AP college poll: My Top 25 vote after Week 3 in Kansas

The AP Top 25 poll’s top four teams won their games by an average 53 points. Needless to say, not a lot changed near the top of this week’s college football rankings. As always, that doesn’t mean there isn’t intrigue down the ballot, with plenty of arguments to be had.

Let’s get into this week’s AP Top 25Here are my thoughts about how I voted.

1. GeorgiaIt had the smallest margin for victory of the four top teams but only maintained its position at the top of the rankings after leaping ahead Alabamafollowing Week 1. and in the poll following Week 2. The Bulldogs South Carolina is being demolished 48-7, a game that was even worse than the score as Stetson Bennett, Brock Bowers and Co. carved up the Gamecocks’ defense while the reloaded Bulldogs defense suffocated Spencer RattlerAnd the South Carolina offense.

Alabama ULM 63-7 ran awayAnd Ohio State crushed Toledo 77-21However, Georgia added more No. 1 votes, up from 53 votes last Wednesday to 59 this Week. Three No. 1 votes remain in Alabama. There are three remaining No. 1 vote holdouts in Alabama, while Ohio State only has one. Not that Alabama and Ohio State aren’t worthy of consideration for No. Through three weeks, Georgia has been the most complete and effective team in the country.

2.Each of the top nine teams won by at least 28 percent. The top seven teams remained the same. A few voters were bored enough to switch places. KentuckyAnd Oklahoma StateThe rankings. I continue to lean on words like “volatile” and “fluid” to describe my voting process — especially early in the season, and especially early in ThisPreseason predictions for unpredictability above the top three were largely true this season.

Call me bored, if necessary, but I switched USCAnd MichiganOn my ballot at Nos. 4 and 5, going with the Trojans’ dominant offense, which could be good enough to overcome their questionable defense and compete for a Playoff spot. Michigan has overwhelmed everything in its way so far, but it’s played a laughably weak nonconference schedule. The Wolverines are still my favorite team. 5; I just continue to bump up USC and its offense that’s averaging 7.96 yards per play against a better schedule thus far, including a stellar win over a Fresno State teamThat I was ranked in the preseason

3. Twenty-five is an arbitrary number of teams to rank, and voters have actually ranked 25 teams for only 39 percent of the poll’s history. There were 20 teams in the preseason before 1950. Between 1961 and 1967: 10 teams. Through 1988, it was split into 20 teams. In 1989, it was back in the same state as before. It was then reduced to 25 teams until 1989.

No matter what the cut-off is, the poll can’t help but feel misleading: The gap between 24th and 25th seems minuscule, while the gap between 25th and unranked is perceived as gargantuan. There’s a lot of extra clout associated with the little number next to a team’s name on the scoreboard, even if teams 21 through 30 all have similar arguments for being ranked.

All this adds up to make it difficult for early season voters and ballot-debaters to vote. This was one of those weeks where I considered at least 37 teams, even if it was for one second. Syracuse, Wake Forest, Washington State, Florida State, Iowa State, North Carolina, Tulane, Texas, Cincinnati, Pitt and Miami.

Florida State beat LSUAnd LouisvilleAway from home. Wisconsin won for Washington State. Texas lost by one point against Alabama. Pitt (Tennessee), Cincinnati (Arkansas) and Michigan State (Washington) lost to undefeated teams that are now ranked in the top 20. So on. You could argue for any of these teams. They would all be in the same tier with the teams that I ranked in the lowest few spots of my ballot. If you disagree and believe one of those teams should be ranked, you’re not wrong.

But there’s no flexibility: Every week, I have to submit exactly 25 teams, even if the number of teams that deserve a little number beside their name fluctuates. I snubbed teams, but it’s because I had to.

4.What does it really mean to be ranked by the AP poll in 2022 It doesn’t mean as much as it did in the pre-Playoff era, but don’t tell a school like Kansas it wouldn’t mean anything to be ranked. The poll is a historical record, and it’s a barometer. I give credit to teams that are more than their weight and surprise early in the season. That is why I dedicated one spot on my ballot Kansas at No. 25.

Kansas can make a strong argument for itself, despite all the preseason perceptions. The Jayhawks are 3-0, they’ve won back-to-back road games by double digits for the first time since 1995 (despite one of those games going to overtime) and they’re averaging 7.55 yards per play and 53 points per game. They have a solid playmaker in quarterback. Jalon DanielsWith 10 total touchdowns, and one interception, he is the top-ranked player. Were there any foolproof cases for Kansas to be ranked from say 16th to 40th?

While I wasn’t the only one who agreed, the Jayhawks scored 23 points this week, despite appearing on 10 ballots. College Poll Tracker. Kansas is back home to face three undefeated opponents DukeIowa State TCUIt will have a chance to rise in the rankings over the next three weeks before it visits Oklahoma. BaylorIn October. Kansas would be the last Power 5 team to experience an active AP poll drought if it is ranked.

As I stayed with them, I have actually got two of the top four teams from that list. Oregon StateAt No. 23 for the second straight week. We’ll know a lot more about the Beavers soon, as they host USC this Saturday before traveling to Utah. A win against Trojans would allow them to end their unranked streak.

5. Penn StateWashington and Washington were the top-ten spots on my ballot. This was partly because I moved Arkansas to 13th after it escaped from Bobby Petrino’s grasp and Missouri State (again everything is fluid this early). Both Purduenor AuburnIt is a world-beater. However, the Nittany Lions have managed to escape both with road wins and charged-up early season atmospheres. The Tigers ran off the field Saturday. Sean CliffordThe defense is playmaking and athletic, and the run game gets a much-needed boost from the explosive freshman. Nicholas Singleton. When Penn State goes to Michigan in October, it should be 5-0

6. I’ve made some big moves early in the season based on perceived quality wins, and even if they look silly a week or two later, I don’t regret being flexible with my ballot in September, when we don’t know much of anything for certain. Washington could be vaulted to No. 10? The Huskies are a completely different team after the 2021 offensively challenging performance. Michael Penix Jr.In the Michigan State wins 39-28The Huskies were the proud owners of the Spartans to 42 rushing yards and Penix passed for 397 yards — the second-most passing yards against a ranked opponent in Huskies history.

Washington was my highest ranking figure at 10th. There are many other votersThe Huskies were tabbed in the next few spots.

7. OregonAfter the team’s opening against Georgia, voters were left with doubts and needed to see a significant data point. As I wrote then, I don’t like to penalize a team too much for losing to a national championship frontrunner, but it’s hard to rank a team that’s 0-1 with a 46-point loss, a new coach and uncertainty at quarterback. The Georgia continues to destroy everyone and the Ducks can again appear on ballots with little resistance after their 41-20 win over a BYUBaylor was beaten by the team a week before.

Teams evolve over the course of the season, and Oregon’s done a nice job bouncing back from the Georgia wake-up call. Bo NixAlso, had one of his most impressive performances against BYU. He completed 13 out 18 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns. Oregon was moved back in at No. 16, just shy of its No. 16 just short of the No. And yet BYU was my best option.I had previously to bring the Cougars down to earth at No. 17.

8. Oregon starts a head-to-head train of teams on my ballot that I don’t love having to stick to, but I don’t have a compelling enough reason to ignore the results in these cases. So, it’s Oregon ahead of BYU ahead of Baylor, and it’s App State ahead of Texas A&M and it’s FloridaUtah is ahead. You can question the consistency of my logic, given that 3-0 North Carolina, which beat App State, is nowhere to be found, but I felt App State deserved the reward for winning in College Station, while North Carolina’s defense has left too much to be desired in the three games it has played to warrant a spot. We’ll know more about the Tar Heels soon after they were idle in Week 3.

9.The Florida-Utah conflict is getting more complicated. I think Utah will win the season. Upsets happen, after all. Gators USF almost losingThe Utes lost despite being outscored San Diego StateIt is quite good evidence. Is it enough evidence to place Utah seven places ahead of Florida? The Gators’ win over the Utes was just a couple of weeks ago. It was close, and the Gators had the home-field edge, but a win’s a win and Utah’s win over San Diego State doesn’t appear to mean as much as it would in past years.

However, it should all be settled soon. Florida will visit Tennessee this week. If it wins, it’ll deserve to be ranked ahead of Utah. If it loses, it’ll likely fall out of the poll. Question something in the poll one week, and chances are it’ll sort itself out the next week — when a whole new set of logical quandaries will inevitably emerge.

10.The Sun Belt It has seen its time in the sun, but it’s tough sledding for the Group of 5 in the rankings. I voted last week for Marshall and it responded to the triumphant victory at Notre DameLosing to Bowling Green. All that’s left on my ballot is App State, which needed a Hail Mary to escape Troy but still gets enough credit from me for the win at Texas A&M, which just beat Miami. The poll does not rank any G5 teams (depending how you define Big 12 bound independent BYU) and only App state and Cincinnati received votes. Tulane overtook the Kansas State bandwagon that I was leading. Coastal CarolinaFBS newcomer and FBS are the only G5 teams unbeaten.

With eight ranked teams, the SEC leads all conferences. It’s followed by five for the ACC, four for the Big 12, four for the Pac-12, three for the Big Ten and independent BYU.

Week 4: Ranked matchups No. 5 ClemsonAt No. 21 Wake Forest, No. 20 Florida at Number. 11 Tennessee, No. 10 Arkansas vs. No. 23 Texas A&M

New polls are now available: Washington (10), Oregon (16), Texas A&M (20), MinnesotaMy ballot now includes Kansas (24) and Kansas (25) Washington (18) is a new addition to the AP Top 25.

Falls out Miami (10), Michigan State (15), Kansas State (17), Marshall (21) and Wake Forest (24) fell off my ballot. Michigan State (11) dropped out of the AP Top 25.

Who do I like better than the rest (difference between three and plus spots)? USC (No. 4 on my ballot vs. 7 in the poll), Penn State, (No. 9 vs. No. 14), Washington 10 vs. No. 18), Texas A&M (No. 20 vs. No. 23). Appalachian State(19), Oregon State (23), Minnesota (24) & Kansas (25) were all ranked on my ballot, but not in the poll.

Whom I like less: Clemson (No. 8 on my poll vs. 5 in the poll), Oklahoma State. 12 vs. No. 9), Arkansas (No. 13 vs. No. 10), Utah (No. 22 vs. No. 13). 13.

(Top photo: Troy Taormina/USA Today