Nov. 21, 1999 SportsLine wire reports

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Florida State clinched a berth in the national championship game with Saturday's win over archrival Florida yet lost a first-place vote in the latest coaches poll released this morning.

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The Seminoles (11-0), who wrapped up an undefeated regular season with a 30-23 victory in the Swamp, collected 57 of 59 first-place votes and 1,473 points from a national panel of coaches.

No. 2 Virginia Tech (10-0) garnered the other two first-place votes and 1,414 points after crushing Temple, 62-7. The Hokies, who finish the regular season Friday against No. 20 Boston College, moved closer to a meeting with Florida State in the Sugar Bowl, this year's title game. Last week, Virginia Tech received only one first-place vote.

Nebraska (9-1) was idle but moved up a spot to third and could supplant Virginia Tech in the Bowl Championship Series on the basis of a stronger schedule. The Cornhuskers will look to clinch a spot in the Big 12 championship Friday against Colorado.

Wisconsin (9-2), which battles Stanford in the Rose Bowl, and Texas (9-2) also climbed a spot to fourth and fifth, respectively.

Florida (9-2) slipped three rungs and starts the second five, followed by Tennessee (8-2), Kansas State (10-1), Alabama (9-2) and Michigan (9-2).

Michigan State (9-2) jumped from 14th to 11th after its 35-28 victory over then-No. 13 Penn State, which dropped two slots to 15th.

Marshall (10-0), the nation's other unbeaten team, fell one notch to 12th while Southern Mississippi (8-3) and Minnesota (8-4) were big winners, surging ahead four positions to 13th and 14th, respectively.

A 26-23 loss to Wake Forest cost Georgia Tech (8-3) four spots as the Yellow Jackets slipped from 12th to 16th. Texas A&M (7-3) is 17th, followed by East Carolina (9-2), Mississippi State (8-2) and Boston College (8-2), which earned a 31-29 victory over Notre Dame.

Georgia (7-3), Arkansas (7-3), Purdue (7-4), Mississippi (7-3) and Stanford (7-3) complete the Top 25. Mississippi plummeted eight slots after falling to Georgia 20-17, while Stanford debuted in the poll after clinching its first Rose Bowl appearance in 28 years with a 31-13 victory over California.

Slumping Brigham Young (8-3) dropped out following a 20-17 loss to Utah.