Saturday was a reminder that the college football Saturdays that look boring on paper often provide the most drama.

Like a pair of top-five teams (Alabama and Tennessee) losing to Vanderbilt and Arkansas, plus Texas A&M crushing Missouri. So my weekly Associated Press top 25 voting felt like a crapshoot outside the top two (Texas and Ohio State).

Where I ranked Alabama

Although the Crimson Tide have fallen from the top spot in my rankings, I still think they are the best one-loss team. So where should I put them compared to the undefeated teams?

I think Oregon has done enough to get ahead of Alabama. Same with Miami. The Hurricanes’ comeback at Cal was remarkable, especially considering the kickoff was in the dark and the fact that it was the Golden Bears’ biggest game in a long time.

Then came my demarcation line. Penn State is still perfect, but the Nittany Lions’ schedule is 95th nationally by one metric, and a narrow win over Bowling Green last month gives me pause. Penn State’s big games are coming up, starting this week against USC. For now, I don’t feel confident putting the Nittany Lions ahead of Alabama. That means ‘Bama has fallen to fifth place, one spot ahead of Georgia.

Another factor I took into account: Based on the game’s stats, ESPN’s analytics said Vanderbilt had less than a 2% chance of the upset. That suggests it was a statistical anomaly.

Where should Tennessee be ranked?

The volunteers were in a similar boat. Tennessee had been one of the most impressive teams with three blowouts and a double-digit win at Oklahoma. But a 14-3 lead in the second half is worrying.

I decided to drop the Vols two spots to seventh (again, just ahead of Penn State). Part of my decision stemmed from the fact that Arkansas (4-2) might be good; The Razorbacks’ narrow loss to Texas A&M looks better after the Aggies blew out Missouri.

That 31-point win moved the Aggies up 13 spots to 12th on my ballot. Some of that jump is a product of what happened elsewhere (losses to USC and Michigan), but Texas A&M has rebounded well from its Week 1 loss to Notre Dame.

Other AP top 25 thoughts

Clemson moved up to 11th with four after a double-digit win at Florida State. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Tigers make the playoffs.

Indiana rose eight places to 16th. The Hoosiers are 6-0 and have defeated every opponent by at least two scores. A weak schedule weighs on them, but it’s difficult to keep racking up double-digit wins like this.

Michigan fell 10 spots but remained at 22nd after losing at Washington. Why? Because the Wolverines are coming off wins over USC and Minnesota (who just beat USC). I think the Trojans are worth ranking, and advanced stats tend to agree. If I’m going to rank USC, I have to rank Michigan based on those relevant performances.

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SMU’s win at Louisville put the Mustangs on my ballot and eliminated Louisville. Arizona bowed out after a loss to Texas Tech. Utah is also gone; the loss to Arizona looks worse, and the best win was for an Oklahoma State team that has lost three straight.

My last spots went to 5-0 Pitt and Vanderbilt. The Commodores earned that ranking by beating Alabama, of course, but I also justified it by looking at their two losses (one in double overtime against Missouri, another in the final 15 seconds against Georgia State). Among the other teams I considered: Army, Navy, Colorado, Tulane, Washington, Arkansas and Illinois.

Matt Baker’s AP Top 25 voting

1.Texas

2. Ohio State

3. Oregon

4. Miami

5. Alabama

6. Georgia

7. Tennessee

8. Penn State

9. Mississippi

10. Notre Dame

11.Clemson

12. Texas A&M

13. LSU

14. Iowa State

15. BYU

16.Indiana

17. State of Kansas

18.Missouri

19. Okla

20. Boise State

21. SMU

22.Michigan

23. USC

24. Pitt

25.Vanderbilt