Ballot glance: Chaos reigns in Damien Sordelett’s AP Top 25 vote
STANFORD, Calif. — Missouri's lopsided loss at Texas A&M was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to how the nation's top teams were going to perform in the season's sixth week.
The afternoon and evening windows presented chaos that is rarely seen during a campaign. Missouri was the first of five teams ranked in the top 11 that fell. Four of those squads lost to unranked teams.
Miami should have been the sixth team in the top 11 to lose, but it rallied from a 25-point deficit in the second half to stun Cal 39-38. The comeback was overshadowed with the Hurricanes being helped by the ACC replay officials for a second straight week. Targeting wasn't called on Wesley Bissainthe with 1:50 remaining in the fourth quarter, and the review led to the Golden Bears having to punt the ball back to Miami.
The Hurricanes got the ball and drove down the field. Sure, Cam Ward's game-winning touchdown pass came when linemen were more than 5 yards down the field, but does it seem like anyone in the league office cares at this point?
Here's how my ballot turned out after Week 6:
Dropped out: UNLV (previously 21st), Louisville (previously 22nd), Illinois (previously 25th)
Who's climbing? Who's free falling?
Texas A&M's home loss to Notre Dame to open the season feels like an eternity ago. The Aggies have rattled off three SEC victories since then, highlighted by Saturday's 41-10 thrashing of then-No. 9 Missouri. There have been some close calls in the five-game winning streak (six-point win over Bowling Green and a four-point win over Arkansas), but the win over Arkansas and the dominating performance against Missouri has A&M appearing in the ballot at No. 14 this week. The Irish, with the head-to-head victory, remain ahead of the Aggies in this ballot.
All the chaos mentioned above led to Alabama dropping to seventh, Tennessee to eighth and Missouri all the way down to 15th. (Yes, the Tigers are behind Texas A&M.)
Michigan and Southern Cal were the other two top-11 teams to fall. Those two are down to 24th and 25th, respectively, in my ballot and are the only two two-loss teams in this ballot.
Indiana finally cracks into the ballot at No. 20 and Boise State reemerges at No. 23.
UNLV's loss to Syracuse — which also came down to a controversial call on the field — dropped the Rebels out.
What about the ACC?
Miami moves up to sixth after eking out wins in back-to-back weeks. Whether you think the ACC replay officials are bad or not, the Canes had to overcome a 25-point deficit in the second half. One call doesn't diminish that Miami actually made it a game late in the fourth quarter. Did Bissainthe deliver a hit to the head/neck area with the crown of his helmet? Absolutely. Was it textbook targeting? Heck yes. The Hurricanes have certainly appreciated replay review assistance for two straight weeks.
Clemson took an open week and didn't have to deal with the carnage. The Tigers have looked like their dominating form since the opening loss to Georgia and are now ninth in my ballot. Clemson's going to be a problem in league play.
Louisville, with back-to-back losses to Notre Dame and SMU, is out. Both setbacks were by seven points, but the Cardinals gave up 481 yards of offense to the Mustangs and couldn't string together defensive stops.
Who's next in line?
Speaking of the ACC, Pittsburgh is 5-0 and knocking on the door of the top 25. The Panthers have been rolling ever since Pat Narduzzi exclaimed, "We beat West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl, and we beat the officials, too, in one game." The ACC didn't take too kindly to that by issuing a public reprimand and fining Narduzzi, but at least someone had the gumption to say something. (By the way, the officiating crew from Pitt-West Virginia was from the Big 12.)
Colorado, at 4-1, has a chance to get into the ballot when it hosts Kansas State this upcoming weekend.
Texas Tech and SMU are both 5-1 and in the mix to be considered for a spot in the top 25.
Damien Sordelett (540) 981-3124
