Florida State, Michigan share top spot in polls

A day after both Florida State University and the University of Michigan beat up on top-five opponents, the coaches voted the Seminoles as the best team in the nation, while the Associated Press poll lists the Wolverines on top.

The Wolverines (9-0), who slammed Penn State University 34-8 Saturday, assumed the top spot in the latest Associated Press college football poll released Sunday. Michigan received 44 of a possible 70 first-place votes and 1,723 points from a nationwide panel of media.

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Florida State (9-0), which drilled the University of North Carolina 20-3 at Chapel Hill, climbed one place to second and received 23 first-place votes and 1,693 points in the Associated Press poll. The University of Nebraska (9-0), which escaped with a 45-38 overtime victory at the University of Missouri, garnered the three remaining first-place votes and 1,623 points as it fell from the top spot.

Ohio State University (9-1) and the University of Tennessee (7-1) both jumped three places to round out the top five.

Penn State (7-1), the preseason No. 1, tumbled four spots to sixth. The University of Georgia (7-1) climbed two rungs despite the week off, while the Tar Heels (8-1) fell three spots to eighth. UCLA (7-2) and Kansas State University (8-1) completed the top 10, moving up one notch each.

The Seminoles assumed the top spot in the latest coaches’ poll released Sunday morning. Florida State (9-0) received 26 of a possible 62 first-place votes and 1,505 points from a nationwide panel of coaches.

Michigan jumped from fourth to second with 20 first-place votes and 1,493 points. Nebraska received the other 16 first-place votes and 1,459 points while falling from one to three. Ohio State, which travels to Michigan to close the season in two weeks, jumped four spots to fourth. Tennessee (7-1) jumped up two spots to round out the top five.

Holyfield pounds Moorer for another title

Evander Holyfield retained his WBA heavyweight title and took the IBF heavyweight crown away from Michael Moorer following a TKO after eight rounds Saturday night.

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Holyfield avenged an earlier defeat to Moorer, knocking his opponent down five times during the fight. After the eighth round, ringside doctor Flip Homansky advised referee Mitch Halpern to put a stop to the bout.

The fight actually started well for Moorer, as he buckled the knees of Holyfield near the end of round one and nearly floored his opponent. But by round three, Holyfield began to take over and did not lose a round after that point. Moorer did not take advantage of his right jab, the weapon that proved to be so effective against Holyfield in their first bout.

The victory upped Holyfield’s record to 35-3 with 25 knockouts and paved his way toward the ultimate unification bout with WBC heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis. It was Holyfield’s first bout since a disqualification win over Mike Tyson just over four months ago. The 29-year-old Moorer fell to 39-2 with 31 knockouts.