Each week of the 1997 season, CBS SportsLine's college-football gurus -- led by columnist Bob Keisser -- ranked every Division I-A college football team. Here's the final compilation from No. 1 to No. 112 -- from Michigan to Northern Illinois. The distance between Michigan and Nebraska in the final CBS SportsLine poll of the 1997 season winds up about the length of a toe. Michigan went 12-0 and beat seven teams that were ranked at the time they met. Nebraska went 13-0 but met and beat only four ranked teams during its march. Even if you conclude the Big Ten was overrated, and it was an unimpressive 2-5 during the bowls, that doesn't improve the strength of Nebraska's slate. Only once all season did Michigan trail in the fourth quarter of a game, its 28-24 win over Iowa. Nebraska was virtually beaten by Missouri before fate interceded with a deflection that allowed it to get into overtime. Nebraska's wins over Kansas State and Washington look good in retrospect, but the games against Akron and Central Florida do not help the cause. If anything, its pummeling of Tennessee in the Orange Bowl only proved that Michigan faced a better team in the bowls. Hindsight being perfect, the team which might have been the best in college football during 1997 was neither Nebraska nor Michigan. Florida State went 11-1, with nine of its wins by margins between 13 and 51 points. If anything, the demands for a playoff will only become more of a howl across the country. Rank Team Record LW Bowl result 1. Michigan 12-0 1 beat Wash. St. 2. Nebraska 13-0 2 beat Tennessee 3. Florida State 11-1 7 beat Ohio St. 4. UCLA 10-2 4 beat Texas A&M 5. Kansas State 11-1 5 beat Syracuse 6. Florida 10-2 6 beat Penn St. 7. North Carolina 11-1 8 beat Va. Tech 8. Washington St. 10-2 9 lost to Michigan 9. Tennessee 11-2 3 lost to Nebraska 10. Georgia 10-2 13 beat Wisconsin 11. Colorado State 11-2 14 beat Missouri 12. Penn State 9-3 10 lost to Florida 13. Ohio State 10-3 11 lost to Florida St. 14. Auburn 10-3 12 beat Clemson 15. Arizona St. 9-3 20 beat Iowa 16. Washington 8-4 24 beat Michigan St. 17. LSU 9-3 15 beat Notre Dame 18. Texas A&M 9-4 18 lost to UCLA 19. Southern Miss 9-3 21 beat Pitt 20. Purdue 9-3 23 beat Oklahoma St. 21. Missouri 7-5 16 lost to Colo. St. 22. Syracuse 9-4 17 lost to Kansas St. 23. Oklahoma St. 8-4 22 lost to Purdue 24. Air Force 10-3 19 lost to Oregon 25. Virginia 7-4 26 --- 26. Clemson 7-5 30 lost to Auburn 27. Michigan State 7-5 25 lost to Washington 28. Iowa 7-5 27 lost to Arizona St. 29. Mississippi 8-4 37 beat Marshall 30. Marshall 10-3 28 lost to Mississippi 31. Georgia Tech 7-5 41 beat West Virginia 32. Arizona 7-5 39 beat New Mexico 33. Oregon 7-5 52 beat Air Force 34. Notre Dame 7-6 32 lost to LSU 35. New Mexico 9-4 29 lost to Arizona 36. West Virginia 7-5 35 lost to Georgia Tech 37. Virginia Tech 7-5 31 lost to No. Carolina 38. Texas Tech 6-5 34 --- 39. Wisconsin 8-5 33 lost to Georgia 40. Mississippi St. 7-4 40 --- 41. Rice 7-4 36 --- 42. No.Carolina St. 6-5 44 --- 43. Toledo 9-3 38 --- 44. Tulane 7-4 42 --- 45. USC 6-5 45 --- 46. Miami-Ohio 8-3 43 --- 47. SMU 6-5 46 --- 48. Colorado 5-6 49 --- 49. Louisiana Tech 9-2 48 --- 50. Kentucky 5-6 50 --- 51. Cincinnati 8-4 54 beat Utah St. 52. Pittsburgh 6-6 47 lost to So. Miss 53 Navy 7-4 51 --- 54. South Carolina 5-6 53 --- 55. Utah 6-5 55 --- 56. BYU 6-5 56 --- 57. Ohio 8-3 57 --- 58. Northwestern 5-7 58 --- 59. Stanford 5-6 59 --- 60. Miami 5-6 60 --- 61. W. Michigan 8-3 61 --- 62. Alabama 4-7 63 --- 63. Wake Forest 5-6 64 --- 64. East Carolina 5-6 62 --- 65. Fresno State 6-6 65 --- 66. Boston College 4-7 66 --- 67. Wyoming 7-6 67 --- 68. San Diego St. 5-7 68 --- 69. Kansas 5-6 69 --- 70. Texas 4-7 70 --- 71. Central Florida 5-6 73 --- 72. Ball State 5-6 72 --- 73. Arkansas 4-7 71 --- 74. Cal 3-8 74 --- 75. Oklahoma 4-8 75 --- 76. Utah State 6-6 76 lost to Cincinnati 77. Vanderbilt 3-8 79 --- 78. Minnesota 3-9 77 --- 79. Memphis 4-7 78 --- 80. Duke 2-9 81 --- 81. Temple 3-8 80 --- 82. Army 4-7 82 --- 83. UTEP 4-7 83 --- 84. Oregon St. 3-8 85 --- 85. NE Louisiana 5-7 84 --- 86. Houston 3-8 86 --- 87. San Jose St. 4-7 87 --- 88. Nevada 5-6 88 --- 89. Hawaii 3-9 89 --- 90. Tulsa 2-9 90 --- 91. UNLV 3-8 91 --- 92. Iowa State 1-10 92 --- 93. Baylor 2-9 93 --- 94. Indiana 2-9 94 --- 95. Maryland 2-9 95 --- 96. TCU 1-10 96 --- 97. UAB 5-6 97 --- 98. E. Michigan 4-7 98 --- 99. Bowling Green 3-8 99 --- 100. Boise St. 4-7 100 --- 101. Idaho 5-6 101 --- 102. North Texas 4-7 102 --- 103. Louisville 1-10 103 --- 104. Illinois 0-11 104 --- 105. Akron 2-9 105 --- 106. Kent 3-8 106 --- 107. C. Michigan 2-9 107 --- 108. New Mexico St. 2-9 108 --- 109. SW Louisiana 1-10 109 --- 110. Rutgers 0-11 110 --- 111. Arkansas St. 2-9 111 --- 112. Northern Ill. 0-11 112 ---