The official final AP poll, taken before the bowls, had Notre Dame No. 1 (107 first place votes) and Michigan No. 2 (25 first place votes). Michigan won the Rose Bowl 49–0 over USC while Notre Dame did not play in a bowl game. Detroit Free Press sports editor Lyall Smith arranged a post-bowl AP poll with only Michigan or Notre Dame as choices. Michigan won that poll 266–119.Kyrk, John (2004). Natural Enemies. Taylor Trade Publications. pp.142–7. ISBN1-58979-090-1.
"2004 BCS Standings, BCS Rankings"(PDF). The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, Inc. Archived from the original(PDF) on September 10, 2008. Retrieved December 14, 2007.
"2004 BCS Standings, BCS Rankings"(PDF). The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, Inc. Archived from the original(PDF) on September 10, 2008. Retrieved December 14, 2007.