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Post and Courier sports columnist Scott Hamilton is one of 65 voters in the Associated Press Top 25 college football poll. Here’s how his ballot shook out after Week 11: TV Game Show Edition Classic Concentration: The top-seven teams faced varying degrees of challenges, yet each focused and did what it had to do to maintain their positions. Five of those teams won by an average of 25 points, topped by Ole Miss’ 49-0 win over The Citadel. The most impressive win by that group over an FBS opponent? It was probably Ohio State’s 34-10 victory at Purdue. The Buckeyes (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) spotted the Boilermakers a 3-0 lead before scoring on four straight drives, limited Purdue to only 186 total yards (94 passing, 92 rushing) and dominated possession by nearly 21 minutes. Press Your Luck: Indiana (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) remains undefeated. But it needed Omar Cooper Jr. to walk a tightrope for a touchdown with 36 seconds left to beat Penn State 27-24. That capped off a wild second half during which the Nittany Lions trailed by 13 points midway through the third quarter. Penn State — which was second in these rankings as recently as Week 5 — has lost six straight, including all three games since James Franklin was fired Oct. 12. Jeopardy!: Vanderbilt (8-2, 4-2 SEC) still has hope to make the College Football Playoff, but things were dicey during Week 11. The Commodores needed overtime to beat Auburn 45-38. They also required a memorable performance from quarterback Diego Pavia, who threw for a career-high 377 yards and rushed for 112 more while totaling four touchdowns. Interesting note: Auburn (4-6, 1-6 SEC) hadn’t cracked 17 points in league play this year, including only a field goal in a 10-3 Week 10 loss at Kentucky. But it blew past that and rolled up 544 yards of offense during the Tigers’ first game without former coach Hugh Freeze. The Price is Right: Texas Tech, which spent upward of $28 million on its roster during the offseason, is getting a fantastic return on its investment. The Red Raiders (9-1, 6-1 Big 12) are positioned for their first appearance in the Big 12 title game after beating BYU 29-7. Texas Tech held the Cougars (8-1, 5-1) to only 255 total yards, forced three turnovers and limited BYU to only 4 of 17 on third and fourth downs. Texas Tech, which was a founding member of the Big 12 in 1996, has games left against Central Florida and West Virginia. Those teams are a combined 3-10 in league play. What’s My Line?: There were no Group of Six teams in the first CFP rankings, but those guys have a presence in these rankings. James Madison (8-1, 6-0 Sun Belt) is up five spots to No. 19 after winning at Marshall 35-23. Tulane (7-2, 4-1 American) is also back after beating then-No. 22 Memphis 38-32 on Friday night. Don’t forget that there’s an automatic path for a G6 team in the playoff. Spots are set aside for the five highest-ranked conference champs, meaning someone outside of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC will get into the 12-team tournament. The Weakest Link: Miami, at No. 14, is the lead ACC team in these rankings. The Hurricanes (7-2, 3-2 ACC) moved up two spots thanks to a 38-10 win over Syracuse. Virginia (8-2, 5-1 ACC) dropped from 13th to 22nd after losing to Wake Forest 16-9. Louisville (7-2, 4-2 ACC) fell 10 spots to 24th following a 29-26 defeat to Cal. But here’s something wild to consider: There are five teams with one loss in league play. That includes Duke (5-4, 4-1 ACC), which still has a shot at making the CFP should it win the ACC championship. The Blue Devils lost a non-conference game to UConn 37-34 on Saturday. The Gong Show: So long Missouri, Memphis and Iowa after each lost during Week 11. But a shoutout to the Hawkeyes (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten), who lost to Oregon 18-16 via a field goal with 3 seconds remaining. The Hollywood Squares: The SEC again has the most teams in these rankings with eight, but things are balancing out a bit more. In a surprising turn, the ACC is now tied with the Big Ten for the second-most teams with five. There are four teams from the Big 12, and one each from the American and Sun Belt. Notre Dame (7-2), as usual, remains the only independent in these rankings. The Fighting Irish beat Navy 49-10 and will play at Pitt this week. The Panthers (7-2, 5-1 ACC), who were off during Week 11, have won six straight since true freshman Mason Heintschel took over at quarterback. Hamilton’s rankings (last week): 1. Ohio State (1) 2. Indiana (2) 3. Texas A&M (3)
