Marshon Lattimore,A.D. Miller

Ohio State cornerback Marshon Lattimore (2) gets his hands on a pass intended for Oklahoma wide receiver A.D. Miller, rear, but can't hold on, on an incomplete pass during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. Ohio State won 45-24.

(AP/Sue Ogrocki)

Alabama has retained its lead atop the FWAA Super 16 poll but both its margin and its share of first place votes has been trimmed.

The Crimson Tide's 48-43 road win over a very good Mississippi team was enough to keep it out front. But its point lead over runner-up Ohio State was reduced to 713-664 after the Buckeyes' easy 45-24 win at Oklahoma and third-place Louisville grabbed four ballots' top spots with its emphatic 63-20 destruction of Florida State.

Here is the full poll composed from 41 writers around the country with a point scale of 16 for 1st, 15 for 2nd, etc.:

The other main takeaways after three weeks of college football action, reflected by the poll:

* The Big Ten is in the strongest position it has been at this point in quite some time, a virtual lock to have its champion gain a seed in the third College Football Playoff; in fact, two entrants is not out of the question.

The conference has four members among the top 11 (five in the top 18 if you delve into the also-receiving-votes addendum), all unbeaten and all but No. 4 Michigan carrying impressive wins over Power Five opponents.

Ohio State (@Oklahoma), Michigan State (@Notre Dame), Wisconsin (Louisiana State) and Nebraska (Oregon) have racked up marquee wins that are certain to boost the Big Ten's overall power rating when the CFP committee studies the figures from its contracted Atlanta-based metrics company.

With conference play beginning earlier to accommodate the 9-game Big Ten schedule, most of the B1G non-con action is done. And the league has compiled a very good 30-8 record including 8-3 against Power Five opponents and 5-2 on the road.

* The Big 12 is not only in apparent dysfunction regarding proposed expansion, it is in trouble with the CFP. With Oklahoma and Texas losing, it has nobody ranked in the Super 16 and its highest-ranked team is Baylor (No. 20 if those also receiving votes were counted). It is not difficult to imagine the Big 12 again being left out of the mix in December.

* In fact, one of the schools under heaviest consideration for Big 12 expansion, Houston, has a very clear path to crashing the CFP as its first minor-conference entrant. While a touch of the shine was taken off the Cougars' home win over Oklahoma by the Buckeyes' rout in Norman, it still racked up another impressive win on the road at Cincinnati on Thursday night. Though UH struggled initially with quarterback Greg Ward banged up, it scored the final 28 points in the fourth quarter to ultimately win in a walk, 40-16.

The Cougs also have the schedule ammo down the road to clinch a CFP berth if they keep winning - another Thursday night date on Nov. 17, this one a non-con meet at home with Louisville. You could make a sensible case that game will be for a CFP spot by the time it's played.

Here's my own ballot, one of 41 transparently posted by the Football Writers Association of America:

DAVID JONES: djones@pennlive.com