Cards Football Ranked 16th in FWAA Poll
October 11, 2004 | Football
Oct. 11, 2004
DALLAS (FWAA) * - The University of Louisville football team is ranked 16th in the first Football Writer's Association 2004 regular season Grantland Rice Super 16 poll.
The Cardinals, who are ranked 17th in the USA Today/ESPN and 18th in AP Polls, will face third-ranked Miami in a nationally-televised game on ESPN.
USC (5-0), the defending FWAA national champs, garnered eight of the 16 first-place votes after holding off California, 23-17, to stay unbeaten and avenge its only defeat from last season. This is the first time in the three-year history of the poll that there has been a tie for the No. 1 spot.
Oklahoma (5-0), fresh off its 12-0 win over arch-rival Texas, was voted No. 1 by seven of the pollsters and Auburn (6-0), unranked in the preseason poll, notched the final top vote and is third in the poll. New ACC rivals Miami and Virginia round out the Top 5. The 'Canes moved up from No. 8, while the Cavs jumped nine spots from No. 14. Four different conferences each have three teams in the Super 16.
The Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll, introduced prior to the 2002 season, ranks the nation's top 16 Division I-A football teams. A regionally-balanced group of 16 selectors votes in the poll. The pollsters also select the FedEx Orange Bowl National Team of the Week, which is also announced each Monday during the regular season.
In addition, the 16 voters representing four regions, will cast a ballot each week and give a brief synopsis of their ballot. Unlike other college football polls, the FWAA makes each of its pollster's ballot public, along with the weekly synopsis.
The regular season's first poll includes six teams that were not among the preseason rankings. Joining Auburn in the poll are Purdue (No. 6), Wisconsin (No. 9), Utah (No. 11), Arizona State (No. 15) and Louisville (No. 16).
The complete first regular-season poll is as follows:
FWAA GRANTLAND RICE SUPER 16 POLL (OCT. 11, 2004) Rank School [1st] W-L Pts Pvs Opening Game t1. USC [8] 5-0 247 1 10/16 vs. No. 15 Arizona State t1. Oklahoma [7] 5-0 237 2 10/16 at Kansas State 3. Auburn [1] 6-0 214 - 10/16 vs. Arkansas 4. Miami 4-0 211 8 10/16 vs. No. 16 Louisville 5. Virginia 5-0 169 14 10/16 at No. 7 Florida State 6. Purdue 5-0 158 - 10/16 vs. No. 10 Wisconsin 7. Florida State 4-1 135 5 10/16 vs. No. 5 Virginia 8. California 3-1 118 11 10/16 vs. UCLA t9. Georgia 4-1 107 3 10/16 vs. Vanderbilt t9. Wisconsin 6-0 107 - 10/16 at No. 6 Purdue 11. Utah 5-0 90 - 10/16 vs. North Carolina 12. Texas 4-1 85 6 10/16 vs. Missouri 13. Tennessee 4-1 82 t16 10/16 at Ole Miss 14. Michigan 5-1 50 7 10/16 at Illinois 15. Arizona State 5-0 42 - 10/16 at No. 1 USC 16. Louisville 4-0 38 - 10/16 at No. 4 Miami
