This week’s Associated Press Top 25 college football poll is drawing criticism over how it ranks several teams with multiple losses, particularly from the Southeastern Conference, while leaving out or underranking teams with fewer losses from other conferences.
Texas sits at No. 10 despite two losses this season, to Oklahoma and, at home, to Florida. The Longhorns’ resume includes a narrow win over Ohio State and a victory over Ole Miss. By comparison, Texas Tech, with just one loss (on the road at Cincinnati) and two ranked wins in the Big 12, is ranked lower at No. 13.
Missouri appears at No. 19 despite a resume that includes a 31-3 blowout loss to Ole Miss and a loss to Mississippi State, which played that game with quarterback Kamario Taylor. Missouri’s win over Florida has lost some of its shine as the Gators have struggled since.
Florida and South Carolina draw scrutiny
Florida, despite wins over Ole Miss and Texas, has three losses this season: 45-17 at Missouri, 38-19 to South Carolina, and 27-8 to Georgia on Saturday. Florida remains ranked in the Top 25 despite that record.
South Carolina, also with three losses, is ranked No. 23. The Gamecocks lost to Mississippi State and Kentucky, and were blown out 49-18 by Alabama, though they did beat Tennessee and a mediocre Oklahoma team.
By contrast, Northwestern is unranked despite having only two losses, both close, to Indiana and Oregon.
Notre Dame, UCLA and Indiana comparisons
Notre Dame sits at No. 4 with a 7-1 record built on wins over Wisconsin, Rice, Michigan State, Purdue, North Carolina, Stanford and Navy, with its only loss coming on the road at BYU. That ranking puts the Irish ahead of undefeated UCLA and one-loss Indiana.
Indiana’s only loss came in a close game to Ohio State, with starting quarterback Julian Sayin, and the Hoosiers have won every other game this season. UCLA remains the only unbeaten team in either the Big Ten or SEC, with notable wins over Wisconsin at home and Oregon on the road.
The discrepancies have fueled broader debate about whether preseason reputation and conference affiliation continue to carry outsized weight in how AP voters rank teams, especially as the poll feeds into perceptions ahead of the College Football Playoff selection process later in the season.
