Steppe’s Week 11 AP ballot: Indiana enters top 10, Kansas State drops off ballot

IOWA CITY — Week 10 was very good for some teams’ postseason hopes and not-so-good for others.

In Ames, Iowa State fumbled its Big 12 front-runner status with a loss to double-digit-underdog Texas Tech. SMU, on the other hand, undoubtedly improved its College Football Playoff odds with a 48-25 rout over previously-undefeated Pittsburgh.

Then there’s Indiana, which again won by double digits — this time, a 47-10 win over Michigan State — and now is 9-0 for the first time in program history. As hard as this would have been to believe a few months ago, the Hoosiers have shown enough to prove to me they are a top-10 team.

Miami (Fla.) and Indiana have remarkably similar resumes. Both are undefeated, albeit without any wins over ranked opponents. Yet they were ranked eight spots apart from each other in last week’s poll. They are No. 7 and No. 8 on my ballot this week, with the Hurricanes getting the slight edge because of their strength of schedule.

South Carolina and Louisville earned spots on my ballot after their big wins against then-No. 10 Texas A&M and No. 11 Clemson. All three of the Gamecocks’ losses have been to teams ranked No. 16 or higher, and they were dangerously close to upsetting LSU and Alabama. Lousville similarly has lost all three games by one possession to teams that are currently ranked.

They replace Kansas State and Illinois after their losses this weekend. Kansas State’s two ranked wins against Arizona and Oklahoma State have certainly lost luster considering how far both those teams have fallen. The same can be said for Illinois with its ranked wins against Kansas and Nebraska.

Iowa received consideration after scoring 40-plus points for the third time in the last four games. This team clearly is better with Brendan Sullivan at quarterback. But unlike fellow three-loss teams South Carolina and Louisville, Iowa does not have a ranked win.

Before anyone gets too angry with where I put their beloved team, keep in mind that the College Football Playoff rankings will come out for the first time on Tuesday. Those will be the rankings that ultimately matter for teams’ postseason fate.

John Steppe’s Week 11 AP ballot

Others warranting consideration: Missouri, Iowa, Kansas State, Arizona State

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

Sign up for our curated Iowa Hawkeyes athletics newsletter at thegazette.com/hawks.