Every AP Top 25 ranking comes with a risk. Get the order right, and fans move on; get it wrong, and they will let you hear about it. Last week’s rankings drew plenty of criticism, with fans questioning the logic behind several picks. Rece Davis, who is also an AP voter, feels the pressure while making the list every week.
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While having a conversation with Pat McAfee on his show, Rece Davis was asked about his Top 25 teams this week. As Davis revealed his rankings, he seemed to have a hunch about how his list might be received.
“I do it because it’s a good exercise for the show. It kind of gives you a broad picture, makes you consider a lot of things. I revise it a bunch of times. I’m scared to death every week that in the process of physically moving teams around, that I accidentally axe somebody out, all of that kind of thing that you worry you’re going to get killed about,” said Davis.
His comments come after San Antonio Express-News’ Greg Luca was recently under fire from fans for leaving Pittsburgh out of his Top 25 despite the Panthers’ thrilling 35–33 win over previously undefeated Virginia Tech. Pitt looked destined for trouble after falling 14 points behind, but the Panthers flipped the script, erased the deficit, and pulled off a dramatic comeback victory.
Instead of finding a spot for the Panthers, Luca surprisingly moved Mississippi State up to No. 10 despite the Bulldogs suffering a 33-point blowout loss to Alabama. His rankings did not sit well with the fans, who wasted no time calling out the flaws in his list.
Giving his justification, Luca explained in the San Antonio Express-News that his rankings were influenced by a head-to-head chain of results. Mississippi State had beaten Missouri, Missouri had defeated Florida, and Florida had come out on top against Ole Miss.
“Why wouldn’t they be ranked in that order, then?” was Luca’s question.
Well, his justification did little to silence the critics, with fans refusing to let it slide. And Rece Davis wasn’t spared either, as his latest list also left out the Pittsburgh Panthers despite their impressive victory. His rankings moved quite similarly to Greg Luca’s. Not only did the Panthers miss out on his list, but Mississippi State, which was ranked 15th in his previous ballot, moved up one spot to No. 14.
In the very same video, he gave his justification, saying it was hard for him to rank teams this week, considering the fact that the SEC teams had performed poorly.
“Miss beat LSU, right? But several spots behind Miss, Florida killed Miss, and you know I have Florida behind Missouri because Missouri killed Florida, and Mississippi State beat Missouri.”
He did admit that his list is a “mess” and that people might call him “What an idiot.” However, he acknowledged that they are not wrong, as there are a lot of picks to consider, and he didn’t account for everything while ranking the teams.
This is not the first time that AP voters have faced backlash for their rankings. A few weeks ago, one voter left out Miami from his Top 25, which cost the Canes a top 5 spot. The same voter repeated it next week.
And while the choices will be subjective, they shouldn’t be driven by outright bias toward a team or a conference. The SEC teams usually see huge jumps after ranked wins. However, the fall is often not the same after similar losses. At the end of the day, AP rankings are just another annoying part of the CFB calendar.