My AP top 25 ballot: Alabama reclaims No. 1, Clemson tumbles

Welcome back, Alabama.

The team I voted No. 1 in the preseason once again tops my AP top 25 ballot after Clemson suffered an unexpected loss at Syracuse. Here’s guessing the Crimson Tide will stay there for a while, considering their crazy victory margins (Texas A&M is the only team that has played them close) and soft schedule (Auburn is the only ranked team on the slate). I briefly moved Clemson and Oklahoma ahead of Alabama, because they claimed better victories against harder schedules, but Nick Saban’s team is the obvious choice for No. 1 today.

If the season ended today, I would pick Georgia, TCU and Penn State to join Alabama in the playoff.

If Alabama and Georgia remain undefeated, that should be one amazing SEC championship game. The Bulldogs are up to No. 2 this week, with TCU, Penn State and Wisconsin rounding out the top 5.

Clemson drops to No. 9 following its first loss. Washington tumbled to No. 15 after its loss at Arizona State, and Washington State fell to No. 16 after its loss at California.

Two undefeated teams from the American are creeping up my ballot. South Florida is now No. 14 and Central Florida is No. 19.

Texas Tech was the only team to drop off my ballot this week. Texas A&M takes over at No. 25.

You can find my entire AP top 25 ballot below:

1. Alabama.

2. Georgia.

3. TCU.

4. Penn State.

5. Wisconsin.

6. Miami.

7. Oklahoma.

8. Ohio State.

9. Clemson.

10. Oklahoma State.

11. USC.

12. Notre Dame.

13. North Carolina State.

14. South Florida.

15. Washington.

16. Washington State.

17. Virginia Tech.

18. Michigan State.

19. Central Florida.

20. Stanford.

21. Michigan.

22. Auburn.

23. Iowa State.

24. San Diego State.

25. Texas A&M.

This story was originally published October 15, 2017 at 8:41 AM with the headline "My AP top 25 ballot: Alabama reclaims No. 1, Clemson tumbles."