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 6:
Taylor Swift Edition
Style: Ohio State has been atop these rankings since beating then-No. 1 Texas in Week 1, and the Buckeyes aren’t moving. After falling behind 3-0 to Minnesota, Ohio State got rolling en route to a 42-3 win that wasn’t even that close. The Buckeyes (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) held the Gophers to only 1 of 11 on third downs and just 162 total yards.
Bad Blood: To the dismay of many Miami fans, the Hurricanes didn’t put their foot completely on Florida State’s throat. But any win — including Saturday’s 28-22 victory — is sweet in a rivalry this hot.
Carson Beck also seems to be tightening up some loose throws from earlier in the season and maybe validating that $4-6 million he’s getting from the U. He completed 20 of 27 passes for 241 yards and four touchdowns.
Miami is now 5-0, 1-0 ACC and doesn’t have a ranked team left on its schedule.
Shake It Off: Remember that time Vanderbilt beat then-No. 1 Alabama and the Commodores faithful chucked the goalposts into the Cumberland River? Yeah, so does the Crimson Tide (4-1, 2-0 SEC). It cleaned up some of the things that doomed them last year in Nashville to win the rematch 30-14.
The Tide has rebounded from an opening loss to Florida State by reeling off four straight wins, including last week’s victory at Georgia.
Is It Over Now?: So long, Penn State. Conference losses happen on the road to the best of teams, but its 42-37 loss at UCLA is as bad as it get.
The Nittany Lions (3-2, 0-2 Big Ten) fell to a Bruins (1-4, 1-1 Big Ten) team that’s already fired its coach and was legitimately expected to go winless. The last time a team that was 0-4 or worse beat a top-10 opponent? Back in 1985 when UTEP defeated No. 7 BYU.
It was hard to penalize Penn State for its overtime loss to Oregon; it’s impossible to keep them ranked after this defeat — especially since its three wins have come against Nevada (1-4), Florida International (2-3) and Villanova of the FCS.
I Knew You Were Trouble: Louisville kept lingering around these rankings, popping in and out despite never actually cracking the AP poll. The Cardinals are gone again after losing to Virginia 30-27.
Anti-Hero: Some folks clutched their pearls tightly as Texas Tech spent as much as $28 million to construct its roster. Still, it’s hard to argue with the results as the Red Raiders improved to 5-0, 2-0 Big 12 with a 35-11 over previously unbeaten Houston. It’s only the eighth 5-0 start in school history and the first since beginning 7-0 in 2013.
Fifteen: Illinois gave up a bunch of yards but not a lot of points in a 43-27 win at Purdue. The Illini moved up from 20th to No. 15 thanks to 507 yards of offense, including 390 from quarterback Luke Altmyer via 19-of-22 passing.
Look What You Made Me Do: Texas was the preseason No. 1 in these rankings, and quarterback Arch Manning was the frontrunner to win the Heisman Trophy. Now, after Week 6, the Longhorns are barely ranked at No. 23 following a 29-21 loss at beleaguered Florida.
And there is no Heisman in Manning’s future this year after going 16 of 29 passing for 293 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Sadly, he led Texas in rushing against the Gators with 39 yards on 15 carries. Florida sacked him six times.
Wildest Dreams: There have been no Group of Six teams in these rankings for the past month. Now there are two — and they’re both from the American. Memphis and South Florida come in at No. 22 and No. 24, respectively. The Tigers became the only 6-0 team in the country by beating Tulsa 45-7; the Bulls stomped Charlotte 54-26 to improve to 4-1.
The SEC continues to have the most teams in the rankings with 10, followed by the Big Ten with six. The ACC and Big 12 each have three, while Notre Dame remains the lone independent.
Hamilton’s rankings (last week):
1. Ohio State (1)
2. Oregon (4)
3. Miami (6)
4. Ole Miss (4)
5. Oklahoma (6)
6. Texas A&M (8)
7. Alabama (9)
8. Texas Tech (11)
9. Georgia (12)
10. Indiana (13)
11. Tennessee (15)
12. Georgia Tech (16)
13. LSU (17)
14. Missouri (18)
15. Illinois (21)
16. Notre Dame (22)
17. Michigan (21)
18. BYU (23)
19. Arizona State (24)
20. Vanderbilt (14)
21. Virginia (21)
22. Memphis (NR)
23. Texas (5)
24. Florida State (19)
25. South Florida (NR)