Josh Furlong's AP Top 25: A shakeup in the top 5 as Utah makes its move up

SALT LAKE CITY — Will the real No. 1 team please stand up?

At this point in the season, it's anyone's guess as to who the best teams are in the country. And soon that will ultimately be decided by the College Football Playoff selection committee, who will release their first rankings Tuesday.

Every team has struggled this season with an opponent they shouldn't have, which has made ranking the top 25 teams a bit of a challenge. There also doesn't seem to be a consistent trajectory with most teams, which only complicates matters.

The following is the ballot I submitted to the Associated Press, which will be counted in the consensus rankings that will be released Sunday afternoon.

1. Miami

The Hurricanes were on serious upset alert this weekend, but managed to pull away for a victory over North Carolina. Miami feels like a very shaky No. 1 team, and their resume isn't really much to be excited about — though Wake Forest is helping the cause the most. We'll learn a lot more about Miami this week when they face Notre Dame.

2. Georgia

Georgia is likely the surest of bets the sport has right now, even with an inexplicable loss to Auburn a few weeks ago. The Bulldogs had little trouble against rival Florida over the weekend, and look like one of the best teams right now. But who honestly knows at this point.

3. Utah

Utah delivered a standout first-half performance on the road Saturday, with both the offense and defense hitting on all cylinders to the tune of a 42-6 halftime lead over Cincinnati — a team coming off a win over a top-10 opponent. The Utes partially sleepwalked through the second half, but a victory was never in doubt. The big test comes this next weekend.

4. UCLA

We didn't really learn much in a nonconference outing against Nevada, but UCLA still remains a viable threat in the Big Ten. As one of three remaining undefeated teams, UCLA has the staying power to do some damage in the postseason.

5. Notre Dame

Yup, I moved Notre Dame ahead of BYU — and it's not my favorite thing to do when the results are so recent. But the last two weeks have felt like the two schools are trending in opposite directions, though the early result against Navy didn't look that way. A big test will come Saturday, where we'll learn more about Miami and Notre Dame.

6. Indiana

Indiana seems to be playing with fire every weekend this year. They're clearly not at the level of last season's championship-winning team, but they're not entirely bad, either. Curt Cignetti gets the most out of his personnel, and on Saturday it all amounted in another win — even if a lot of prayer was likely involved. Kudos to Paddy McAteer on his game-saving 60-yard field goal.

7. Kentucky

Kentucky was on a bye this week, so no drama in Lexington. The school has a great resume, with wins over LSU, Texas A&M, South Carolina and Oklahoma. Some of those are more impressive than others, but a really solid job done by head coach Will Stein and his squad.

8. BYU

I felt I was pretty generous dropping BYU only a few spots after its loss to UCF — largely because I wanted the Cougars still above Notre Dame. This week, though, I just can't do it and have dropped them two more spots — and a few below Notre Dame. There's something off about the team lately and it's not been great football. They're an incredibly capable team, but they just haven't been able to piece it together consistently lately.

9. Alabama

Alabama was also on a bye this week and lives to fight another day. We carry on ...

10. Texas

Texas remains one of the most frustrating teams to rank this season. Overall, it's a team loaded with talent who lives up to it at times, but it's always a guessing game on which team shows up. This week was the good version of Texas, as the Longhorns secured a blowout win over Mississippi State. Buckle up, though, because Texas is a roller-coaster ride.

In consideration (alphabetical): Northwestern, SMU, UTSA, Virginia Tech

If you can't see my full ballot below, click here.

Think you can do better? Create your own Top 25 ballot with the KSL Sports Fan Top 25 poll here.

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