My AP Top 25 Rankings: KU has arrived, K-State returns and Michigan State, Texas exit
A promise is a promise.
Kansas kept its dream season going with a 35-27 victory over Duke in a battle of basketball blue bloods that absolutely deserved to host “College Gameday” instead of some boring SEC game we get to see all time, and the Jayhawks are now on my top 25 ballot.
This is the first time I have voted for KU ... ever. The Jayhawks haven’t given me, or anyone else, much reason to pay attention to them since the Mark Mangino era ended in 2009. But they are back in a big way underway coach Lance Leipold.
Behind the impressive play of quarterback Jalon Daniels, who is putting up Heisman type numbers, they are averaging 48.5 points and 471.8 yards per game. Questions remain on defense, but the KU offense is legit.
The Jayhawks are 4-0. They have beaten two teams from power-conferences. They own a pair of victories on the road.
For those reasons, they are now sitting at No. 20 in my rankings.
Welcome back, Wildcats
Another first: both K-State and KU are on my ballot this week.
The Sunflower State is officially a football state!
The Wildcats returned to my top 25 after going on the road to beat Oklahoma on Saturday. Adrian Martinez went from dud to stud by throwing for 234 yards, running for 148 yards and scoring five touchdowns against the Sooners.
If K-State can get that version of Martinez the rest of the season, it can contend for a Big 12 championship.
Still, the Wildcats were a hard team to rank. Impressive as their win over Oklahoma was, it came a week after losing at home to Tulane. And Tulane lost to Southern Mississippi on Saturday. How do you balance out a great win with a dreadful loss?
For me, the answer was ranking K-State at No. 24.
Farewell Longhorns and Spartans
I would like to apologize for ranking Michigan State.
The Spartans are not good, and they proved exactly how not good they are by losing consecutive games that weren’t even competitive to Washington and Minnesota. You won’t find Michigan State anywhere near my top 25 anytime soon.
Texas is also banished for at least a little while after the Longhorns lost to Texas Tech in overtime.
North Carolina and Oregon State also took a tumble out my rankings this week. I gave the Tar Heels way too much credit for starting 3-0. They looked anything but impressive against Notre Dame.
The Beavers might still belong. We will see. There’s no shame in losing close to USC. They didn’t make the cut this week, but they are in my first few teams out.
Minnesota and Syracuse join the party
Two new teams joined my top 25 along with KU and K-State this week.
Minnesota jumped all the way up to No. 18 after its 4-0 start. The Gophers have outscored their opponents 183-24.
Syracuse also joins in on the fun with a 4-0 start of its own. The Orange have benefited from playing lots of early home games, but I still like what I have seen from them.
On deck
Florida State is my first team out. I will need to find room for the Seminoles if they win again next week.
I also have my eye on Cincinnati, LSU, Oregon State, Pittsburgh, TCU, Texas Tech and UCLA.
Kellis Robinett’s Top 25
1. Georgia (1)
2. Alabama (2)
3. Ohio State (3)
4. Clemson (4)
5. Michigan (5)
6. USC (6)
7. North Carolina State (8)
8. Oklahoma State (9)
9. Kentucky (11)
10. Tennessee (16)
11. Washington (15)
12. Mississippi (13)
13. Wake Forest (12)
14. Utah (17)
15. Oregon (18)
16. BYU (20)
17. Baylor (21)
18. Minnesota (NR)
19. Penn State (25)
20. Kansas (NR)
21. Syracuse (NR)
22. Texas A&M (24)
23. Arkansas (7)
24. Kansas State (NR)
25. Oklahoma (10)
Last week’s ranking in parentheses.
