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Miami, ranked No. 1 in the two major polls, finally moves into national title territory as it slips past Oklahoma in the computer rankings.
Compiled from Times wires
© St. Petersburg Times, published November 6, 2001
Miami, No. 1 in both polls voted on by humans, finally got some respect from the computer hard drives.
The Hurricanes moved past Oklahoma into the No. 2 spot in the Bowl Championship Series standings released Monday. Miami, which trailed the Sooners by 0.12 of a point last week, has a 1.22 point lead on OU. Miami gained ground in its average in eight computer ratings and in strength of schedule.
Saturday's results helped make the difference. Miami received a bigger boost in the computers and strength of schedule by beating Temple. Oklahoma lost ground with its victory against Tulsa.
"We're very pleased to be ranked second in the BCS, as well as being ranked No. 1 in the two traditional polls," UM coach Larry Coker said. "Our team understands that we can only accomplish our goals as long as we win. It serves no purpose for us to worry about anything else."
Nebraska retained the top spot. The Cornhuskers have 2.62 points, giving it a comfortable lead on Miami, which has 6.61 points. If both teams finish undefeated, they play for the national championship in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 3.
Florida is seventh with 15.84 points.
Oklahoma was third with 7.83, followed by Tennessee's 12.74, Texas' 13.93 and Oregon's 14.80. Washington is eighth, followed by Washington State.
Michigan dropped to 10th from fourth after Saturday's loss to Michigan State, while Stanford fell to 11th from sixth after a loss at Washington.
Illinois, Brigham Young, Florida State and Maryland round out the Top 15 in the rankings.
BYU, along with Nebraska and Miami, is the nation's only other Division I-A undefeated team. To be eligible to be selected for a BCS at-large bowl, the Cougars must finish in the top 12 of the BCS standings.
The BCS standings are computed using four components: polls (media and coaches), computer rankings (based on eight computer rating services), strength of schedule (computed by the BCS) and number of losses. Each component makes up 25 percent of the ratings formula. Each team's highest and lowest computer ratings are thrown out, with the computer rating an average of the remaining six.
Although Miami's move up may silence some critics, one of the computer rankings used by the BCS could draw charges of regional bias. The Seattle Times rankings have five Pac-10 teams in its top 12, including No. 2 Washington and No. 5 Washington State.
Nebraska's 2.62-point breakdown: 2 points for poll average, 1 point for computer average, 0.92 for strength of schedule, 0 for won-loss record and a 1.3-bonus point deduction for beating Oklahoma on Oct. 27.
The bonus award -- new this season -- is based on a sliding scale from 1.5 points for beating a first-place team down to .1 for a win over the 15th-place team. The bonus is awarded after the other elements are calculated.
Miami (6.61) had 1 point for poll average, 2.83 for computer average, 2.88 for strength of schedule, 0 for won-loss record and a .1-point deduction for beating FSU.
Oklahoma (7.83) had 3.5 for poll average, 3.67 for computer average, 0.76 for strength of schedule, 1 for won-loss record and a 1.1-point deduction for beating Texas on Oct. 6.
Looking ahead, the schedule seems to favor Miami, which plays four strong teams to close the season -- at Boston College (6-2), home to Syracuse (7-2) and Washington (7-1), and at Virginia Tech (6-2).
Oklahoma plays Texas A&M (7-2) and visits Texas Tech (5-3) and Oklahoma State (2-6) before a likely rematch against Nebraska in the Big 12 title game.
The final BCS standings will be released Dec. 9.