Josh Furlong's AP Top 25: Texas wins bye week as chaos looms, uncertainty abounds

SALT LAKE CITY — As the voice of ESPN's Rece Davis loomed over him, he was forced to make the call as a substitute play-by-play analyst on what was the capstone to an otherwise uneventful day.

But Davis saw the game as ultimately California — and their all-consuming calgorithm — depriving No. 8 Miami of a loss. Instead, it was a remarkable Hurricanes comeback to steal — and I don't use that lightly — a 39-38 win on the road over the Bears.

Miami used a 29-3 effort to win, but the Hurricanes got some help from the refs, who missed a seemingly textbook targeting call that forced the Bears to punt the ball to Miami late. And then a missed call down at the goal line allowed Miami to score the game-winning score.

Kudos to Miami for an incredible comeback after looking dead, but late missed calls ended what could have been another addition to several ranked teams suffering a “blood weekend.”

Five teams ranked among the top 11 lost over the weekend — and all but one came against unranked opponents. In total, seven teams in the Associated Press Top 25 dropped a game this weekend.

As such, none of the following gives me much confidence.

Below are the ballots I submitted to The Associated Press that will be counted in the consensus rankings released Sunday afternoon.

1. Texas

It was a perfect time for a bye week, and none benefited more than the Longhorns. Steve Sarkisian's program was jumped by Alabama last week, but it was a short stay. At the rate of all the disasters across the country, is there really a top team at the moment?

There was never any drama in a Red River rivalry game, so Texas should be good next week…

2. Ohio State

The Buckeyes have kind of coasted through the season so far with a 5-0 record. Their defense had a bye this week — yes, that's a shot at Iowa's offense — but the offense found a rhythm, especially in the second half, to outscore the Hokies in a 35-7 victory.

But next week is a big game against Oregon…on the road…across the country. Of course, it's been good for teams going west this season.

3. Georgia

Someone has to be No. 3, and I guess it could be Georgia. I maintain that the Bulldogs are still a solid team with all the talent and ability to contend for a national championship; However, I have been most hesitant to rank Georgia over the years.

We're living in a wild time.

4. Penn State

Penn State keeps winning, so I guess that's as good as a reason to move up in their rankings this week. The Nittany Lions' win over Illinois still holds, but I see this as a paper tiger situation. I still need to see one more test to fully believe Penn State.

5. Oregon

Off of a Week 1 scare against FCS Idaho, and a close win over what appears to be a very good Boise State team, Oregon looks like the team we all expected them to be in preseason projections. The Ducks welcome Ohio State to Eugene next, which should tell us a lot about both teams.

6. Miami

Look, traveling across the country for a late kickoff is no easy feat, and yet Miami found a way to accomplish it. Cal unraveled a few things with Miami, but the team pulled it off when it mattered most and made a remarkable comeback in a tense atmosphere. The Hurricanes are the favorite in the ACC, but Clemson is starting to make a case.

7. Notre Dame

Notre Dame had a bye, so there was no chance to lose to a team like Northern Illinois. It's still one of the most inexplicable losses, but the win over Texas A&M started to look better; And the Fighting Irish are coming off a win over Louisville, even though they just lost to SMU.

8. Alabama

Call it a slump after a big win over Georgia, but Alabama was absolutely blown away by Vanderbilt — a team that hasn't sniffed anywhere near a win over the Crimson Tide for as long as anyone can remember. The Crimson Tide defense is flawed and exposed Saturday.

Alabama is probably still better than some of the teams above it, but a loss this week has them down.

9. Tennessee

Tennessee lost to an unranked team, but Arkansas has been incredibly tough to play this season. For a team capable of a ton of offense this season, it was shown that a good defense can slow down the Vols rather quickly.

10. Be missed

Coming into the season, Ole Miss had all the odds (on paper) to really do some damage in the SEC. There are still some questions, but the Rebels answered the call on the road and took care of business against a tough South Carolina team.

The team still needs a signature win to really show their worth, which is why I still have the Rebels below the Vols. Should have a meeting with LSU next week.

Drop out: Michigan, Louisville

Checking in: Indiana, Vanderbilt

Considering (alphabetical): Arizona State, Arkansas, Army, Colorado, Liberty, Memphis, Navy, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Virginia, Washington, Washington State

If you can't see my full ballot below, click here.