Monday's Poll Watch returns with a glimpse into the peculiarities of the AP Top 25 ballots and ballot voter data. We scan these ballots to look for interesting patterns and what they may say about the college football landscape as the season progresses.
Ohio State Holds at No. 2
Ohio State's win over Michigan, combined with Penn State's win over Michigan State, means Ohio State fans will be watching the remaining AP and, especially, playoff committee polls carefully. Ohio State can do no more than what it has already done. It can only hope to hold its position even if upsets elsewhere (e.g. Florida over Alabama) seems like pipe dreams.
Ohio State fans should feel somewhat reassured that Ohio State held firm at No. 2. However, it gained just one point overall from last week. Incidentally, its lead over No. 3 (this week: Clemson) shrunk from 85 points to 73 points. There are a few explanations for this.
One, Alabama was already the consensus No. 1 and Ohio State was already the almost consensus No. 2. There was never going to be room to maneuver for the Buckeyes in the AP Poll.
| Voter | OSU Rank, Week 13 | OSU Rank, Week 14 |
|---|---|---|
| Ferd Lewis | 3 | 2 |
| Josh Kendall | 5 | 4 |
| Michael Bonner | 4 | 3 |
| Nathan Deen | 3 | 2 |
| Rob Long | 2 | 3 |
| Tom Murphy | 3 | 5 |
That's part of it. The other explanation draws attention to Rob Long and Tom Murphy. Both voters actually moved Ohio State down spots from last week. Long had Ohio State at No. 2 last week and put Ohio State at No. 3 this week. Clemson is his new No. 2. Meanwhile, Tom Murphy actually slid Ohio State down two spots from No. 3 to No. 5 after Ohio State's win over Michigan!
Actually, about Tom Murphy...
Tom Murphy Voids Game Outcome
Tom Murphy was one of two AP voters to move Ohio State down a ballot after Saturday's game. He's also the only voter in the poll to have Michigan ranked ahead of Ohio State. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette writer has Michigan at No. 3.
Here's his rationale for his choice with emphasis added.
Yes, I voted Michigan higher than Ohio State. The Wolverines essentially outplayed their arch rival on the road and I don't think the football reached the necessary 15-yard line on J.T. Barrett's fourth-down run in double overtime. As that was the game-decided play, I appointed myself as the replay official and deemed Michigan the winner. Now, if only the College Football Playoff selection committee would do the same. As a side note, while I admire Jim Harbaugh for speaking his mind after the game, he appeared to pin everything on the officiating, which isn't a good look.
Hmm. Arkansas Man thinks the replay officials and the referees on the field got the call wrong. Let's take a closer look to see if Arkansas Man's view has merit.
So, here's the best view of the spot in question.
Overhead angle on the 4th-and-inches play in double overtime.
Okay, that looks like a first down to me. However, you gotta hear both sides. We'll need a closer look.
Enhanced view of the 4th-and-inches spot in double overtime.
Oh, wow. It's almost like J.T. Barrett is saying you can deal with it. That's fascinating. Amazing.
Six New Teams Enter the Top 25
Six teams entered this week's AP Poll. Alternatively, six teams fell out the top 25. It's the fourth time that's happened since 1989.
This week's losers include Boise State, Houston, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Utah, and Washington State. All lost over the weekend. Houston had the biggest tumble of any of those teams. It fell from No. 18 after the upset over Louisville to nominally the No. 26 team in the country. However, the distance between it and No. 25 South Florida is 70 points.
Iowa, Navy, Pittsburgh, South Florida, Stanford, and Virginia Tech all entered the AP Poll this week. Iowa's climb was rather stark. It had seven points total last week and gained 210 points this week as the AP No. 22.
Stanford, nominally last week's No. 26 (and not No. 25 because of Andy Greder), is the highest ranked of those teams entering the poll this week. Stanford rebounded from a disappointing start to its season to finish its regular season as the AP No. 17.
Other Peculiar Observations
- Colorado finished its regular season ranked No. 9. It's the highest ranking since the 2001 Big XII championship team that also finished the regular season ranked No. 9. Its highest rank on any ballot is No. 7, at which Colorado appeared on five ballots this week.
- Bill Landis has Texas A&M at No. 18 for some reason.
- Josh Kendall has Washington State at No. 16. It's any wonder he didn't rank the Cougars ahead of Ohio State.
- West Virginia is the highest-ranked team to not appear on a given ballot. Jon Wilner left the No. 14 Mountaineers off his ballot.
- Eric Hansen and Gary Horowitz left the SEC champion Florida Gators off their ballots.
