Murray's AP Top 25: Texas Rises, Miami Falls
Nevada Sports Net columnist Chris Murray, one of 63 voters in the college football AP Top 25 poll, shared his updated ballot for the week.
Texas
The Longhorns’ playoff hopes looked shaky after early-season defeats to Ohio State and Florida, but they have surged back with major victories over Oklahoma and Vanderbilt. Those top-10 wins lifted Texas back into prominence. The team, led by Arch Manning, now faces a tough closing stretch with matchups against top-five opponents Georgia and Texas A&M.
Miami
Mario Cristobal’s Miami squad suffered another puzzling setback, dropping an overtime contest to SMU. That loss, which has become an unfortunate yearly pattern, severely hurt the Hurricanes’ playoff chances. Miami tumbled from fourth place on Murray’s ballot last week—its highest ranking among voters—to 18th this week.
Weekend Overview
Overall, six ranked teams fell over the weekend, including three from the top ten. Among them, Miami’s defeat was the most costly in the playoff race.
“There always seems to be one game per season Mario Cristobal’s squad loses that’s head scratching and keeps his team out of the playoffs.”
Author Summary
Texas rallies back into playoff contention after high-profile wins, while Miami’s overtime loss to SMU sinks its postseason hopes.