Why the Star Telegram’s Steven Johnson included TCU in latest AP Top 25 ballot
While there wasn’t a blockbuster matchup in Week 4 of college football, there were still plenty of exciting games across the country as many leagues began conference play.
As we get deeper into the season, Associated Press poll voters have more information to decipher, which makes it a tad bit easier to put together a Top 25 ballot.
For teams like Indiana, Memphis and TCU, Week 4 was about facing their first real test and whether or not they would be able to pass it. For teams like Illinois and Utah, Saturday was an opportunity to prove that they were national contenders.
After another exciting and informative week of football, here’s how TCU beat writer Steven Johnson voted in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll:
Steven Johnson’s AP Top 25 ballot
1. Ohio State (3-0): The Buckeyes had a bye week. Last week: 1
2. Miami (4-0): The Hurricanes pulled away late from rival Florida, but weren’t impressive enough to justify a move up over the Buckeyes. Last week: 2
3. Georgia (3-0): The Bulldogs also had a bye, but moved up over LSU. Last week: 4
4. Florida State (3-0): The Seminoles obliterated Kent State 66-10. Florida State has a potential trap game at Virginia on Friday night. Last week: 5
5. LSU (4-0): The Tigers’ wins over Clemson and Florida don’t provide much substance to their resume. Clemson fell to 1-3 on Saturday, while Miami had a more convincing win over the Gators. Last week: 3
6. Oregon (4-0): The Ducks rolled over a bad Oregon State team and will now finally face a real challenge Saturday at Penn State. Last week: 6
7. Texas A&M (3-0): The Aggies had a bye week. Last week: 7
8. Oklahoma (4-0): The Sooners survived an SEC grudge match in a win over former quarterback Jackson Arnold and Auburn. The Sooners have a playoff-caliber defense. Last week: 9
9. Ole Miss (4-0): The Rebels routed a good Tulane team as backup quarterback Trinidad Chambliss threw for 307 yards. Last week: 10
10. Indiana (4-0): The Hoosiers went from unranked on my ballot to the top 10 after demolishing a top-10 Illinois team. Last week: NR
11. Texas Tech (4-0): The Red Raiders made a statement with a dominant win on the road at Utah, but quarterback Behren Morton was banged up in the victory. Last week: 14
12. Penn State (3-0): The Nittany Lions had a bye, and their season finally starts on Saturday vs. Oregon. Last week: 8
13. Missouri (4-0): The Tigers survived a shootout with South Carolina and should be 5-0 when they face Alabama on Oct. 11. Last week: 15
14. Texas (3-1): Arch Manning finally had a good game as the Longhorns routed Sam Houston State. Will that momentum carry over when Manning and Texas travel to Florida? Last week: 12
15. Tennessee (3-1): The Vols responded from last week’s heartbreaker against Georgia with a blowout win over UAB. Last week: 13
16. Vanderbilt (4-0): Vandy dominated Georgia State and should enter its showdown against Alabama on Oct. 4 5-0. The Commodores beat South Carolina more impressively than Missouri, but the Tigers have a win over a 3-1 Kansas team and also faced South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers for the entire game. Last week: 17
17. Notre Dame (1-2): The Fighting Irish got their first win of the season with a convincing performance against Purdue. Last week: 16
18. Georgia Tech (4-0): The Yellow Jackets smoked Temple to improve to 4-0. Is the ACC a three-team race among Miami, Florida State and Georgia Tech? Last week: 18
19. Iowa State (4-0): The Cyclones had a bye week. Last week: 19
20. Alabama (2-1): The Crimson Tide had a bye week before starting a gauntlet of ranked opponents. Last week: 21
21. TCU (3-0): The Horned Frogs’ defense and receiver Eric McAlister stepped up in a big way as TCU pulled away from SMU in the fourth quarter. Last week: NR
22. Michigan (3-1): The Wolverines outlasted Nebraska in an entertaining contest as Michigan continued to lean on its ground game. Last week: NR
23. Mississippi State (4-0): The Bulldogs shut out Northern Illinois in the second half to pull away for a blowout win. Mississippi State’s win over Arizona State continues to age well after the Sun Devils improved to 3-1. Last week: 23
24. Memphis (4-0): The Tigers picked up a massive win over Arkansas at home and have the inside track to the Group of Five’s playoff spot. Last week: NR
25. USC (4-0): The Trojans picked up a solid win at home over Michigan State. USC may not have the star power of past teams, but this still feels like Lincoln Riley’s most complete team. Last week: 25
Fell out: Illinois (11), Auburn (20), Utah (22), Tulane (24)
Moved up: Indiana, TCU, Michigan, Memphis
Why TCU moved up
The Horned Frogs showed a much better effort defensively than they did against Abilene Christian, with head coach Sonny Dykes praising the play of the secondary. The offense still ran the ball good enough without leading rusher Kevorian Barnes, and Josh Hoover threw five touchdowns in a game many would say wasn’t his best.
The Horned Frogs’ upcoming game against Arizona State will determine who could be the biggest challenger to Texas Tech in the Big 12.
Explaining the changes
It’s one thing to lose to a good team, it’s another to be blown out 63-10 like Illinois was against Indiana. The Illini’s win over Duke also took a hit when the Blue Devils lost to Tulane.
Auburn has a case to still be ranked, and I went back and forth between the Tigers and Michigan. Auburn allowing nine sacks against Oklahoma was too much to ignore.
Utah getting blown out at home in its first real contest sent the Utes plummeting in my poll.
As for Memphis, I always try to include one Group of Five team on the ballot since they’ll make the postseason, and the Tigers earned that spot by beating Arkansas.
