Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
- Five teams ranked inside the top 11, including Alabama and Tennessee, lost to unranked opponents, contributing to a tumultuous weekend in college football.
- Miami narrowly avoided defeat with a controversial win over California, aided by missed referee calls, sparking debate about officiating standards.
- Texas benefited from the chaos during their bye week, regaining their standing in the rankings, while uncertainty remains regarding the true top team amid the ongoing unpredictability of the season.
SALT LAKE CITY — As ESPN's Rece Davis' vocal chords gave out on him, he was forced to make the call as a substitute play-by-play analyst in what was the capstone to an otherwise unwieldy day.
But Davis saw the game through to the end as California — and their all-consuming Calgorithm — narrowly missed out on handing No. 8 Miami a loss. Instead, it was a remarkable Hurricanes comeback to steal — and I don't use that lightly — a 39-38 win on the road over the Bears.
Miami used a 29-3 effort to get the win, but the Hurricanes got some help from the refs, who missed a seemingly textbook targeting call that forced the Bears to punt the ball away to Miami late. And then a missed called down at the goal line allowed Miami the game-winning score.
Kudos to Miami for an incredible comeback after looking dead, but the late missed calls mar the ending to what could have been another addition to several ranked teams falling victim to the "Blood Weekend."
Five teams ranked inside the top 11 lost over the weekend — and all but one came against unranked opponents. In total, seven teams inside the Associated Press Top 25 dropped a game this weekend.
As such, none of the following gives me a lot of confidence.
The following is the ballot I submitted to the Associated Press that will be counted in the consensus rankings that will be released Sunday afternoon.
1. Texas
It was a perfect time for a bye week, and none benefitted more than the Longhorns. Steve Sarkisian's program was jumped by Alabama last week, but it was a short stay. At the rate of all the upsets around the country, is there really a top team right now?
A Red River Rivalry game never had any drama, so Texas should be fine next week ...
2. Ohio State
The Buckeyes have kind of coasted through the season so far en route to a 5-0 record. Their defense had a bye this week — yes, that's a shot at Iowa's offense — but the offense found a rhythm, especially in the second half, to get past the Hawkeyes in a 35-7 win.
But a big game looms against Oregon next week ... on the road ... across the country. Surely, that's gone well for teams heading out west this season.
3. Georgia
Somebody has to be ranked No. 3, and I guess it can be Georgia. I maintain that the Bulldogs are still a solid team that has all the talent and ability to contend for a national championship; however, this is the most hesitant I've been to rank Georgia this high in years.
We're living in a wild time.
4. Penn State
Penn State keeps winning, so I guess that's as good of a reason as any to move them up in the rankings this week. The Nittany Lions' win over Illinois still holds up, but I could see this being a bit of a paper tiger situation. I still want to see more of a test to fully trust Penn State.
5. Oregon
Outside of a Week 1 scare against FCS Idaho, and a close win over what appears to be a very good Boise State team, Oregon looks more like the team we all expected them to be in the preseason projections. The Ducks welcome Ohio State to Eugene next, which should tell us a lot more about both teams.
6. Miami
Look, traveling across the country for a late kickoff is not an easy feat, and yet Miami found a way to get it done. Cal exposed some things with Miami, but the team clamped down when it mattered most and made a remarkable recovery in a raucous environment. The Hurricanes are the favorite in the ACC, but Clemson is starting to make a case.
7. Notre Dame
Notre Dame was on a bye, so no more chances to lose to a team like Northern Illinois. It still remains one of the most inexplicable losses, but a win over Texas A&M is starting to look even better; and the Fighting Irish have a win over Louisville, too, though they just lost to SMU.
8. Alabama
Call it a letdown after coming off a big win over Georgia, but Alabama was absolutely pushed around by Vanderbilt — a team that hasn't sniffed anywhere near a victory over the Crimson Tide for as long as anyone can remember. The Crimson Tide defense is flawed and got exposed Saturday.
Alabama is likely still better than some of the teams above it, but a loss drops them this week.
9. Tennessee
Tennessee lost to an unranked team, but Arkansas has been incredibly difficult to play this season. For a team that has been able to put up a ton of offense this season, it was shown that a good defense can slow down the Vols rather quickly.
10. Ole Miss
Coming into the season, Ole Miss had all the intangibles (on paper) to really do some damage in the SEC. There's still some questions, but the Rebels answered the call on the road and took care of business against a tough South Carolina team.
The team still needs a signature win to really show their worth, which is why I still have the Rebels below the Vols. A meeting with LSU next week should do the trick.
Dropping out: Michigan, Louisville
Checking in: Indiana, Vanderbilt
In consideration (alphabetical): Arizona State, Arkansas, Army, Colorado, Liberty, Memphis, Navy, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Virginia, Washington, Washington State
If you can't see my full ballot below, click here.
