The Associated Press once ruled over college football discourse with an iron fist. Some 60-odd beat writers were the public’s only source of information on how good each college football team was, as they were the ones who were “in the know.” However, much has changed since those days, and I will argue that beat writers are even less informed than a lot of hardcore college football fans (like myself).
Let me clarify: that is not to say beat writers do not know a lot about college football. Each writer is locked in on their jobs on college football Saturdays with their own specific team. It is not their fault that they cannot watch other games because they are literally doing their job, and after witnessing much of it first hand, I respect beat writers a whole lot more than most people in sports media. However, that is exactly why having them as the voters for the AP Poll does not work. Any reporter covering their team could tell me a lot more about that team than I could, but because they are not always able to watch some of the other games, they cannot necessarily report properly on what happened elsewhere while they were working. This issue becomes apparent with some writers’ polls, as it feels like they must not be watching the games.
Now, once again, these are not necessarily “wrong” rankings, so to speak, but some of the decisions are just very inconsistent. To walk you through some questionable rankings from this season: Koki Riley of The Baton Rouge Advocate had Notre Dame at No. 10 in Week 4 despite starting 0-2. I am one of the few who do think Notre Dame should be ranked, but c’mon man—No. 10? Sean Reider of The Albuquerque Journal moved Utah from No. 17 in Week 3 to No. 9 in Week 4, despite the Utes putting up only three first-half points against Wyoming, and the fact that their other two wins—UCLA and Cal Poly—look worse every day. Then, after a loss to Texas Tech, Reider removed Utah from his top 25 and put the Red Raiders at No. 5. That does not make any sense, Sean.
The worst offender unfortunately came in Week 3, as USC beat writer Haley Sawyer moved Florida up from No. 16 to No. 14 after they lost to South Florida, a team she did not rank. Sawyer did not help herself, as she then went on a podcast and said, “It’s really fun but it doesn’t probably matter in the end.” Sawyer was then subject to a plethora of online hatred from random critics, as well as some national media members like On3’s Josh Pate. Though Sawyer did mess up, she did not deserve to be at the butt end of this online discourse.
All this to say… many beat writers are not able to watch the games, so maybe they should not be the ones ranking. This is not entirely fair to beat writers, as there are members of television media who make bad polls as well. For example, in Week 4, Keith Farmer of WLEX-TV had Arizona State ranked No. 17 despite zero Power Four wins and a loss to Mississippi State (an undefeated team which Farmer did not rank). And finally, Brenna Greene from KATU-TV, someone whom I have met, and respect as a journalist, ranked South Carolina No. 10 in her Week 4 poll and omitted the team that had just delivered the Gamecocks a beatdown in their own house—Vanderbilt. Greene later said she made a mistake, confusing the score of the two, but it further proves not everyone is watching all the games.
So to put a point to all of this: Why does the AP Poll even matter anymore? The CFP committee (which is a whole other can of worms) decides the playoff anyways, so is there a point to the poll other than discourse—like the one I am having right now?
Sawyer brings up a good point: It is really fun. But to counter her “it doesn’t matter in the end,” it does matter for a lot of programs. While the Texases, Ohio States and USCs of the world do not gain much from a top 25 ranking, programs such South Florida or even Georgia Tech can earn national respect and admiration not usually attributed to them.
The AP Poll is mostly for creating conversations, especially preseason when we are just waiting for games to begin. However, it also brings a certain level of excitement and attention that many programs rarely receive.
So while yes, the AP Poll is just “fun,” it means a lot more to a lot of programs. The thinking that it does not matter is just not true. The AP Poll is how all these teams are judged by the rest of the college football community and how bowl seedings—which do have monetary implications—could eventually be decided. Should I be an AP voter? Absolutely. Am I? For now, no. Check back in a few years.
If you do want to see what a proper AP Poll looks like, take a look at mine on X/Twitter, updated every week!