How Star-Telegram’s Steven Johnson voted in AP Top 25 poll: What’s TCU’s fate?
It was a great weekend for college football fans, as the Week 5 slate lived up to its billing with top-notch matchups all over the country.
We saw multiple ranked battles in the SEC and Big Ten, plus thrilling Friday night showdowns in the ACC and Big 12, including No. 24 TCU’s 27-24 loss at Arizona State. It was an entertaining weekend that will be hard to top until we get closer to the postseason.
With so many ranked matchups and most of the Top 25 handling its business, there wasn’t a lot of movement on my ballot this week, with the addition of just two new teams and no changes to my top two despite some significant wins across the country.
The Horned Frogs fell out after the loss but will have the opportunity to return.
Here’s how the Star Telegram’s Steven Johnson voted in the latest AP Top 25 poll:
Top 25 ballot
1. Ohio State (4-0): The Buckeyes took Washington’s best shot on the road and still walked away with a comfortable victory. Last week: 1
2. Miami (4-0): The Hurricanes had a bye week, but remain at No. 2 thanks to an impressive showing by Notre Dame. Last week: 2
3. Oregon (5-0): Oregon passed its first test with a double-overtime win at Penn State. The Ducks’ young talent really shined against the Nittany Lions. Last week: 6
4. Ole Miss (5-0): The Rebels held off a late LSU rally as backup quarterback Trinidad Chambliss picked up another win for the Rebels. He may be the best story in college football. Last week: 9
5. Texas A&M (4-0): The Aggies found a way to win against a physical Auburn team. Last week: 7
6. Indiana (5-0): The Hoosiers picked up another solid win over Iowa. Indiana’s resume also received a boost with Illinois defeating previously ranked USC. Last week: 10
7. Texas Tech (4-0): The Red Raiders had a bye week. Last week: 11
8. Oklahoma (4-0): The Sooners had a bye week, giving injured quarterback John Mateer another week to heal. Last week: 8
9. Florida State (3-1): The Seminoles were upset on the road in double overtime at Virginia, but remain in the top 10 thanks to their previous win over Alabama. Last week: 4
10. Alabama (3-1): The Crimson Tide picked up a massive win on the road against Georgia. Last week: 20
11. Georgia (3-1): The Bulldogs somehow always find a way to lose to the Crimson Tide. Last week: 3
12. Tennessee (4-1): The Volunteers survived an upset bid on the road with an overtime win over Mississippi State. Last week: 15
13. Notre Dame (2-2): Does anybody still have a problem with Notre Dame being ranked? The Fighting Irish pounded Arkansas on the road and won with a much higher margin of victory than Ole Miss had against the Razorbacks. Last week: 17
14. Missouri (5-0): The Tigers rolled past UMass in a blowout. Last week: 13
15. LSU (4-1): The Tigers struggled on offense again in the loss to Ole Miss despite a solid performance by the defense. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier has taken a step back, and the Tigers can’t run the ball. Last week: 5
16. Penn State (3-1): The Nittany Lions’ loss to Oregon played out how most of their ranked losses have played out. Penn State’s offense was lifeless until the fourth quarter, and Drew Allar threw a pick in overtime with the game on the line. Last week: 12
17. Vanderbilt (5-0): Vandy shook off a sluggish start to blow past Utah State and will now head to Alabama undefeated. Last week: 16
18. Iowa State (5-0): The Cyclones’ offense had a breakout moment against Arizona with 39 points in the Big 12 victory. Last week: 19
19. Texas (3-1): The Longhorns had a bye week. Last week: 14
20. Georgia Tech (5-0): The Yellow Jackets avoided a bad loss at Wake Forest with an overtime win. Should we be talking more about Haynes King in the Heisman race? Last week: 18
21. Michigan (3-1): The Wolverines had a bye week. Last week: 22
22. Memphis (5-0): The Tigers’ resume took a small hit with Arkansas’ blowout loss to Notre Dame, but Memphis still has the inside track to the Group of Five playoff spot after rolling past Florida Atlantic. Last week: 24
23. Mississippi State (4-1): The Bulldogs remain in the same spot despite losing in overtime to Tennessee. Last week: 23
24. Arizona State (4-1): The Sun Devils leaned on their physicality to overcome a 17-point deficit to TCU and moved back into the rankings as a result. Last week: NR
25. Virginia (4-1): The Cavaliers’ upset of Florida State was a huge moment for head coach Tony Elliott and former TCU quarterback Chandler Morris. Last week: NR
Dropped out: TCU (21), USC (25)
Moved up: Arizona State, Virginia
Why TCU and USC aren’t on the ballot
There’s no shame in TCU losing on the road to Arizona State, but the performance of the run game without Kevorian Barnes and the lack of pass protection for Josh Hoover was alarming. Star receiver Eric McAlister is also banged up and hardly played against the Sun Devils.
TCU needs to get healthy and play with more physicality up front to get back in the Top 25.
The Trojans fell out after a close loss to Illinois, and their spot was taken by Virginia.
