College football analyst Josh Pate slams the AP Poll for ranking a two-loss Oregon squad above undefeated Florida, blaming flawed preseason bias for the controversial SEC snub.
The bitter rivalry between the SEC and the Big Ten continues in college football this season.
After Texas' comeback win over Ohio State at home in Week 2, Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian noted his team couldn't play as poorly in the first half during conference games this year, a sure snub at the Big Ten, which has won the last three national titles.
One Big Ten program is appearing to get the love of Associated Press voters over Florida. After beating Portland State 84-0 on Friday night, Oregon jumped a spot from No. 21 to No. 20.
How the Ducks moved up a spot after beating Portland State is beyond me. Oregon struggled to beat Boise State 34-27 in Week 1 and lost to Oklahoma State 39-31 in Week 2.
The Gators landed in the No. 21 spot this week after beating Auburn 44-39 on Saturday. Florida, 3-0, is a favorite before it hosts No. 4 Ole Miss on Saturday. (Again, some of these elements here seem to have significant human (or maybe AI) error attached.)
During "Josh Pate's College Football Show" on Sunday, the host argued that Florida should indeed be ahead of the 2-1 Ducks. The culprit for the insanity is the preseason polls.
"Florida is behind Oregon, totally laughable at this point," Pate said. "Florida has not lost a game and went on the road in what at that point was a top 25 teams building according to the AP and won yesterday.
"Oregon has taken, has been taken to the limit by Boise. They've gone on the road and they've lost to Oklahoma State, and they're still ahead of Florida. Why? Preseason rankings. That's why.”
As Pate noted, this line of thinking could be what corrupts the College Football Playoff selection committee's process.
Fortunately, this weekend's slate of games will help sort some of this stuff out. Oregon will travel to play No. 12 USC. If the Ducks win, they should climb the rankings by a small margin.
As for Florida, they have a chance to skyrocket up the rankings with a win on Saturday. If the Gators lose, their place in the rankings will depend on what the margins of the loss are.
