Time to send in another Top 25 ballot to the Associated Press.
I kicked out BYU after its loss at UNLV. BYU has lost 2 of its last 4 games, and its best win all year was at home over UNLV. Time to leave my ballot.
I also kicked out Temple after its loss at Richmond. Temple has lost 2 of its last 4 games and has fallen out of first place in the A-10. I thought hard about keeping Temple in because of its earlier win over Villanova. Temple could be back in my ballot next week.
I also booted Baylor after its loss to Texas A&M.
I also kicked out Pitt after its loss to WVU. Pitt did bounce back and beat Seton Hall, but Pitt has lost 4 of its last 6 games. Time for some new, hotter teams, at least for this week. Pitt may be back in my ballot pretty soon, though. I thought long and hard about leaving Pitt on my ballot, but decided it was time for them to sit out a week.
Here is my ballot:
1. Kansas stays here after beating Colorado and Nebraska. Next: big Monday game at slumping Texas, followed by Sat home game with Iowa St.
2. Syracuse moves up one spot after beating Providence and Cincinnati. Next: home games Wed and Sunday with UConn and Louisville.
3. Kentucky moves up one spot after beating Ole Miss and LSU. Next: big home game with Vandy on Tuesday, followed by Sat home game with LSU.
4. Villanova falls 2 spots after beating Seton Hall and losing at Georgetown. I thought about dropping Villanova further, but they did beat Georgetown earlier this season. And that was only the Wildcats' 2nd loss all season. Next: big Monday game at WVU, followed by Sat home game with Providence.
5. Purdue moves up 2 spots after beating Indiana. Keeping Purdue ahead of WVU because the Boilermakers beat WVU. Next: big game Tuesday at Mich State, followed by Sat home game with Iowa.
6. Georgetown stays here after losing at home to S. Florida but beating Villanova. Thought about moving them up. but have to take the South Florida game into consideration. Next: Visits Tues and Sun to Providence and Rutgers.
7. WVU moves up one spot after beating Pitt and St. John's. WVU poised for a big jump up my ballot if they do well this week. Next: big home game Monday with Villanova, followed by a Friday - yes, Friday - visit to Pitt.
8. Ohio State moves up a spot after beating Penn State and Iowa. Next: Wed visit to Indiana and Sunday visit to Illinois. The Sunday game could be telling about the Illini.
9. Kansas State moves up a spot after beating Nebraska and Iowa St. Next: Sat home game with Colorado, which took Kansas to OT.
10. Duke moves up a spot after beating Ga. Tech and BC. Next: Wed visit to slumping UNC and Sat home game wtih surging Maryland. Big week for the Devils.
11. Wisconsin moves up 4 spots after beating Mich. State and Michigan. Next: home games Tues and Sat with Illinois and Indiana.
12. Mich. St. falls seven spots after losing to Wisconsin and Illinois. Kalin Lucas got hurt against the Badgers and missed the Illinois game. Spartans not the same without their best player. Next: big home game Tues with Purdue, followed by Sat game at Penn St.
13. New Mexico moves up three spots after beating San Diego State. Next: big game Wed at UNLV, which has already beaten the Lobos this season, followed by Sat visit to Utah.
14 Tennessee moves up six spots after beating LSU and S. Carolina. Next: big road games Tues and Sat against Vandy and Kentucky. Tough week.
15. Gonzaga moves up seven spots after beating Portland and Memphis. Next: big home game Thurs with St Mary's, followed by Sat home game with San Diego
16. Northern Iowa moves up 7 spots after beating Wichita State and S. Illinois. Next: visits Wed and Sat to Drake and Bradley
17 Ga. Tech moves down 3 spots after losing at Duke and beating NC State. Ga. Tech might not be on my ballot much longer, but they do have wins over Duke, Wake and Charlotte on their resume, so they are still on my ballot. Next: visits Wed and Sat to Miami and Wake.
18 Cornell moves up one spot after beating Yale and Brown. Cornell ranked in the coaches poll but not the AP poll. Next: Fri visit to Penn and big game Sat at Princeton
19 Vanderbilt falls seven spots after beating Miss. State but losing to Georgia. Next: big home game Tues with Tenn., followed by Sat home game with LSU.
20. Texas falls seven spots after beating Okla. State on the road and losing to Oklahoma. Texas has lost 4 of 6, and running out of patience with the Longhorns. But they stay on my ballot, at least for one more week. Next: big home game Monday with Kansas, followed by Sat home game with Nebraska.
21. Wake Forest re-enters my ballot here after beating Miami and winning in OT at UVa. Wake has good earlier wins over Maryland, Richmond and Gonzaga Next: home games Tues and Sat with BC and Ga. Tech. Loser of that Sat game prob leaves my ballot.
22. Maryland cracks my ballot after winning at FSU and crushing UNC. Next: home game Wed with UVa and big Sat game at Duke.
23. Charlotte moves up two spots after moving into first place in the A-10 with wins over GW and Fordham. Next: big game Wed at Dayton, followed by Sat home game with Duquesne.
24. Butler re-enters my ballot after beating Detroit and Wright St. Butler returned to the AP poll last week, and now I am getting back on the bandwagon. Butler has yet to lose in the Horizon, plus has good wins over Ohio State and Xavier. Next: Mon home game with Loyola of Ill, followed by visits Thurs and Sat to Youngstown St and Cleveland St.
25. I looked long and hard at UNLV and Texas A&M for this spot. I also considered leaving Pitt or Temple on my ballot.
But in the end, I decided to make Richmond No. 25. The Spiders deserve a shout-out after beating Temple to move just one game out of first in the A-10. Spiders beat Missouri and Miss. State earlier this season. Next: big game Wed at Rhode Island, followed by Sat visit to St. Bonaventure.