College football is once again doing college football things. Hello, October.
There were some moves in the AP Poll this week, particularly in the top 10. Someone had to lose the Ohio State-Oregon matchup, and LSU’s overtime win over Ole Miss created a bit of a shakeup as well. With about half the season left to play, it’s safe to say there are more surprises to come as this fall unfolds.
Here is how I voted this week in the top 25.
- Texas
- Oregon
- Penn State
- Georgia
- Ohio State
- Miami
- Alabama
- Tennessee
- LSU
- Clemson
- Iowa State
- Notre Dame
- Ole Miss
- BYU
- Texas A&M
- Boise State
- Kansas State
- Indiana
- Missouri
- Pitt
- Illinois
- Michigan
- SMU
- Utah
- Army
The top 10
There’s no question, at least in my eyes, who the top team in the country is through this juncture. Texas has been dominant in every facet — regardless of who the quarterback is — and archrival Oklahoma was just the Longhorns’ latest victim. That matchup against Georgia this coming weekend should be a fun one. Oregon had an impressive, albeit tight, win over a previously undefeated Ohio State team. It was expected to be a matchup of the Big Ten’s best, and it certainly didn’t disappoint … unless you were rooting for the Buckeyes. Penn State avoided USC’s upset bid to remain undefeated; I was close to putting Georgia above the Nittany Lions, but being undefeated has to mean something at this point in the year.
I couldn’t move Ohio State too far down for losing to Oregon, so No. 5 seemed about right. Miami didn’t play this week, but the Hurricanes are right in the hunt for the ACC crown and an automatic bid to the College Football Playoff. Alabama survived a tight one against South Carolina, as did Tennessee against Florida. But SEC wins are SEC wins. LSU won a thriller over Ole Miss in overtime, which led me to essentially switch the two teams in this week’s rankings. Rounding out my top 10 is Clemson, who just keeps winning since its season-opening loss to Georgia.
The rest
Iowa State is undefeated and already bowl eligible, marking another outstanding coaching job from Matt Campbell. Notre Dame has rebounded since its loss to Northern Illinois and bludgeoned Stanford by 41 this week. Ole Miss made its way back into the top 10 last week after winning at South Carolina, and it’s hard to knock the Rebels down too far after losing in overtime at Tiger Stadium against a ranked LSU squad. BYU keeps winning, the latest victory a dominant one over Arizona. Texas A&M was idle, and Boise State keeps putting up impressive offensive stats due in large part to star running back Ashton Jeanty, who already has 1,248 rushing yards. Kansas State won a tight one at Colorado, with quarterback Avery Johnson throwing a go-ahead 50-yard touchdown with 2:14 to play. Indiana was idle but is bowl eligible and undefeated, and Missouri rallied from last weekend’s loss to Texas A&M with a dominant showing against UMass.
Illinois won by a point in overtime against Purdue and remains solidly in the 20s. Michigan was off but is still hanging around in the latter portions of the top 25. SMU had a bye week but is coming off a ranked win over Louisville. Utah was very close to not being ranked for me, but a close loss at Arizona State by one score wasn’t grounds to knock them out completely quite yet. Lastly, Army is still unbeaten after dominating UAB by 34. The Black Knights’ matchup with Notre Dame in November should be a dandy.
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