AP Top 25 reaction: Rank Kansas, cowards
What stands out about the newest top 25?
After a Week 4 that saw many of the bottom teams at the previous top-25 lose, there were expectations that newer teams would make their way into the top-25.
Well, the new top-25 has been released and now it’s time for some reactions:
POLL ALERT: Tennessee and North Carolina State move into top 10, No. 23 Florida State snaps four-year unranked drought.
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) September 25, 2022
See the AP Top 25 presented by @RegionsBank: https://t.co/7dTTUiSC1j pic.twitter.com/hlwxQtRjLX
Voters fear Kansas
The Kansas Jayhawks are 4-0 after defeating undefeated Duke on Saturday.
The Kansas Jayhawks are fourth in points per game.
The Kansas Jayhawks are somehow unranked.
This isn’t just a cute Twitter story; the Jayhawks are a legitimate team deserving of a top 25 ranking. Their offense is dynamic and explosive and their defense has shown the ability to make plays when the time comes. A team like Ole Miss is still ranked with a similar offensive profile to Kansas while beating teams like vaunted powerhouse Georgia Tech, or a team like Syracuse, who has a similar resume to the Jayhawks.
Kansas is deserving of a spot in the Top 25, cowards.
The ACC is going to get very fun, very fast
Five teams are ranked in the ACC after Miami’s loss to Middle Tennessee State. Florida State enters the rankings for the first time in over 1,000 days, along with Pitt, Wake Forest, Clemson and NC State.
The peking order in the ACC is going to get sorted out very soon, with two pivotal top 25 matchups happening this Saturday. Clemson takes on NC State in a battle between top ten teams, and Florida State faces their first true test in Wake Forest. We’re going to figure out how good each of these teams are in the ACC, and the order will be sorted out by mid-October. Makes for some very fun football in the conference.
Losses actually matter
It’s kind of interesting seeing how the AP voters treat top 25 teams who lose games, especially to other top 25 teams. Arkansas lost to ranked Texas A&M on a field goal that hit the literal top of the goalpost and went no good, but fell from 10 to 20. Oklahoma lost to Kansas State and fell from 6 to 18.
Losses matter for the AP poll voters, which could play into how teams are judged when we get deeper into the season. Losing a conference game could knock a team down, regardless of how the loss happened. This is especially relevant for the Pac-12, who might find itself on the outside looking in when it comes to the College Football Playoff.