Brett McMurphy’s College Football AP Top 25 Ballot After Week 7

Here is my latest Associated Press Top 25 ballot through games of Oct. 13.

So how was your weekend? I knew I should have printed and patented those “Honk, if you are no longer undefeated” bumper stickers last week.

Georgia, West Virginia and Colorado all suffered their first losses. UCF and USF should have, escaping with one-point wins. And Notre Dame survived another close call.

How crazy was it? Alabama actually had to punt – once! But that’s more punts than the Tide had in their previous two wins.

With eight of the AP Top 25 teams losing last weekend, there are obviously a lot of changes in my ballot this week.

The biggest movers on my ballot were LSU, up from No. 11 to No. 5 after dominating Georgia; Oregon moves up from No. 18 to No. 13 after upending Washington in overtime; and Texas A&M jumps from No. 25 to No. 17 after a nice road win at South Carolina and benefitting from three teams falling out of my rankings.

Three teams dropped out of my rankings: Miami, Wisconsin and Auburn.

My ballot this week (where I ranked each team last week in parenthesis):

1. Alabama (1)
2. Ohio State (3)
3. Notre Dame (4)
4. Clemson (5)
5. LSU (11)

6. Michigan (9)
7. Florida (10)
8. Texas (12)
9. Georgia (2)
10. Oklahoma (13)

11. West Virginia (6)
12. UCF (14)
13. Oregon (18)
14. Washington (7)
15. Kentucky (16)

16. NC State (20)
17. Texas A&M (25)
18. Washington State (24)
19. Penn State (8)
20. Colorado (15)

21. USF (22)
22. Cincinnati (23)
23. Iowa (NR)
24. Utah State (NR)
25. Fresno State (NR)


Peeking ahead to this week:

College Football Playoff impact games

Michigan at Michigan State

The Wolverines are still alive for the College Football Playoff. The Spartans, not so much. But Sparty can crush Michigan’s playoff dreams with a win in East Lansing. Michigan won in its last trip to East Lansing in 2016, but had lost its previous four trips there. The Wolverines must improve their road play this season, averaging only 18.5 points away from home this year.

NC State at Clemson

The only remaining unbeatens in the ACC clash at Clemson. With the league’s overall weakness, it might be tough for a one-loss ACC champion to get into the College Football Playoff, so the loser is all but eliminated. The winner basically clinches the ACC’s Atlantic Division and a spot in the ACC title game.

Game of the “weak”

Old Dominion at Western Kentucky

Throw out the record books when these teams meet – seriously, throw them out. Yuck! ODU (1-6) at WKU (1-5). There is some good news: one team will double its win total Saturday.

 

Stat of the week

1. In the first four years of the College Football Playoff, there has never been more than one undefeated Power 5 team entering the playoff. Even after last weekend’s upset carnage, there still remain eight undefeated teams, including five Power 5 teams. But don’t expect it to last. More chaos lies ahead. I promise.