Ohio State Starts the Season No. 1 in Associated Press Poll

Ohio State starts the season where it hopes to end up for the first time in 30 years--No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll.

The Buckeyes won their third national championship in 1968 season under Coach Woody Hayes. And now, after rival Michigan won its first national title in 50 years, Ohio State is primed for another championship run under Coach John Cooper.

“Being No. 1 is something you shoot for, so we’re certainly not going to apologize for being picked as the best team to start the season,” Cooper said. “The expectation level has always been high here, and it’s a compliment to our program. It’s something we’ll try to live up to.”

This is the sixth time the Buckeyes open the season as the No. 1 team. The other years were in 1958, 1962, 1969, 1970 and 1980.

Since 1950, teams ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press preseason poll have gone on to win the national title eight times: Tennessee (1951); Michigan State (1952); Oklahoma (1956, 1974, 1975, 1985); Alabama (1978); and Florida State (1993).

The final Associated Press poll will be released Jan. 5.

*

University of Oregon football player Davis Michael Sanchez has been charged with threatening to bring a bomb into a state office because a clerk refused to void his parking fines.

Sanchez, 24, was arraigned Friday in Lane County (Ore.) Circuit Court on two counts of attempted coercion. He was released after posting bail.

Sanchez claimed it was all a joke, but Oregon Coach Mike Bellotti said the senior defensive back has been suspended from the team indefinitely.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

AP POLL *--*

Team ’97 Record Points Prv. 1. Ohio St. (30) 10-3 1,668 12 2. Florida St. (22) 11-1 1,663 3 3. Florida (5) 10-2 1,547 4 4. Nebraska (4) 13-0 1,534 2 5. Michigan (4) 12-0 1,475 1 6. Kansas St. (2) 11-1 1,335 8 7. UCLA (1) 10-2 1,331 5 8. Arizona St. (2) 9-3 1,256 14 9. LSU 9-3 1,237 13 10. Tennessee 11-2 1,094 7 11. West Virginia 7-5 985 -- 12. North Carolina 11-1 864 6 13. Penn St. 9-3 804 16 14. Texas A&M; 9-4 760 20 15. Colorado St. 11-2 631 17 16. Virginia 7-4 620 -- 17. Syracuse 9-4 608 21 18. Washington 8-4 494 18 19. Georgia 10-2 480 10 20. Wisconsin 8-5 444 -- 21. Southern Miss. 9-3 341 19 22. Notre Dame 7-6 291 -- 23. Michigan St. 7-5 211 -- 24. Arizona 7-5 208 -- 25. Auburn 10-3 201 11

*--*

Others receiving votes: Texas 145, USC 121, Georgia Tech 86, Missouri 72, Colorado 60, Oklahoma St. 31, Purdue 30, Mississippi 24, Mississippi St. 21, Utah 17, BYU 10, Miami 10, Wake Forest 9, Oregon 8, Arkansas 7, Kentucky 4, Washington St. 4, Tulane 3, Marshall 2, South Carolina 2, Louisiana Tech 1, Toledo 1.

* USA TODAY/ESPN POLL, C14