AP Poll Reaction: Here’s What the Voters Got Wrong In Week 9

Miami stayed No. 1 for the second straight week of the AP Poll, but there was plenty of movement below it. 

That’s partially because a team in the top two lost for the third straight week, generating another bout of musical chairs among the top poll teams. 

Here’s the new poll, along with some of what’s wrong with this week’s edition: 

College Football AP Poll for Week 9

The Ohio State Zombie Votes

Look, someone has to be No. 2 after BYU’s loss in Orlando. But I’m a little skeptical that new team should be Ohio State, which also received 10 first-place votes in this poll.

The Buckeyes have their usual gobs of talent, and Jeremiah Smith is still, for now, favored in BetMGM’s Heisman Trophy odds market. 

What the Buckeyes don’t have, at least for the foreseeable future, is a capable quarterback. Julian Sayin may miss the remainder of this season with a shoulder injury, and the offense is turning to true freshman Luke Fahey. 

We know essentially nothing about Fahey, certainly nothing good, after his eight minutes of play at the end of the Week 7 win at Indiana.

This isn’t a discussion of resumes or playoff worthiness. It’s a poll. How can a team with this many unanswered questions at the center of the team be receiving first-place votes?

Houston’s Ridiculous Punishment

Houston has looked great this month, earning good wins against UCF, Kansas State, and Oklahoma State. In its key Week 8 game at undefeated Utah, the Cougars led at halftime and at the start of the fourth quarter. 

Houston ultimately lost a one-score game against an undefeated top 10 team on the road after leading for most of the game. For this impressive feat, the team was knocked down four spots in the poll. 

Was this really something that merited a negative adjustment? If you watched the game on Saturday night, I don’t know how you leave feeling anything but respect for how good Houston is. 

Like Oklahoma State the week before, voters appear happy to over-punish Big 12 teams for losing games they were “supposed” to lose in the first place. 

SEC Nonsense, Week 9 Edition

Kentucky is in first place in the SEC, and so the Wildcats are ranked ninth, higher than any other SEC team except Georgia. 

Is Kentucky actually better than Alabama or Ole Miss? Your mileage may vary. 

Texas has lost to two unranked teams and has major question marks on offense, but voters were happy to shove them back up into potential playoff position after it beat Ole Miss. The Longhorns blew yet another lead, but a clutch fourth-quarter drive (with zero passing attempts, mind you) put the Longhorns back in front for good. 

Tennessee and Florida are both two-loss teams with October losses to South Carolina. Yet both teams remain higher than SMU, Northwestern, and Arizona, all of which are 6-1.