Top 25 At A Glance

1. PENN STATE (6-0) BEAT MINNESOTA, 16-15

For the second time this year, the Nittany Lions figure to fall out of the No. 1 spot after a victory. Penn State’s return ticket to the top could be punched in State College against Michigan in three weeks.

Next: at Northwestern, Nov. 1.

2. NEBRASKA (6-0) BEAT TEXAS TECH, 29-0

The Cornhuskers are into the soft underbelly of a schedule in which the record of their next five opponents is combined 14-19. Okay, how’s this for a record: Tom Osborne is 25-0 in Nebraska homecoming games.

Next: at Kansas.

3. FLORIDA STATE (6-0) BEAT GEORGIA TECH, 38-0

Can the Seminoles leap-frog the Nittany Lions and the Cornhuskers to the top of the heap? Well, it depends what side of the football you look at it from. Florida State is No. 1 in total defense, Nebraska is No. 1 in total offense.

Next: at Virginia.

4. N. CAROLINA (7-0) BEAT N. CAROLINA ST., 20-7

Raindrops kept falling on the Tar Heels’ heads but what was bothering them most was that they couldn’t put away the rival Wolfpack until less than three minutes remained despite a 429-190 edge in total offense.

Next: at Georgia Tech.

5. MICHIGAN (6-0) BEAT IOWA, 28-24

Taking literary license, “He who lives by the Sword, can win by the Sword.” Well that’s what the Wolverines did as linebacker Sam Sword’s interception with 31 seconds left was the final blow to the Hawkeyes.

Next: Sept. 13 at Michigan State.

6. AUBURN (6-1) LOST TO FLORIDA, 24-10

Forget that “Dameyune Craig, Heisman Trophy Candidate” talk that was circulating after his fourth consecutive 300-yard passing performance last week. Craig was 18 of 34 for 187 yards with an interception and fumble.

Next: at Arkansas

7. FLORIDA (6-1) BEAT AUBURN, 24-10

“Fun ‘N Gun” became “Pick ‘N Choose’ for Gator Coach Steve Spurrier, who went to third-string quarterback (and fifth-year senior) Noah Brindise after No. 2 Jesse Palmer began to try his patience with freshman mistakes.

Next: Georgia, Nov. 1.

8. LSU (5-2) LOST TO MISSISSIPPI, 36-21

Tiger Coach Gerry DiNardo offered this explanation of how his team can beat the nation’s No. 1 team one week then lose to a middle-of-the-road SEC team the next: “They [Mississippi] did to us what we did to Florida.”

Next: at Kentucky, Nov. 1.

9. TENNESSEE (5-1) BEAT ALABAMA, 38-21

As fast as Keith Jackson could say Allllllaaaaaabaaaaaama, Peyton Manning had the Volunteers the command of the game. Manning rolled his seventh consecutive 300-yard-plus passing game.

Next: South Carolina, Nov. 1

10. WASHINGTON (5-1) BEAT ARIZONA, 58-28

The first cut is the deepest: freshman Ja’Warren Hooker--on his first touch of the ball as a Husky--returned the game’s opening kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown.

Next: Oregon State.

11. OHIO STATE (6-1) BEAT INDIANA, 31-0

As the Buckeyes went through the motions against the Big Ten’s alternative to an open date in the schedule, their bored fans only reacted to updates of the nail-biters at State College, Pa. and Ann Arbor, Mich.

Next: Northwestern.

12. MICHIGAN ST. (5-1) LOST TO NORTHWESTERN, 19-17

The Spartans must be wondering just how much eligibility does that Autry fellow have left. That was Darnell Autry’s brother Adrian doing the damage this year, plowing through the nation’s fourth-ranked rushing defense for 175 yards.

Next: Michigan.

13. WASHINGTON STATE (6-0) BEAT CALIFORNIA, 63-37

The Point-a-Minute Cougars were particularly proficient in the first half, averaging a point every 43 seconds. Breaking it down by time of possession, they scored six first-half touchdowns in 8:22, an average of one every one minute 24 seconds.

Next: Arizona.

14. TEXAS A&M; (5-1) LOST TO KANSAS STATE, 36-17

That undefeated record the Aggies brought into Manhattan, Kan. was a mirage, as was a running game that vanished deep into the 0-zone at minus-35 yards.

Next: at Texas Tech.

15. IOWA (4-2) LOST TO MICHIGAN, 28-24

The Hawkeyes simply let the Wolverines Griese by--allowing Bob Griese’s son Brian to have a hand in three touchdowns in the second half after making three interceptions off him in the first half.

Next: Indiana.

16. OKLAHOMA STATE (6-0) DID NOT PLAY

How sweet it is. Bob Simmons, an assistant who was passed over for the Colorado job three years ago when Bill McCarthey stepped down, has one of the nation’s six unbeaten teams. Colorado has fallen off the face of the Top 25.

Next: Missouri

17. UCLA (5-2) BEAT OREGON STATE, 34-10

The words Heisman Trophy probably aren’t in Cade McNown’s vocabulary but he’s putting up numbers deserving of the honor. McNown, a junior, became UCLA’s career leader in total offense (6,320 yards).

Next: California.

18. AIR FORCE (7-1) LOST TO FRESNO STATE, 20-17

Forget what was to be in that epic battle of the unbeatens in the WAC championship game. The Falcons finally had their wings clipped, while New Mexico was handed its long overdue first loss by Rice.

Next: at Hawaii.

19. GEORGIA (4-1) BEAT VANDERBILT, 34-14

The Bulldogs bounced back from last week’s lopsided loss to Tennessee by picking apart the SEC’s top-rated defense. They had 396 yards against a Vanderbilt defense that had allowed an average of 242.

Next: Kentucky.

20. KANSAS STATE (5-1) BEAT TEXAS A&M;, 36-14

The Wildcats polished off the previously unbeaten Aggies in Nebraska-like fashion, grinding out three long scoring drives in the second half.

Next: at Oklahoma.

21. GEORGIA TECH (4-2) LOST TO FLORIDA STATE, 38-0

The Yellowjackets played like they were in straightjackets, with only 144 yards of total offense and not getting past the Florida State 39-yard line.

Next: North Carolina.

22. VIRGINIA TECH (5-1) DID NOT PLAY

The Top 25 voters should have declared a tie for the 22nd spot. Virginia Tech and West Virginia had open dates this week, play each other next week, are from the same conference (Big East) and have identical records.

Next: at West Virginia.

23. WEST VIRGINIA (5-1) DID NOT PLAY

See No. 22 and add this fact: both teams have the best two running backs in the Big East--Virginia Tech’s Keith Oxendine, an ox at 6-1, 223 pounds, and West Virginia’s Amos Zereoune, a Mountaineer of a man at 5-10, 195.

Next: Virginia Tech.

24. WISCONSIN (6-2) LOST TO PURDUE, 45-20

It’s one week and out of the Top 25 for the Badgers, and the Boilermakers (5-1) look like good candidates to take their place. Purdue ended Wisconsin’s win streak at six and has won five in a row--their longest streak since 1980.

Next: at Minnesota.

25. STANFORD (4-3) LOST TO ARIZONA STATE, 31-14

The Cardinal was treated rather unkindly by the Arizona schools in consecutive weeks. Stanford, which lost to Arizona, 28-22, last week, couldn’t get its high-powered ground game going against the Sun Devils.

Next: UCLA, Nov. 1.