How the Star-Telegram’s Steven Johnson voted in AP poll: Big 12 teams move up
In terms of upset and surprises, it was a relatively quiet Week 9 across college football.
Vanderbilt survived a Hail Mary against Missouri, while Memphis bounced back from its ugly loss to UAB to defeat South Florida and regain its spot as the leading Group of Five playoff contender.
Elsewhere, North Carolina was a yard away from picking up a top-20 win over Virginia, while Texas stormed back from down 17 in the fourth quarter to defeat Mississippi State after a report linked Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian to NFL openings. Sark desperately needed that win to quiet the noise.
A number of Big 12 teams made significant jumps on the ballot, but was TCU included after its 23-17 win at West Virginia?
Here’s how the Star-Telegram’s Steven Johnson voted on his latest AP Top 25 ballot:
Steven Johnson’s AP Top 25 ballot
1. Indiana (8-0): The Hoosiers spoiled UCLA’s Cinderella run with a 56-6 beatdown of the Bruins in Bloomington. Last week: 1
2. Ohio State (7-0): The Buckeyes had a bye. Last week: 2
3. Texas A&M (8-0): The Aggies may have delivered the final blow to the Brian Kelly era with a 49-25 win over LSU in Death Valley. Last week: 3
4. Alabama (7-1): A late fumble helped Alabama avoid a massive upset on the road at South Carolina. Last week: 4
5. Georgia (6-1): The Bulldogs had a bye week. Last week: 5
6. Ole Miss (7-1): The Rebels defeated Oklahoma 34-26 in the Norman by piling up more than 400 yards against the Sooners’ vaunted defense. Last week: 6
7. BYU (8-0): The Cougars stormed back to beat Iowa State 41-27, as quarterback Bear Bachmeier went off for 307 yards against the Cyclones. Last week: 7
8. Miami (6-1): The Hurricanes dispatched Stanford with ease. Last week: 8
9. Notre Dame (5-2): The Fighting Irish had a bye. Last week: 9
10. Vanderbilt (7-1): The Commodores move up a spot after defeating Missouri 17-10 in Nashville. Last week: 11
11. Texas Tech (7-1): The Red Raiders had no problem blowing away Oklahoma State 49-0, but Texas Tech’s quarterbacks are banged up. Last week: 10
12. Georgia Tech (8-0): The Yellow Jackets picked up a convincing 41-16 win over Syracuse. Last week: 12
13. Oregon (7-1): The Ducks had an underwhelming showing against Wisconsin, only winning 21-7. Last week: 13
14. Cincinnati (7-1): The Bearcats ran over Baylor with 265 rushing yards in a 41-20 win. Last week: 23
15. Virginia (7-1): The Cavaliers were close to dropping after narrowly beating North Carolina, but their win over Louisville keeps them in the top 15, for now. Last week: 16
16. Louisville (6-1): Isaac Brown ran for 205 yards in the Cardinals’ 38-24 win over Boston College. Last week: 17
17. Houston (7-1): Quarterback Conner Weigman rushed for 111 yards as the Cougars picked up a signature win at Arizona State. Last week: 24
18. Tennessee (6-2): The Vols defeated Kentucky 56-34, but their lack of defense remains a concern. Last week: 18
19. Texas (6-2): The Longhorns were a play or two away from being unranked, but give credit to Texas for finding a way to win at Mississippi State. Last week: 20
20. Memphis (7-1): The Tigers jump back into the Top 25 after staging their own comeback against South Florida. Memphis has the inside track to earn the Group of Five playoff spot, but its remaining schedule is brutal. Last week: NR
21. Oklahoma (6-2): The Sooners continued to trend in the wrong direction, as they’ve dropped two of their last three games against SEC competition. Last week: 21
22. USC (5-2): The Trojans had a bye, but jumped up into the rankings due to other teams falling out. USC’s head-to-head win over Michigan puts it above the Wolverines. Last week: NR
23. Michigan (6-2): The Wolverines picked up a 31-20 rivalry win over Michigan State. Last week: 22
24. Washington (6-2): The Huskies picked up a convincing 42-25 win over Illinois as Demond Williams Jr. threw for four touchdowns. Last week: NR
25. Utah (6-2): Despite using a backup quarterback, the Utes obliterated Colorado 53-7. It was the first time this season the Buffaloes weren’t competitive in a game. Last week: NR
Teams that fell out: Missouri (14), South Florida (15), Arizona State (19), LSU (25)
Teams that moved up: Memphis, USC, Washington, Utah
Explaining the decisions
LSU and Arizona State dropping out were easy moves. The Tigers were ranked 25th on my last ballot, while Arizona State was 19. The Sun Devils haven’t been consistent week to week, and their loss to Mississippi State hasn’t aged well.
It may be harsh to drop South Florida with two ranked losses and two good wins over North Texas and Boise State, but Florida being bad doesn’t help the Bulls’ resume.
Missouri doesn’t have any quality wins, and starting quarterback Beau Pribula could miss an extended amount of time.
Memphis has a worse loss than South Florida, but the Tigers have a head-to-head win and a victory over an SEC team in Arkansas. Washington and Utah looked impressive last week and deserve to move into the Top 25.
Why did USC move up despite not playing a game? In retrospect, the Trojans shouldn’t have fallen completely off last week’s ballot despite losing to Notre Dame, considering they soundly beat Michigan head-to-head.
Why wasn’t TCU ranked?
The Horned Frogs could’ve taken Utah’s spot on the ballot, but once again, TCU was unimpressive in its win over West Virginia. Just like against Baylor, TCU almost found a way to lose a game it controlled from the first quarter.
The Horned Frogs will have plenty of chances to make the ballot with three of their final four games against ranked teams.
