Nebraska was named the preseason No. 1 team Tuesday by the Football Writers
Association of America.
The Huskers, winners of three of the last six national championships, beat
out No. 2 Florida State by two points in voting by 44 FWAA members. Nebraska
got 23 of the first-place votes, followed by Florida State with 19. Texas
and Michigan each received one vote.
Nebraska and Florida State are generally considered to be the top two teams
in the country coming into the season. The Huskers are coming off a 12-1
season during which they won the Big 12 title and beat Tennessee in the
Fiesta Bowl. Florida State captured its second national championship in
1999, the first undefeated season in coach Bobby Bowden's career.
Defending SEC champion Alabama was No. 3, followed by Texas, Miami,
Michigan, Florida, Wisconsin, Georgia and Kansas State.
The Big Ten landed six of its 11 teams in the poll. The Big 12 also had six
teams. The SEC had five. The entire poll appears below.
FWAA Preseason Top 25
|
Team | Votes |
| 1. Nebraska (23) |
1069 |
| 2. Florida State (19) | 1067 |
| 3. Alabama | 1050 |
| 4. Texas (1) | 876 |
| 5. Miami, Fla. | 844 |
| 6. Michigan (1) | 832 |
| 7. Florida | 795 |
| 8. Wisconsin | 763 |
| 9. Georgia | 729 |
| 10. Kansas State | 696 |
| 11. Tennessee | 637 |
| 12. Virginia Tech | 634 |
| 13. Washington | 516 |
| 14. Purdue | 440 |
| 15. Southern California | 413 |
| 16. Clemson | 388 |
| 17. Ohio State | 353 |
| 18. Mississippi | 333 |
| 19. Oklahoma | 271 |
| 20. Penn State | 254 |
| 21. TCU | 229 |
| 22. Texas A&M | 167 |
| 23. Colorado | 161 |
| 24. Illinois | 152 |
| 25. UCLA | 120 |
| |
| First-place votes in parentheses |
