No SEC Records in New AP Top 25 Poll

A week after setting a record for teams in the AP Top 25 with 10, the SEC is back down to  a more earthly 7.  Auburn had the biggest fall, dropping 12 spots, but managed to maintain a Top 25 ranking.  Instead, two teams that were barely in the Top 25 to begin with fell out.  O yeah, there is also the case of Arkansas losing to a MAC team…which causes them to tumble out of the rankings completely.

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First a look at the new poll:

1.  Ohio State

2.  Alabama

3.  TCU

4.  Michigan State

5.  Baylor

6.  USC

7.  Georgia

8.  Notre Dame

9.  Florida State

10.  UCLA

11.  Clemson

12.  Oregon

13.  LSU

14.  Georgia Tech

15.  Ole Miss

16.  Oklahoma

17.  Texas A&M

18.  Auburn

19.  BYU

20.  Arizona

21.  Utah

22.  Missouri

23.  Northwestern

24.  Wisconsin

25.  Oklahoma State

Thoughts

-While the story will be all about how the SEC was overrated by the AP, let’s make it clear that it was the AP made this overrated story possible.

-The SEC Media picked Mississippi State to finish 7th in the SEC West and they had done nothing to be ranked in the Top 25 in 2015.  While Mississippi State is still a good team, most expect them to be the 7th best team in their division…which means they’ll take several losses.

-Arkansas also was likely overhyped, having beaten a series of deflated teams to end 2014 and opening with a cupcake in 2015.  Before that stretch to end 2014, no one even thought they had a chance of making a bowl.  That does not exactly sound like a team that should have been ranked so highly in 2015.

-The last team to fall out of the rankings was Tennessee, who lost to a higher ranked team.  If we’re going to say teams that lost to teams that were ranked higher than they were, we may as well ignore these polls altogether.

-Speaking of questionable poll decisions…Ole Miss and Texas A&M.  I’m not saying these two teams have questionable rankings because they do not.  Quite the opposite.  The AP has taken their time moving these two teams up the rankings, making each prove they belong to rise before they move in the poll.  Which begs the question, why is the AP so eager to overreact with some teams and slow play others?  I won’t even pretend to begin to know the answer to that one.

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