My AP Top 25 ballot: Georgia on top, Notre Dame jumps, USC soars and Oregon plummets

Highlights from my Associated Press ballot, which was submitted late Monday night …

Georgia took the top spot after demolishing Clemson, a result that compared favorably to Ohio State struggling for a half against Akron.

Notre Dame jumped three spots, to No. 4, following a win at Texas A&M that will do wonders for the Irish’s playoff prospects. (That could prove to be their toughest game for months.)

Miami was another high riser after the beatdown of Florida.

But nobody moved like USC.

The Trojans were not in my preseason poll due to questions about, well, everything. But they looked sharp against LSU on Sunday night and are in the top 10, for now.

(It’s entirely possible the Tigers turn out to be mediocre, in which case we’ll adjust the value of the victory to USC’s resume.)

Oregon dropped six positions, to No. 10, after struggling to beat Idaho. It could be a temporary downturn for the Ducks but, for now, they don’t deserve a spot close to the top.

All in all, the ballot submitted after Week 1 is typically nine parts guesswork and one part substance (i.e., based on material results). We know so little about so many teams, including the FCS opponents providing early fodder for the heavyweights.

The ballot:

1. Georgia
2. Texas
3. Ohio State
4. Notre Dame
5. Utah
6. Alabama
7. Miami
8. Penn State
9. USC
10. Oregon
11. Oklahoma State
12. Mississippi
13. Nebraska
14. Missouri
15. Michigan
16. Kansas State
17. Arizona
18. Iowa
19. Oklahoma
20. Boise State
21. Tennessee
22. Wisconsin
23. Memphis
24. Kansas
25. Vanderbilt

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