Nevada Sports Net columnist Chris Murray is one of 63 voters in the college football AP Top 25 poll. Here is a look at his ballot this week.
On the rise
* Texas: The Longhorns’ playoff odds didn’t look good after loses to Ohio State and Florida in the first six weeks of the season. But Texas has rallied back with top-10 wins over Oklahoma and most recently Vanderbilt to surge back to No. 14 on my rankings. The Longhorns face top-five teams Georgia and Texas A&M in two of its final three games, so the tests only get tougher for Arch Manning and crew.
On the fall
* Miami: There always seems to be one game per season Mario Cristobal’s squad loses that’s head scratching and keeps him team out of the playoffs. That game came Saturday when the Hurricanes lost in overtime to SMU. That dimmed Miami’s chances of making the playoffs and plunged the team from fourth on my ballot last week (highest among Top 25 voters) to 18th this week. Six Top 25 teams last over the weekend, including three among top-10 teams. Miami’s was the most damaging.
Chris Murray’s AP Top 25
1. Ohio State (1)
2. Indiana (2)
3. Texas A&M (3)
4. Alabama (5)
5. Georgia (6)
6. Ole Miss (7)
7. Oregon (8)
8. BYU (9)
9. Texas Tech (12)
10. Notre Dame (13)
11. Virginia (14)
12. Louisville (15)
13. Utah (18)
14. Texas (19)
15. Oklahoma (20)
16. Georgia Tech (10)
17. Vanderbilt (11)
18. Miami (4)
19. USC (n/r)
20. Michigan (22)
21. Missouri (21)
22. San Diego State (24)
23. Memphis (25)
24. James Madison (n/r)
25. Washington (n/r)
Dropped out: Tennessee (16); Cincinnati (17); Houston (23)
Columnist Chris Murray provides insight on Northern Nevada sports. Contact him at crmurray@sbgtv.com or follow him on Twitter @ByChrisMurray.