My AP top 25 ballot: What to do with Cincinnati, Oklahoma after lackluster victories?
For the first time in a few weeks, there weren’t many major upsets in college football.
But some highly ranked teams had trouble beating dismal opponents.
No. 2 Cincinnati struggled mightily against Navy. No. 3 Oklahoma needed a controversial play to beat Kansas.
What to do about those unexpected results? It’s a difficult question to answer. On one hand, both teams won. That’s all that really matters, right? They shouldn’t be punished. On the other hand, both teams looked bad against dreadful foes. They should most definitely be punished.
In the end, I decided to keep the Bearcats at No. 2 and drop the Sooners to No. 4. Playing against the triple option is never easy, so I am willing to forgive Cincinnati for having some issues with Navy. But there’s no reason why Oklahoma should sweat against Kansas. The Sooners were favored by nearly 40 points. They are still undefeated, so it’s hard to drop them too far. But a 12-point win at KU is as close to a loss as you can get. I dropped Oklahoma one spot to No. 4.
Making a move
Iowa State was my biggest climber this week. The Cyclones went from No. 22 to No. 17 after defeating previously undefeated Oklahoma State.
We can debate whether ISU fans should have stormed the field afterward. But we can’t debate whether the Cyclones are deserving of a top 20 ranking. Their two losses came in bizarre fashion against Byalor and Iowa. They have won every other game and could still be a factor in the Big 12 championship race.
Don’t forget about Iowa State, is what I’m saying.
Saying goodbye
Coastal Carolina and Purdue both dropped out of my top 25 this week.
Perhaps I am being too hard on Coastal Carolina, who suffered their first loss this week against Appalachian State. That’s not a terrible defeat. But their schedule doesn’t do them any favors. What is their best victory? Kansas? Buffalo?
Sorry, I can’t rank a team with that weak of a resume.
Purdue also looked like a complete fraud on Saturday.
On my radar
Houston has won every game since opening the season with a loss to Texas Tech. Virginia has been on a roll of late. Liberty has won a bunch of games. And Arkansas has my attention again. They are all on my watch list heading into next week.
MY AP TOP 25 BALLOT
*Last week’s ranking in parentheses
1. Georgia (1)
2. Cincinnati (2)
3. Michigan (6)
4. Oklahoma (3)
5. Michigan State (5)
6. Alabama (7)
7. Oregon (10)
8. Ohio State (11)
9. Iowa (8)
10. Kentucky (12)
11. Ole Miss (13)
12. Notre Dame (15)
13. Wake Forest (16)
14. Oklahoma State (4)
15. Baylor (17)
16. SMU (18)
17. Iowa State (22)
18. Texas A&M (19)
19. Auburn (20)
20. BYU (23)
21. UTSA (24)
22. Pittsburgh (NR)
23. San Diego State (25)
24. Louisiana (NR)
25. Penn State (9)
Dropped Out: Coastal Carolina, Purdue.
This story was originally published October 24, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "My AP top 25 ballot: What to do with Cincinnati, Oklahoma after lackluster victories?."