My AP top 25 college football ballot: Oklahoma takes major tumble after Baylor defeat
Oklahoma’s undefeated record and playoff candidacy always felt like a house of cards, and it finally came crashing down on Saturday.
The Sooners were no match for Baylor and now have to be sent tumbling down in the national rankings.
I had Oklahoma ranked third last week, much higher than the College Football Playoff selection committee. Anyone who follows my top 25 ballot knows I treat college football records like Dominic Torreto treats street racing in the Fast & Furious films ... winning is winning, regardless of whether it comes by an inch or a mile.
But now that Oklahoma no longer has a perfect record, there is no reason to keep the Sooners in my top 10. They don’t have a strong resume. Their best victory came at Kansas State, which has become a nice result. But their second best victory is Texas Tech, or maybe Nebraska. Nothing to brag about there.
I dropped them all the way down to No. 15 on my ballot.
The Sooners can always climb back up over the next few weeks. They still play Iowa State and Oklahoma State. A trip to the Big 12 championship game also remains on the table. But if they keep playing the way they did on Saturday their back-loaded schedule could easily result in more losses and a worse ranking.
I would say Baylor and Oklahoma State are the favorites to play in Arlington, Texas at the moment.
Speaking of the Cowboys, they are up to No. 7 on my ballot this week. Don’t forget about Oklahoma State. It is coming off a 63-17 demolition of TCU and owns a 9-1 record. The Cowboys are darkhorse playoff contenders, and the best remaining hope in the Big 12. If they close out the regular season with wins over Texas Tech and Oklahoma and then follow that up by winning the Big 12 championship they could crack the top four.
They would need some help along the way, but if the right combination of teams (Alabama, Cincinnati, Ohio State, Oregon) lose it’s like a Kansas football win over Texas ... within the realm of possibility.
Out with the old, in with the new
It was challenging to find 25 deserving teams to rank this week.
Darn near every team I had ranked in the 20-30 range suffered losses on Saturday. Auburn, Coastal Carolina, Iowa State and Purdue all got beat. So did North Carolina State and Nevada, both of which were on my voting radar last Sunday.
All those defeats created room at the bottom of my top 25, and four new teams have joined the party.
Say hello to No. 22 Wisconsin, No. 23 San Diego State, No. 24 Kansas State and No. 25 Appalachian State.
This is K-State’s second appearance on my ballot this season. The Wildcats deserve top 25 consideration now that they have won four straight games and have climbed into a tie for fourth in the Big 12 standings. They can further validate their winning streak by beating Baylor at home next week.
I went with Appalachian State at No. 25, because it’s hard to argue with an 8-2 record. That was more impressive to me than anything middling SEC teams like Kentucky and Mississippi State have done.
MY AP TOP 25 BALLOT
Last week’s ranking in parentheses
1. Georgia (1)
2. Cincinnati (2)
3. Alabama (4)
4. Oregon (5)
5. Notre Dame (6)
6. Ohio State (7)
7. Oklahoma State (8)
8. Michigan State (9)
9. Michigan (10)
10. Baylor (17)
11. Ole Miss (13)
12. BYU (12)
13. Wake Forest (14)
14. UTSA (15)
15. Oklahoma (3)
16. Houston (16)
17. Texas A&M (11)
18. Louisiana (18)
19. Iowa (20)
20. Arkansas (23)
21. Pittsburgh (25)
22. Wisconsin (NR)
23. San Diego State (NR)
24. Kansas State (NR)
25. Appalachian State (NR)
Dropped Out: Purdue, Auburn, Coastal Carolina, Iowa State.