What the new AP Top 25 got right and wrong after Texas' upset over Ohio State

A team that led by 20 points in the fourth quarter lost, and two more top-11 teams fell to unranked opponents. Associated Press Top 25 voters had a messy Saturday to sort through. Let's take a look at who they put where, what they got right and what might deserve a second look.

What the poll got right

Texas is No. 1. The Longhorns trailed 23-3 in the fourth quarter of what will become a 24-23 win over Ohio State. They scored three straight touchdowns to steal the win, and picked up 56 first-place votes in the process. The voters got it right here; no other team so far has a better case than the Longhorns.

The Ohio State drop feels just about right as well. No AP No. 1 team had blown a 20-point fourth-quarter lead since at least 2004. But six spots, not a complete drop out of the top 10, matches the scale of a one-possession loss to a team that's now ranked at the very top. There's definitely an argument to be made that the Buckeyes are too low, but at the end of the day, they are the only team in the top 20 with a loss.

Then there's Michigan back at No. 19 after beating No. 11 Oklahoma 17-10 at home. It's as much a fix as a reward; the Wolverines were left out of the poll entirely after controversially pulling out the win against Western Michigan. But now beating a ranked team, which had high hopes in the preseason, should be enough to end the argument of whether Michigan deserves to be ranked or not.

Indiana at No. 4 is the quieter correct call. The Hoosiers held Howard to 57 total yards and forced them to go 2 of 14 on third down, which is dominant by any measure, but they still haven't played a Power Four opponent yet. No. 4 gives them credit for what they've done without pretending there's more evidence than there is.

What the poll got wrong

Fifteen spots is a lot to fall for a one-possession loss on the road. Oregon dropped from No. 6 to No. 21 after a 39-31 defeat to Oklahoma State. Looking at the game, Oregon had a very bad half that put them in too deep of a hole to come back. But landing outside the top 20 treats a bad half like it erased everything Oregon brought into the season as a national title contender.

Miami is a strange case. The Hurricanes drew more first-place votes than every other team but Texas, yet four teams with fewer votes than them sit ahead of Miami at No. 5. Add in a 77-7 win over Florida A&M and quarterback Darian Mensah completing 91% of his passes through two games, and the ranking looks out of step with how the voters actually feel about this team.

Notre Dame does not deserve the No. 3 spot. They were tied for the lowest number of No. 1 votes with No. 7 LSU. They haven't shown enough to be that high yet; it would make more sense for them and Ohio State's spot to be switched. Ohio State, Indiana and Miami have all shown more than Notre Dame and should all be above the Fighting Irish.

None of these decisions are indefensible. It shows the voters still care about teams' preseason reputation for teams like Georgia, Indiana and Notre Dame, while punishing Oregon maybe a little too much.