, 38-6 vs. Boston College
 2.   Oklahoma (2)            3-0   Idle
 3.   Texas (3)               3-0   W, 41-11 vs. Houston
 4.   Florida State (4)       4-0   W, 48-17 vs. Duke
 5.   Ohio State (5)          4-0   W, 23-19 at Cincinnati
 6.   Georgia (7)             3-0   W, 45-7 vs. Northwestern St.
 7.   Virginia Tech (8)       4-0   W, 13-3 at Texas A&M
 8.   Florida (9)             3-1   W, 30-13 at Tennessee
 9.   Penn State (10)         3-0   W, 49-17 vs. Louisiana Tech
10.   Notre Dame (13)         4-0   W, 21-17 at Michigan State
11.   Oregon (12)             4-0   W 41-0 vs. Portland State
12.   Tennessee (6)           2-1   L, 30-13 vs. Florida
13.   Washington State (14)   3-1   W, 45-28 vs. Montana State
14.   NC State (20)           5-0   W, 51-48 at Texas Tech
15.   Iowa State (17)         4-1   W, 42-12 vs. Troy State
16.   Michigan (15)           3-1   W, 10-7 vs. Utah
17.   Kansas State (--)       4-0   W, 27-20 vs. USC
18.   Oregon State (21)       4-0   W, 59-19 vs. Fresno State
19.   Auburn (19)             3-1   W, 42-14 at Mississippi State
20.   Washington (16)         2-1   W, 38-7 vs. Wyoming
21.   Wisconsin (23)          5-0   W, 31-10 vs. Arizona
22.   USC (11)                2-1   L, 27-20 at Kansas State
23.   Colorado State (24)     3-1   Idle
24.   Air Force (--)          3-0   W, 23-21 at California
25.   Nebraska (--)           3-1   Idle

Rk.   Next game                    TV info (all times Eastern)

 1.   vs. Connecticut, 10/5        5 p.m., Fox Sports Net
 2.   vs. South Florida, 9/28      7 p.m., TBS
 3.   at Tulane, 9/28              None
 4.   at Louisville, 9/26          7:30 p.m., ESPN
 5.   vs. Indiana, 9/28            None
 6.   vs. New Mexico State, 9/28   None
 7.   at Western Michigan, 9/28    None
 8.   vs. Kentucky, 9/28           3:30 p.m., CBS
 9.   vs Iowa, 9/28                Noon, ESPN
10.   vs. Stanford, 10/5           2:30 p.m., NBC
11.   at Arizona, 10/5             None
12.   vs. Rutgers, 9/28            None
13.   at California, 9/28          To be determined
14.   vs. Massachusetts, 9/28      None
15.   vs. Nebraska, 9/28           3:30 p.m., ABC (regional)
16.   at Illinois, 9/28            3:30 p.m., ABC (regional)
17.   at Colorado, 10/5            To be determined
18.   at USC, 9/28                 6:30 p.m., Fox Sports Net
19.   vs. Syracuse, 9/28           9 p.m., ESPN2
20.   vs. Idaho, 9/28              None
21.   vs. Penn State, 10/5         To be determined
22.   vs. Oregon State, 9/28       6:30 p.m., Fox Sports Net
23.   at Nevada, 9/28              None
24.   at Utah, 9/28                None
25.   at Iowa State, 9/28          3:30 p.m., ABC (regional)

Dropped out: UCLA (18); California (22); Texas A&M (25).

THE BOTTOM FIVE

5. Mike Leach. Proved for the 75,638th time. The best defense is not a good offense.

4. Notre Dame's perfect record. Not one of the teams the Irish have beaten looks any good.

3. Casey Clausen's concentration. Just grab the center snap already, will you? Seven-year-olds do it all the time.

2. Texas A&M. Three yards and a cloud of futility.

1. The Big Ten. Not a week goes by without this league compromising what's left of its mystique.

PLAYER of the WEEK

NC State RB T.A. McLendon

A freshman, he tied a school record with five touchdowns, and NC State needed every point. McLendon, who rushed for 150 yards, scored on an 8-yard dash in overtime to give the Wolfpack a 51-48 win over Texas Tech after it blew a 28-point lead.

Hear from our Player of the Week on The Peter Brown Show with Scott Wetzel Tuesdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on Sporting News Radio, or at http://radio.sportingnews.com.

HEISMAN WATCH

* 1. QB Ken Dorsey, Miami Sr.: It isn't the prettiest candidacy: The passes flutter at times, and the 'Canes are relying more on the running game. Dorsey clearly is benefitting from Miami's talent and win streak.

** 2. QB Rex Grossman, Florida, Jr.: Welcome back to the race. His gutty performance in the rain at Tennessee lifted a program and a candidacy--just the kind of drama Heisman voters look for.

** 3. RB Maurice Clarett, Ohio State, Fr.: The scare vs. Cincinnati actually might have helped Clarett's campaign: It's clear OSU isn't the same team without him.

* 4. QB Chris Simms, Texas, Sr.: He's cruising along, and the numbers are pilling up, but we won't know the truth about Simms' candidacy until the 'Horns play a big game and he has to produce.

** 5. RB Steven Jackson, Oregon State, So.: The most productive back in the Pac-10, Jackson is more of a candidate than former OSU star Ken Simonton ever was. Next up: at USC, with a big chance for attention.