Top 25 voters in Associated Press poll hit ridiculous new low with this week’s results

At this point, it’s reasonable to wonder whether the voters who determine the Associated Press Top 25 poll are still putting in the effort.

It’s been a recurring problem in recent years, with the first part of the 2026 season once again showing that many poll voters are either not paying enough attention or are hopelessly engrossed, or confused, by specific biases favoring the conference or team.

This observation was even more evident with the release of this week’s poll, which demonstrated once again conclusively that preseason polls receive far too much emphasis and that no other conference receives the special treatment enjoyed by the SEC.

YES, THE SEC STILL ENJOYS RIDICULOUS PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT IN THE AP TOP 25 POLL

Head coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns watches the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee on September 26, 2026. (Getty Images)

First of all? The Texas Longhorns. Texas has had two shoddy losses this year, against the Oklahoma Sooners and a home loss to the Florida Gators. They have a miraculous escape against Ohio State and a victory against Ole Miss. They are No. 10 in the country. Texas Tech has only one loss, a bad one at Cincinnati, but two “ranked” wins in a surprisingly strong Big 12 conference. They are number 13.

We had a full offseason and half season with the SEC coaches, cough Lane Kiffin coughcomplaining about the move to a nine-game schedule and demanding preferential treatment for their schedules, when they already get it.

Missouri is No. 19, for some reason, despite an extremely unimpressive losing resume to other SEC teams. They were blown out 31-3 by Ole Miss, losing to what is clearly a mediocre Mississippi State team, although at least it was with Kamario Taylor, but their big win against Florida now seems much less impressive considering the Gators’ collapse.

But the biggest problem? Their ridiculous handling of this Florida team and the South Carolina Gamecocks. Exclusively because of their conference affiliation.

Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall looks on during a game against the Campbell Fighting Camels at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 12, 2026 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images) (James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Florida has two impressive victories, against Ole Miss and Texas, but has three terrible losses. Not one, not two, but three losses. They were eliminated 45-17 at Missouri, 38-19 by South Carolina and 27-8 by Georgia. That 27-8 loss only happened on Saturday. Why are they classified?

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You could argue that the Gators deserve to be in the top 25 if their three losses had been even remotely close. This was not the case. This is a deeply flawed team capable of flashing past certain opponents. They should not be classified. And they wouldn’t be if their jersey patch didn’t have the SEC logo.

Meanwhile, Northwestern is unranked, despite only two losses. Two close defeats, against Indiana and a still combative Oregon Ducks team.

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South Carolina also has three losses, but not only are they ranked, they are #23. At least Florida can point the finger at Ole Miss and Texas, but the Gamecocks jumped into the top 25 after beating a very mediocre Oklahoma team. They lost to Mississippi State, Kentucky, and were blown out 49-18 by Alabama. Even though they beat Tennessee, there’s no reason to be ranked with three losses this early in the season.

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To be fair to the SEC, the way voters reacted to Notre Dame is also bizarre. The Irish enjoyed an easy schedule this year, going 7-1 with wins over Wisconsin, Rice, Michigan State, Purdue, North Carolina, Stanford and Navy. They lost their only “tough” road game at BYU. So why are they #4, ahead of an undefeated UCLA team and a losing Indiana team? The Hoosiers, after all, lost in close fashion to Ohio State, with starting quarterback Julian Sayin. They won everything else.

UCLA didn’t lose at all, the only team in the Big Ten or SEC that could say that. Sure, they’ve had a pretty easy schedule, but they have wins against Wisconsin at home and Oregon on the road…how is that any different than Notre Dame? Especially since they didn’t lose?

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Head coach Marcus Freeman of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks on before leading his team onto the field before the college football game against the North Carolina Tar Heels on October 3, 2026 at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) (Joe Robbins/Sportswire Icon via Getty Images)

The reality here is that poll voters are hopelessly attached to brand names. Whether these brand names are at the team or conference level. After Kiffin and Sarkisian spent weeks complaining about the SEC’s schedules and how they are run, it’s clear that the AP poll is giving them enormous, probably unwarranted, deference.

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The reality is that the SEC this year, and the Big Ten for that matter, are filled with far less talented teams than in previous years. NIL and the transfer portal have flattened college football, and brand names matter less than ever. You’d think watching Indiana win a national championship would show voters that traditional pathways and powerhouse programs shouldn’t be given the benefit of the doubt.

Some of that will sort itself out as November unfolds, but there’s no doubt the AP Poll will impact the College Football Playoff selection committee’s rankings. The ones that really matter. It is clear that they should not do this.