How Star-Telegram’s Steven Johnson voted in AP poll: A surprising new No. 1
If Week 6 of college football was about upsets, then Week 7 was about showdowns across the country. There were numerous ranked matchups that provided a number of interesting results.
The biggest came in Eugene, with Indiana picking up an impressive 30-20 win over Oregon that led me vote the Hoosiers No. 1 on this week’s ballot over Miami and Ohio State.
While I believe Ohio State is more talented and would likely beat Indiana, I don’t know that for a fact with the way the Hoosiers have looked, and ultimately Indiana has a slightly better resume.
The win at Oregon is better than the Buckeyes’ home win over Texas. They both played Illinois, and Indiana won by 53 while Ohio State won by 18. The Buckeyes have a win at Washington (5-1), while Indiana has a win at Iowa (4-2).
It’s close, but Indiana’s resume deserves to be rewarded.
Here’s how the Star Telegram’s Steven Johnson voted on the rest of his Associated Press Top 25 ballot:
Steven Johnson’s AP Top 25 ballot
1. Indiana (6-0): Surprise, surprise. The Hoosiers make an unprecedented jump to No. 1 after picking up the program’s biggest win ever at Oregon. Last week: 6
2. Ohio State (6-0): The Buckeyes have looked like the best team and continued to do so with a convincing win over Illinois, but Indiana has a better resume at this point. Last week: 2
3. Miami (5-0): The Hurricanes fell two spots despite having a bye week thanks to Florida State losing a third straight game. Last week: 1
4. Texas A&M (6-0): The Aggies pulled away in the second half for a 34-17 win over an upset-minded Florida team. This could be A&M’s best team since the Johnny Manziel days. Last week: 4
5. Texas Tech (6-0): The Red Raiders outscored Kansas 21-0 in the second half to pick up another convincing win in Big 12 play. Last week: 7
6. Ole Miss (6-0): The Rebels had a weird game, nearly being upset by a bad Washington State team in Oxford. The Rebels fall a few spots as a result. Last week: 3
7. Alabama (5-1): The Crimson Tide got a late interception to escape Columbia with a win over a ranked Missouri team. Is Ty Simpson a Heisman contender? Last week: 9
8. Georgia (5-1): It wasn’t pretty, and the Bulldogs were aided by some questionable officiating, but Georgia went on a 20-0 run to pick up a road win at Auburn. Last week: 10
9. Notre Dame (4-2): The Fighting Irish obliterated N.C. State 36-7, and it appears Notre Dame is playing its best football at the right time. Last week: 11
10. Oregon (5-1): The Ducks came up short in another big game, as Indiana was the more physical team. Aside from Penn State, Dan Lanning’s track record in big games in spotty. Last week: 5
11. Tennessee (5-1): The Volunteers weren’t overly impressive against Arkansas, but Tennessee did enough to pick up the 34-31 win. The defense is becoming a concern, though. Last week: 12
12. Georgia Tech (6-0): Haynes King had another nice game rushing and throwing the ball as the Yellow Jackets cruised to a 35-20 win over Virginia Tech. Last week: 14
13. LSU (5-1): The Tigers held South Carolina to 10 points, but the offense still remains a concern after only scoring 20 in the victory. Last week: 15
14. BYU (6-0): The Cougars stormed back from a 24-14 deficit in the fourth quarter to shock Arizona 33-27 in double overtime and stay undefeated. BYU may be Texas Tech’s biggest challenger in the Big 12. Last week: 16
15. Missouri (5-1): Two costly turnovers by quarterback Beau Pribula doomed the Tigers against the Crimson Tide in a 27-24 defeat. Last week: 13
16. Memphis (6-0): The Tigers had a bye week. Last week: 21
17. South Florida (5-1): The Bulls ruined the first sellout in North Texas history with a 63-36 blowout in Denton on Friday. Last week: NR
18. Vanderbilt (5-1): The Commodores had a bye week. Last week: 22
19. Texas (4-2): The Longhorns are back in the polls after shutting down Oklahoma in a 23-6 win at the Cotton Bowl. Texas’ defense will give the Longhorns a chance in every game the rest of the way. Last week: NR
20. Oklahoma (5-1): Was quarterback John Mateer hurt or just a bit overrated? Mateer threw three costly interceptions against Texas and couldn’t make plays on the ground against a much more athletic defense. Last week: 8.
21. USC (5-1): The Trojans thoroughly outplayed Michigan in a convincing 31-13 win. Michigan was held to just 3.5 yards per carry. Last week: NR
22. Michigan (4-2): The Wolverines stay in the poll thanks to their win over Nebraska earlier in the season, but there’s a clear ceiling on Michigan’s offense. Last week: 17
23. Nebraska (5-1): Despite three interceptions from Dylan Raiola, the Cornhuskers survived an upset attempt by a better than expected Maryland team. Last week: 23
24. Cincinnati (5-1): The Bearcats weren’t flashy in a 20-11 win over Central Florida and will need to be better in the following weeks to remain ranked. Last week: 24
25. Virginia (5-1): The Cavaliers dropped seven spots despite having a bye week due to Florida State falling off the ballot. Last week: 18
Dropped out: Florida State (19), Arizona State (20), Iowa State (25)
Moved up: South Florida, Texas, USC
Explaining the decisions
Arizona State, Iowa State and Florida State all lost in concerning fashion. Arizona State was without star quarterback Sam Leavitt against Utah. Iowa State was upset by a Colorado team that was reeling, and the Cyclones just don’t appear to be the same team without their two star cornerbacks. Florida State has unraveled in the past three weeks and doesn’t look like team that handled Alabama in Week 1.
Texas still has plenty of questions on offense, but the Longhorns’ defense is among the best in the country, as shown against the Sooners. USC showed it can get physical in the win over Michigan, while South Florida was an easy addition to the ballot after running through North Texas.
