Cats get no votes, Kansas gets a bunch

To the surprise of absolutely nobody at all, Kansas State has completely fallen off every AP and Coaches’ poll ballot after the week three slate and their agonizing 17-10 loss to Tulane yesterday.

The pollsters have completely lost their minds, however. Not for leaving K-State off; dear lord no, we deserve that. But there are some things here that are just mind-boggling in their stupidity.

Either two coaches still have Notre Dame at 25, or one has them at 24. Either way, that’s ridiculous.

Miami deservedly dropped 12 spots in both polls after an execrable game with Texas A&M. The real takeaway from that game is that both teams are terrible and shouldn’t be ranked, but Miami clings to the 25 spot in both polls, while A&M sits at 23 in the AP and 20 in the coaches.

Oregon, who you’ll remember from their opening week humiliation at the hands of Georgia, jumped 10 spots in the AP to #15 and six spots to #18 in the coaches poll after soundly beating BYU (19/23 now after being 12/14 last week). No team that lost as badly as Oregon did in week one should be #15 after week three. Ever.

Penn State went up eight spots in both polls to 15/14 after beating... Auburn. Really? Beating AUBURN is worth eight spots? Auburn, who almost lost to San Jose State last week?

Arkansas damned near lost to Missouri State and went up a spot in the coaches poll.

Meanwhile, Kansas received 23 points in the AP and five... FIVE... in the coaches poll. Look, I know it’s KU but come on, some voter respect for a team that’s actually been pretty damned impressive wouldn’t be out of line here. They’ve beaten two* Big 12 teams on the road, for cryin’ out loud.

* Yes, we’re counting Houston, don’t @ us

Anyway, in the coaches poll Georgia is back to #1, Michigan and Clemson swapped places, and USC moved up a spot; the effect of that is that the top 7 now matches the AP poll, where the top 7 didn’t change at all. Michigan State fell out of the AP poll (and dropped 12 spots to 21st in the coaches) after losing to Washington; the Huskies moved in at 18/24. It was Pittsburgh that gave up their spot in the coaches poll to Washington, but they remain at 24 in the AP.

So even if K-State hadn’t bungled everything yesterday, they probably still wouldn’t have been ranked. Unless they find some answers this week, that’s not going to change next weekend either, as there is no way the team that played yesterday is doing anything other than getting thrashed in Norman on Saturday.