My AP ballot: ASU drops off (and Arizona loses a voter)

Arizona State had reason to Fear the Tree on Saturday. Photo by Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports

I spent less time on my AP ballot this weekend than I will at any point this season.

It was Cupcake Saturday. Not much to see here. Just 70-point games and laughable lopsided wins over teams like Savannah State, Idaho State, Florida A&M, Florida International, Louisiana-Monroe, Bethune-Cookman, Arizona State …

OK, so the Sun Devils did show some second-half grit in a 42-28 loss at Stanford, which led 29-0 before ASU decided to punch back. But ASU, which was ranked No. 23, did fall out of the AP poll after losing to the fifth-ranked Cardinal.

I had the Devils at No. 21 and dropped them off my ballot. Not just because they lost to a highly ranked team on the road. Teams shouldn’t necessarily get punished in the polls for that — provided they show well and truly make a game of it.

ASU did not.

For now, the Sun Devils remain on the outside fringe of the Top 25 with another big pair of games coming up — USC, vs. Notre Dame in Arlington, Texas — to prove that they belong.

Same thing for Arizona.

The 3-0 Wildcats, who are getting eight points in the AP poll, play at No. 16 Washington this weekend to start Pac-12 play. A win in Seattle would deserve Top 25 mention.

The Cats, which were idle this weekend, actually lost one of its four voters in Sunday’s poll. John Shinn of the Norman (Okla.) Transcript, bumped Arizona from the No. 25 spot on his ballot in favor of Fresno State, which held on to beat Boise State on Friday night.

Here is my ballot and how it compares to the actual AP poll: