Week One: September 1, 1990
There was little movement in the polls as most teams either played against non-competitive foes or did not begin the season until September 8. The only significant drop was Colorado, who fell from #5 to #6 the 31-31 tie with #8 Tennessee.
Week Two: September 8, 1990
The most significant game and slight upset of week two came in Provo, Utah, where the #16 BYU Cougars, led by 1990 Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer, held off the defending champion, #1 ranked Miami Hurricanes, 28-21. A comeback by #6 Colorado staved off defeat against unranked Stanford, 17-14. The pollsters remained unimpressed by Colorado, dropping them to #9 despite the win. The Gene Stallings era began for the #13 Alabama Crimson Tide with a loss to the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles, quarterbacked by Brett Favre. The Steve Spurrier era also began at the University of Florida. In Charlottesville, the #14 Virginia Cavaliers beat #9 Clemson in what was viewed as an upset. It was Virginia's first win ever over the Tigers, after 29 consecutive losses since their first meeting in 1955. The top five teams for the week ending September 8 were: Notre Dame, Auburn, Florida State, Michigan, and BYU.
Week Three: September 15, 1990
The most important game of week three was a top five match-up of #1 Notre Dame against #4 Michigan. In an exciting game, the Fighting Irish prevailed, 28-24, to remain #1. The other game that would have season long significance was (#21) Illinois' upset of (#9) Colorado, 23-22. The game would figure prominently in the national championship argument in January. Steve Spurrier also won his SEC debut, with his #24 Florida team besting the Alabama Crimson Tide, 17-13. While #2 Auburn and #3 Florida State both won, the Seminole's 48-6 win over Georgia Southern brought it to #2 in the polls. At the close of the week, the top five teams were: Notre Dame, Florida State, Auburn, BYU, and USC. Climbing into the top ten was Virginia with a 3-0 record.
Week Four: September 22, 1990
The game to watch was Notre Dame trying to keep its top ranking in the polls. The #1 Fighting Irish had yet another tough game, as they prevailed against #24 Michigan State, on the road, 20-19. #5 USC had a horrible game, as they were blown out by #21 Washington, 31-0. #20 ranked Colorado gained another win against #22 Texas, 29-22, but the win did not improve their ranking. By the next poll, the top five teams were: Notre Dame, Florida State, Auburn, BYU, and Tennessee. Virginia was still going up in the polls, ranking #7.
Week Five: September 29, 1990
There wasn't as much poll action as last week, but the surprise was when #20 Colorado beat #12 Washington, 20-14. The tie between #3 Auburn and #5 Tennessee, 26-26, caused their rankings to go down slightly. Top ranked Notre Dame kept their top ranking for at least one more week after topping Purdue, 37-11. The top five teams on the October 1 poll were: Notre Dame, Florida State, Michigan, Virginia, and Auburn.
Week Six: October 6, 1990
The most controversial game of the season - and one of the most controversial of all-time - occurred in Columbia, Missouri where #12 Colorado beat Missouri on a last minute lunge by back-up quarterback Charles Johnson. The problem, however, was that Johnson actually scored on Fifth Down due to an error by the seven officials calling the game. The game would have major ramifications for the national championship at year's end, but the subsequent poll did punish Colorado by dropping them two spots to #14. This play became especially controversial at the end of the season, as Georgia Tech would have most likely been undisputed champions had this mistake not been made and Missouri had won.
The day's other stunner came in South Bend where Stanford, with a 1-3 record, stunned the unbeaten #1 Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Meanwhile, #9 Miami met #2 Florida State, with the Hurricanes prevailing, 31-22. The loss dropped the second-ranked Seminoles to #10 and vaulted the Hurricanes back into the national championship picture. Idle #6 Tennessee picked up a first-place vote despite two ties in their first five games.
The stunning loss of Notre Dame scattered the first-place AP votes among a number of teams. Michigan, Virginia, Miami, Oklahoma, and Tennessee - the top five in the poll of October 9, 1990 - each received first place votes as did #8 Nebraska, #10 Florida, and #13 Houston. Despite two ties on their record, Tennessee moved up to #5 when #5 Auburn escaped a major upset at the hands of Louisiana Tech, 16-14.
Week Seven: October 13, 1990
After sitting on top of the college rankings for only four days, Michigan became the third number one team of the year to get knocked off the top spot, losing 28-27 at home in Ann Arbor to arch rival Michigan State. The day's other upset of a top five team was #4 Oklahoma's 14-13 loss to unranked Texas in the Red River Shootout. #9 Florida also endured their first loss in the Steve Spurrier era, losing a 45-3 rout at the hands of #5 Tennessee, and #18 Georgia Tech knocked off #15 Clemson in a game that was to be of greater import at the end of season. The top five rankings released on October 13, 1990: Virginia, Miami, Georgia Tech, Nebraska, Auburn.
